How much did Derrick Lewis make for his vicious knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC Vegas 19?
Derrick Lewis reportedly made an estimated $370,000 for his knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC Vegas 19, according to MMA Salaries. The Black Beast was the highest earner at the event, followed by Andrei Arlovski and Blaydes.
The fighters' earnings are not official, but an estimated amount based on their previous fights.
With a performance bonus of $50,000, a share of $300,000 as base salary, and a a win bonus, plus the sponsorship money, Derrick Lewis pocketed a total of $370,000.
The second-highest earner at UFC Vegas 19 was former Heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski. The 42-year-old returned home with $345,000 despite his loss to Tom Aspinall. 'The Pitbull' was competing in his 52nd professional MMA fight, in which Aspinall submitted him in the second round.
Meanwhile, Derrick Lewis' opponent, Curtis Blaydes made $110,000 to emerge as the third-highest earner at the event. Before the fight, Blaydes had stated that he will not give up his potential earnings of $100,000 by "standing and banging" against Lewis.
The performance bonuses at UFC Vegas 19 were rewarded to Derrick Lewis, Chris Daukaus, Tom Aspinall, and Aiemann Zahabi.
Derrick Lewis wants Alistair Overeem to be his next opponent
At the post-fight press conference, Derrick Lewis expressed his interest in fighting Alistair Overeem. The Black Beast admitted to not being in the UFC Heavyweight title picture which currently involves Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, and Jon Jones. Lewis said that he would rather fight Overeem since he is not likely to get a title shot soon.
"It would be cool just to fight him (Alistair Overeem) because he’s a so-called legend, so it would be cool to fight somebody like that, and also he has been talking trash... We’ve been trying to fight him for years and he turned down the fight four times already. He might take the fight. He has been hit in the head a couple of times, so he might forget all about what happened tonight, so he might take it," said Lewis.
Lewis's win over Blaydes is likely to make him the second ranked fighter in the UFC Heavyweight division. However, with Jon Jones assured a title shot against the winner of Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou fight, The Black Beast may have to wait a while to have a crack at the Heavyweight strap.