Derrick Lewis winning is good news for the UFC Heavyweight division
The Black Beast, Derrick Lewis took on the most experienced fighter in UFC's roster, Aleksei Oleinik. This fight was a huge gamble for the heavyweight division. Derrick Lewis has not been consistent with his performance. However, he remains one of the scariest fighters in the heavyweight division.
Derrick Lewis is not skilled enough to deal with a high level of grappling. And that's what he saw in the first round when Derrick Lewis was trapped on the bottom with Aleksei Oleinik.
Aleksei Oleinik is the most decorated submission specialists in UFC right now with 46 submission victories. Oleinik has a nickname called "The Boa Constrictor" for a reason. He has a variety of submission holds in his arsenal and is an opportunist when it comes to finishes. To put him against Derrick Lewis was a huge risk.
But, Derrick Lewis weathered the early storm in the first round. Aleksei Oleinik got him in a scarf hold choke, but Lewis was just too big to execute the scarf hold choke. Lewis made a mistake of taking the fight to the ground in the first round. However, Lewis turned things around and executed a vicious finishing sequence to secure another knockout victory.
Derrick Lewis might be the only one to stop Francis Ngannou
Except for Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier, Francis Ngannou has dominated the heavyweight division with ease. Elite fighters such as Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Curtis Blaydes, and Alistair Overeem have become the victims of Ngannou's power.
Ngannou did not even need more than one round to finish these heavyweight elites. There are not many heavyweights alive right now who can go toe to toe with Francis Ngannou.
The heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic did have a win over The Predator. He took Ngannou's best shot in the first round and executed a perfect gameplan to dominate him for the rest of the fight. However, is there anyone else can stand toe to toe with The Predator?
That's where Derrick Lewis comes into the picture. Francis Ngannou has fought everyone in the division and defeated most of them. However, Derrick Lewis survived three rounds against Francis Ngannou. Though Ngannou did not let his hands-free in that fight Lewis can take play the power game with Ngannou
It is a no-brainer that Ngannou will fight the winner of Stipe vs DC 3. However, the fans might expect a showdown of two of the scariest heavyweights on the planet sooner or later.