Derrick Lewis' 5 best UFC fights
After months of speculation, UFC 230 – taking place in New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on November 3rd – finally has a main event, as Daniel Cormier will defend his UFC Heavyweight title against challenger Derrick Lewis.
We all know Cormier’s story – he’s one of the most visible and popular stars on the UFC’s roster – but Lewis is somewhat of a surprising challenger due to his unusual rise through the ranks.
One of the UFC’s most entertaining fighters both in the cage and on the mic, few people expect ‘The Black Beast’ to become the new champion, but over his 15-fight, 4-year UFC career, everyone’s learned to throw their predictions out of the window when it comes to the power puncher from New Orleans.
Here are Derrick Lewis’s 5 best UFC fights thus far.
#1 vs. Guto Inocente - UFC Ultimate Fighter XIX Finale – 07/06/2014
Lewis signed with the UFC in early 2014 and brought with him a solid record of 9-2 with one No Contest.
Hardcore fans recognised his name largely due to a win over top prospect Jared Rosholt in 2012, but he was still largely under the radar when he TKO’d fellow debutant Jack May in his first Octagon appearance.
After his second fight though, nobody would forget who he was again. Faced with Guto Inocente – a man who, if you believed certain sources, regularly used to beat up Alistair Overeem in training sessions – Lewis came in with a size advantage, but an apparent disadvantage when it came to overall skills.
In the end though, skills didn’t come into play – the only thing deciding the fight was the face-melting power of the Black Beast.
After some initial exchanges, Lewis caught a kick from Inocente and tackled him to the ground. The Brazilian looked to scramble to his feet, but as he turned to his side, Lewis met him with some crushing right hands – and seconds later, Inocente was unconscious.
It was an odd fight as prior to the punches landing, Lewis certainly hadn’t looked like a world-class Heavyweight. What he clearly did have, though, was the power in his fists to end any fight instantly.
The punches he landed were short, and to generate so much force in them was a major surprise. It was an early message to the rest of the UFC’s Heavyweights that Lewis was a dangerous foe for anyone.