5 UFC fighters who could break Derrick Lewis' knockout record in the future
This weekend sees Derrick Lewis face off with Sergey Spivak, and ‘The Black Beast’ will be aiming for another knockout to add to his UFC record total of 13 – but will he hold onto the record forever?
The Black Beast is back! 😤
Derrick Lewis knocks out Chris Daukaus in the first round! 💥
#UFCVegas45 | @Thebeast_ufc https://t.co/rwRo6d73nl
Right now, there are a number of brutal knockout artists competing in the UFC who could definitely look to break Derrick Lewis’ promotional record of 13 knockouts in the near future.
Whether these fighters will manage it is another thing, as Lewis has been sparking his foes out now for the best part of a decade, a remarkable feat to say the least. However, you never know.
Here are five UFC fighters who could break Derrick Lewis’ knockout record in the future.
#5. Jiri Prochazka – UFC light heavyweight champion
While any fighter who manages to capture gold in the UFC is obviously a top-class fighter, not all of the promotion’s champions tend to be consummate finishers, largely because they’re always up against the very best opponents.
However, reigning light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has already made a name for himself as a fighter who will go to any length to finish his opponents, no matter the cost to himself.
‘Denisa’ only has three fights in the octagon thus far, a remarkable statistic in itself given that he now holds the title at 205lbs. Naturally, none of the three have gone the distance, with the Czech native knocking out Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes.
@Jiri_BJP is a PROBLEM AT 205! #UFCVegas25SHEEEEEEESH!
🇨🇿 @Jiri_BJP is a PROBLEM AT 205! #UFCVegas25 https://t.co/difk3Nea2H
Prochazka definitely won’t find it easy to match Derrick Lewis’ total of 13 knockouts in the octagon, purely because he’s already at the top of his division and may not fight all that often going forward, assuming he holds onto his title.
However, at the age of 30 he still has years ahead of him. More to the point, his record of 25 knockouts in 29 wins is ridiculous, meaning that if he can keep that ratio going at the highest level, Lewis’ number won’t be out of reach for him.
#4. Alex Pereira – UFC middleweight champion
Few fighters in UFC history have burst onto the scene in the same way that new middleweight champion Alex Pereira has. ‘Poatan’ only made his octagon debut in November 2021. Just three fights later, he was able to stop Israel Adesanya to claim gold.
More importantly, though, Pereira doesn’t tend to just beat his opponents – he uses his striking, particularly his coffin nail left hand, to knock them silly. Of his four opponents in the UFC thus far, only one, Bruno Silva, has survived the distance with him.
Does the Brazilian stand a chance of breaking Derrick Lewis’ record of 13 knockouts in the octagon, then? It’s a fair question to ask.
On the one hand, assuming he holds onto his title for a while, Pereira will be fighting nothing but top competition for the next few years, meaning easy knockouts might be hard to come by.
On the other hand, though, if ‘Poatan’ is going to win a fight, it’s likely to come via knockout. After all, nobody had previously come close to putting Adesanya away like he did last weekend, and yet given the chance, Pereira absolutely battered him.
A HUGE KO win for Pereira over Adesanya 😤 #UFC281 https://t.co/zNDKHwwRrf
Given that the Brazilian is probably one of the most gifted strikers in octagon history, then, it’s impossible to count him out of achieving this feat, even if, at the age of 35, time may not be on his side.
#3. Max Holloway – former UFC featherweight champion
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway already holds one promotional record when it comes to knockouts. With eight finishes by KO or TKO to his name, he holds the record for the most knockouts in the history of the 145lb division.
So could ‘Blessed’ add enough knockouts to his ledger in the future to surpass Derrick Lewis’ record of 13? It’s definitely a possibility, even if his recent bouts haven’t suggested that.
Holloway hasn’t actually finished a foe since December 2018, when he put Brian Ortega away after the doctor called off their title bout. However, that’s clearly because the wins that have come since – over Frankie Edgar, Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez – have been against ultra-tough foes.
Nothing but respect from @BlessedMMA to @PanteraUFC 🤝 #UFCVegas42 https://t.co/rtvTIndum5
Due to the fact that he’s now out of the title picture for a while thanks to three losses to reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski, though, there’s a chance that the Hawaiian could end up taking a slight step down in competition in his next few fights.
If that’s the case, then his knockout form could easily return, as ‘Blessed’ certainly hasn’t lost a step in his striking. If anything, his overwhelming volume style is now better than it’s ever been.
Given he’s still only 30 years old despite a decade of experience in the octagon, Holloway should have plenty of chances to break Lewis’ record. After all, assuming Lewis doesn’t add to that record, ‘Blessed’ only needs five.
#2. Matt Brown – UFC welterweight
Right now, the most likely fighter to break Derrick Lewis’ record of 13 UFC knockouts is probably Matt Brown. The welterweight veteran already has 12 knockouts to his name in the octagon, meaning just two more would push him past ‘The Black Beast’.
However, there’s a big issue when it comes to his chances, and that’s the fact that, with all due respect, ‘The Immortal’ is already miles past his prime.
Not only is Brown 41 years old, but he’s also retired once already. In his most recent bouts, it’s been clear that he’s lost more than one step. He remains dangerous, admittedly, but he’s also won just one of his last three bouts, a knockout of Dhiego Lima in the summer of 2021.
@IAmTheImmortal has that POWER! #UFCVegas29MATT BROWN WITH THE RIGHT HAND FROM HELL! 🔥
💢 @IAmTheImmortal has that POWER! #UFCVegas29 https://t.co/YqZ29s079R
More to the point, Brown is also far less durable than he was in his prime, meaning that his brawling style is far more risky to him than it was in his prime, when he blended gritty toughness with an insane killer instinct.
Despite this, ‘The Immortal’ does need just two more knockouts to break the record. Assuming he continues to fight, if he’s given lower-level opponents, something that could be likely, then there’s every chance he might pull it off.
#1. Adrian Yanez – UFC bantamweight
Okay, so it’s fair to say that bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has a long way to go before he even gets close to breaking Derrick Lewis’ record of 13 UFC knockouts. After all, he only has four knockouts to his name thus far.
However, when you consider that he only debuted in October 2020, then that number suddenly becomes more impressive. Put simply, after claiming a $50k bonus in each of his five bouts thus far, it’s fair to say that Yanez has already established himself as one of the promotion’s deadliest finishers.
A STATEMENT IN HIS HOME STATE 😤
@yanezmma was determined to get the finish at #UFCAustin https://t.co/XZOB45HOqi
The big positive that Yanez has on his side in terms of chasing Lewis’ record is time. Right now he’s ranked at No.14 in the bantamweight division, but 135lbs is arguably the promotion’s most loaded weight class.
That means that Yanez is likely to have to fight on plenty of occasions before he becomes a true title contender. It also means that he’s unlikely to have to face the top dogs of the division any time soon.
Given that he’s still just 28 years old, then, the fact is that Yanez might find himself faced with lower-level opponents for at least two years yet. If he keeps up his current form – and if he can fight on three occasions per year – then by the end of 2024, he may definitely be pushing for the record currently held by ‘The Black Beast’.
Basically, in terms of this record, it’s impossible to count a fighter with a killer instinct as good as Yanez’s out.