Derrick Lewis is everything we want from a heavyweight. He has legitimate one punch knockout power, meaning he can finish the fight at any point. He’s notched 20 knockouts in 25 wins throughout his career. Headlining UFC 265 this weekend against Ciryl Gane, Lewis has the opportunity to become the interim heavyweight champion. Many think that his key way to victory will be to land a big bomb and finish Gane. We take a look at Derrick Lewis’ top five knockouts across his illustrious UFC career.
Derrick Lewis – Top 5 Knockouts
5 – Jack May – UFC on Fox 11
Derrick Lewis’ UFC debut predictably ended in him knocking his opponent out. What was interesting in this one, however, is that Lewis showed impressive defensive wrestling, leading to the finish. He was able to reverse the position he was put in, get to his feet and land vicious ground and pound leading to the finish.
4 – Gabriel Gonzaga – UFC Fight Night 86
Stepping in against the former UFC title contender, Derrick Lewis showed that he can hang with the best of them. In his classic style, he lulled Gabriel Gonzaga into thinking that he wasn’t in danger, with Lewis just slowly plodding forwards before exploding with a barrage of punches. Despite covering up, one got through and it only took that one to send the Brazilian crashing to the mat.
3 – Travis Browne – UFC Fight Night 105
Headlining his second straight UFC card, Lewis stepped in against Travis Browne. What played out is one of the craziest knockouts you’ll see. In the second round, both Lewis and Browne threw big haymakers simultaneously, looking for the knockout. Unfortunately for Browne, Lewis was able to land first. He barley clips Browne but it was enough to send him dancing his way to the floor. No fewer than 11 ground and pound shots directly the head of Browne was all she wrote in this one.
2 – Curtis Blaydes – UFC Vegas 19
This is Derrick Lewis’ most recent bout and many thought that he may struggle with the relentless wrestling of Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes is easily one of the best wrestlers in the UFC’s heavyweight division and has dominated many an opponent on the ground. Historically, Lewis hasn’t had the greatest ground game, preferring to just ‘get up’, rather than use technique. If Blaydes was to get this one to the ground, it could have been a long night for ‘The Black Beast’. Lewis’ power seemed to effect Blaydes straight from the off, however. In the second round, Blaydes shot for a takedown and Lewis landed an uppercut which knocked Blaydes out cold. Well timed, well executed and very violent.
1 – Alexander Volkov – UFC 229
14:40. That’s the time that Alexander Volkov had dominated Derrick Lewis for in their UFC 229 fight. The Russian had been able to keep Lewis at bay, landing freely and was cruising to the unanimous decision victory. As we said earlier, however, with Lewis, it only takes one to finish a fight. A quick 1 – 2 landed clean on ‘Drago’s’ jaw, almost knocking his mouthpiece out, sending him crashing to the ground. Several unanswered ground and pound shots later lead to Lewis getting his hand raised. In turn, this would lead to a title shot for the Texas native, however, he would fall short in his attempt. He has an opportunity for redemption this weekend, however.
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