First off, what an uppercut Lewis landed! It put Curtis Blaydes to sleep, the power he has is among the strongest. With the win, Lewis is now tied for the most knockouts in UFC history of any weight division. That record alone speaks for how heavy his hands is.
So the smartest way to beat Lewis would be to take him down and grapple him to avoid the bombs. Easier said than done, most fighters could not control Lewis on the ground, yes, he has been taken down numerous times he usually gets back up easily.
His strategy is usually explode in a split second that gets his opponent off guard. Once he gets you clipped, it would be huge trouble for you. Just look at his past opponents on who he has faced, how he handled the wrestling. Credits to UFC Commentator Brendan Fitzgerald
If your game plan is to take down Derrick Lewis, bad things tend to happen (unless you’re Daniel Cormier) from MMA
The only person to give him trouble on the ground was Daniel Cormier. Most opponents had tried to submit him via Kimura but he was just too strong and too big to submit. A compilation of fighters choosing to grapple with him. Spoiler alert! Most of them failed.
Derrick Lewis just standing up from bottom position. He fights Curtis Blaydes tonight. from MMA
Curtis Blaydes was a decent favorite for a reason. It was because of his volume takedowns and he was probably the best wrestler in the division. Most fighters in the heavyweight choose to strike rather than grapple but Blaydes on the other hand, would want to shoot a takedown when the opportunity is there. Blaydes is also a big guy that shoots fast for his size.
Unfortunately, his takedown was read by Blaydes by a mile, he timed a counter uppercut that ended the fight. MMA Wrestling and pure wrestling is much different. Blaydes was actually winning in the stand-up so who knows what would have happened.
The only man to stop Blaydes on the ground would be former Olympian and two Division UFC Champion, Daniel Cormier. He just shows a different level of wrestling, he even ankle picked Derrick Lewis in their fight. Cormier is clearly the shorter guy, even in the light-heavyweight division, how much more in the heavyweights?
In their fight, Lewis managed to get back up once he gets taken down but Cormier had relentless pressure that he could just get taken down again and again. Once he gave out his back, Cormier sunk in a rear naked choke to win the fight.
Fans need to appreciate how great Cormier was, he basically ragdolled Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett easily. Both have great wrestling background by the way, there are just levels to this fight.
Another thing worth noting, maybe Lewis learned a lot with his fight against Cormier that he knew how to utilize anti-wrestling.
