In the baddest sport on the planet at any given time, whether it be boxing at its height in the not so distant past, or mixed martial arts now, the heavyweight champion is always the baddest man on the planet. At any point in his professional life he can think to himself: I can beat any man alive on earth under the unified rules, be it those of the Marquess of Queensbury, or the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. However, to be the baddest man on the planet in the public’s eye, victory is not always sufficient. To achieve the prized baddest man on the planet, a man is not only measured by how many fights he wins, but how he achieves victory in each of those contests. The knockout is the ultimate litmus test. The “Game over” shot, the grand slam home-run in the bottom of the ninth when you are down three with two outs on a full count, the slam dunk that shatters the glass backboard and sends everyone in the gym running around in circles with their hand over their mouths screaming “OOOOOOOOOOO”. That is what The Black Beast Provided during his last outing: sensational bone-crushing and jaw-dropping power, phenomenal timing, and blockbuster entertainment.
In the Ultimate Fighting Championship -- the premier proving ground for martial artists on the planet -- there have only ever been two men who have managed to knock out their opponents on twelve different occasions: pioneering Brazilian super star Vitor Belfort, and Houston's own Derrick “The Black Beast Lewis.” The latter, exclusively in the heavyweight division. It’s hard to imagine how Derrick reached the status of “knockout king” in a sport where his opponents have resumes containing such pedigreed backgrounds in different martial arts disciplines, given that he does NOT have a storied collegiate wrestling career, or world class amateur boxing credentials . How can a man who grew up with neither wrestling or boxing in the amateurs, reach such heights in a sport he undertook as an adult? A former streetfighter, college football player, and tow truck driver, Derrick holds knockout victories over some of the most accomplished mixed martial artists of all time. A list that includes Matt Mitrione, Gabriel Gonzaga, Travis Browne, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, Aleksei Oleinik, and now Curtis Blaydes.
In the analysis immediately after a knockout, we often hear the commentators use the phrase “perfect timing” to describe the efficacy, placement, and yes, timing of the blow that ended the hostilities between the two combatants. Against Curtis Blaydes, the fight ending shot the shot that left Curtis seemingly electrocuted on his way down to the canvas --before the now infamous brutal independently concussive follow up shots came down-- that shot… that was immaculate timing. A few centimeters on either direction and the shot zips by Blaydes’ head, a second after or before the right time and Derrick is left open to a takedown and on to Curtis Blaydes’ realm on the ground where the same elbows that opened up Alistair Overeem like a faucet would soon follow. An uppercut or a knee, that's what Derrick was looking for during the entire length of the fight. He was looking for the perfect opportunity to catch Curtis coming in for a takedown. Curtis was working hard on making that approach into the takedown. He had been working all night to feint his way inside, using his stand up to mask his true intentions of taking the fight to the ground. And in the blink of an eye, in a split second, he went in when he shouldn't have, and used his entire momentum and athletic ability gained after decades of wrestling to run full bore right into the shot his opponent had been waiting to welcome him with all night long. And in the time it takes a hummingbird to beat its wings once, all of the work Curtis had done to set up the take down was all but washed away with one shot, like the rain washes away fresh tracks from a long hike.
During the fight Curtis Blaydes landed 28 total strikes, to Derrick Lewis’ seven, this in a total fight time of 6 minutes and 26 seconds. I counted 5 shots in the entire finishing sequence, and yes, I included his head bouncing on the canvas floor as a shot, that counts in terms of severe physical damage...without question. However, the actual punch count of that sequence was four. So Derrick Lewis essentially landed 60% of his punches in the last few seconds of the fight. That was all he needed. He bided his time, stayed patient, refused to fall prey to Blaydes’ setups and feints, and when the right moment arrived, Derrick pounced. As brutal a knockout as you could ever see. The follow up shots, Herb Dean’s scream, and Curtis' unfortunate sounds as he was out unconscious made the whole affair even more horrifying.
It has not always been the smoothest of roads for The Black Beast. Injury spells have at one time or another plagued Derrick Lewis down and hampered his ascent to the top of the mountain. However, as we have seen so far in his career, it will take more than bodily injury, life’s circumstances, and an opponent’s impressive skillset, to slow the Black Beast down. As the next UFC fight night card looms over the weekend, one thing is for sure, the black beast should be watching, as either of the participants in this coming Saturday night’s heavyweight contest can be a future opponent for him. The UFC is back at the Apex on February 27, 2021. This exciting card features two of the UFC’s biggest prospects, two highly ranked contenders in the bantamweight division, and a blockbuster heavyweight fight with potential title implications between Cyril Gane and Jairzinho Rosenstruik.
The massive heavyweight title fight coming up this year will be on March 27 at the Apex center in Las Vegas. It will be Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou. Say what you will about the intensity and entertainment level of Derrick’s fight vs. Ngannou, but Derrick still managed to get his hand raised against what some consider the most terrifying fighter in the world, in a sport packed to the brim with terrifying fighters. Sitting pretty with twelve Knockouts in the UFC, while things get hashed out at the top of the division, for his next fight, Derrick could potentially be looking for either a number one contender fight with the winner of Rozenstruick vs. Gane, or a title shot versus the winner of Miocic vs Ngannou rematch. Of course, there is also the matter of Jon Jones making his heavyweight debut in the near future. We can all be assured that , whoever he fights, Derrick will be looking for his 13th UFC knockout, and separate himself from Belfort, becoming the man with the most knockouts in UFC history.
