"That’s Herb Dean’s fault" - Derrick Lewis justifies extra punches after Curtis Blaydes knockout
Derrick Lewis blamed referee Herb Dean for the extra punches he landed on Curtis Blaydes, even after his opponent was already unconscious.
Last weekend's UFC main event bout between two of the top-5 heavyweight contenders caused controversy, as Derrick Lewis continued to hit Blaydes after the latter was already down on the canvas.
As many MMA fans and analysts interpreted Derrick Lewis' action as unnecessary and reckless, the No. 4 UFC heavyweight contender preferred to shift the blame to Dean, the match referee.
"Because his corner, his coaches were talking about, 'That was bullsh*t.' I was saying, 'that's not my fault, that's Herb Dean's fault.' I'm going to keep fighting until the referee pulls you off. That's with anyone. The same thing could happen to me. I'm going to just keep fighting until the referee says stop," Derrick Lewis said at the post-fight press conference.
"I can't just turn the switch off just like that. I know some fighters could do that, but I can't do that. I've got to wait until the referee pulls you off them because you never know what happens. Anything can happen," Derrick Lewis further said.
Blaydes went instantly to the ground after a powerful uppercut from Derrick Lewis. Dean quickly shouted to 'The Black Beast' to stop hitting Blaydes, but as the referee was far from the action, it took him a few seconds to physically drag Derrick Lewis away.
Derrick Lewis defends the extra punches with a WWE reference
Known for playing around during his interviews and post-fight press conferences, Derrick Lewis did not miss the opportunity of taking a humorous note of proceedings.
He explained why he threw extra punches at an unconscious opponent, joking that Curtis Blaydes could have risen up like the 'Undertaker', a legendary WWE fighter.
"He could turn into the 'Undertaker' and sit straight up and eat all those shots. You never know. You've got to keep going until the referee says chill out," Derrick Lewis joked.
The Undertaker was famous for his in-ring character of the 'Deadman', where he was portrayed as impervious to pain, absorbing his enemies' attacks without feeling any damage.
With his knockout win, Derrick Lewis tied Vitor Belfort's record of most knockout wins (12) in the UFC.
Although 'The Black Beast made a call-out to Alistair Overeem after the win, he has climbed closer to championship heights after defeating Blaydes, who was the No. 2 heavyweight contender before the fight.