Watch: Remembering the time Alexander Volkov and Derrick Lewis fought at the UFC 229 weigh-ins
Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov are both regarded as top-tier Heavyweight competitors in the sport of MMA today.
Currently, Lewis and Volkov are fourth sixth respectively on the official Heavyweight rankings listed on the UFC’s website.
While both fighters continue to work their way to the UFC Heavyweight Title, we take a look at their infamous brawl from the UFC 229 weigh-ins.
UFC 229 was a memorable combat sports event
UFC 229 will forever be etched in combat sports history as an unforgettable event, not only for its amazing fights on the card, but also due to the mass brawl that ensued between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor’s groups.
In the main event of UFC 229 (October 6th, 2018), Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully defended his UFC Lightweight title with a fourth-round submission victory over Conor McGregor. The Eagle then proceeded to attack The Notorious One’s corner. This, in turn, resulted in several individuals from both fighters’ team taking shots at one another.
Additionally, many of Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s fans as well as innocent bystanders got involved in the massive brawl that broke out. These fights spilled out from the Octagon to other parts of the arena, and then to nearby casinos and the streets as well.
Needless to say, the brawl between Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov that transpired at the UFC 229 weigh-ins was overshadowed by everything that happened after the event.
What happened at the UFC 229 weigh-ins between Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov?
Alexander Volkov got on the weighing scales for the ceremonial UFC 229 weigh-ins and then walked over next to UFC President Dana White for the faceoff.
His opponent, Derrick Lewis, was next on the scales. After posing for the cameras, Lewis too walked over to White.
Although Derrick Lewis briefly acknowledged Dana White while walking over to him, the former immediately turned his attention to Alexander Volkov. Derrick Lewis got right in Volkov’s face, but the Russian fighter stood his ground and started smiling whilst talking to Lewis.
Regardless, Lewis appeared to be quite serious and responded by shoving Volkov’s hat. Not one to be outdone, Volkov shoved Lewis and tried to hit him with a punch and a kick.
While no significant strikes were landed in this exchange, both Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov had to be held back by the security personnel present on the stage.
Both fighters did eventually get the opportunity to settle their differences inside the Octagon, and their fight almost went the distance.
Alexander Volkov dominated the matchup, hurting Derrick Lewis' body with kicks and delivering some strong punches to his head. There was also a phase where the Russian fighter had The Black Beast on the mat and almost secured a submission win.
Nevertheless, Lewis survived the onslaught and ended up knocking out Volkov with a beautiful 1-2 and follow-up ground strikes in the final seconds of their fight. Their bout was waived off at the 4:49 mark of the third and final round, and Lewis was declared the winner via KO.