Derrick Lewis just landed a devastating uppercut that put Blaydes out cold. Lewis has said coming to the fight with Blaydes, it will be his last fight in his UFC contract, he needed an impressive win to ask a better contract which he did.
In the first round, Blaydes had his moments and arguably won the first round but in the second round it only took one punch to end the fight. When Blaydes shot a takedown, Lewis timed an uppercut that put Blaydes to sleep. Another classic Lewis win where he gets in trouble but ends up winning the fight.
Lewis certainly overcame the odds as he was the underdog in the fight, and most expected it would be mostly a grappling heavy fight since Blaydes usually uses volume takedowns to win fights.
There was also some controversy after the fight since Blaydes’s team said that Lewis landed unnecessary punches since his opponent was already out and stiff. In Lewis’s defense it was all in the hands of the referee which is also true in a way. Sometimes fighters concentrate on finishing the fight that adrenaline takes over and it is the referee’s job to stop the fight.
When asked regarding his future, he also accepts the fact that Jones deserves to fight for the title but when asked who he wants next he said Stipe since he likes wrestlers.
As for Blaydes, he is still young and his losses are mostly puncher’s chance. He needs to improve his striking defense, but who can blame him, his losses came from two of the most strongest punchers in the heavyweight division. He is still one of the most talented wrestlers in the divsion and should just focus on getting better.
