Derrick Lewis is one of the most entertaining characters in MMA today. The Black Beast fought Aleksei Oleinik in the UFC Apex in a heavyweight clash with title implications. The Houston resident is a great power striker while Oleinik has the best submission grappling in the division.
This made the fight all the more interesting. Lewis is capable of putting out anybody’s lights while Oleinik is a genius on the ground. He’s the only UFC fighter to successfully execute an Ezekiel choke. Furthermore, in a thin division, there was the opportunity to get into the title picture.
However, only one man could walk away with the win, and in the end that was Lewis. Oleinik threatened on the ground, but Lewis’s raw power got him the victory. Check out the highlights of this fight below. It was entertaining while it lasted. And as ever, Lewis delivered in his post-fight antics.
Another look at that Derrick Lewis shot that dropped Oleinik #UFCVegas6 pic.twitter.com/33fG2Y9Pa9
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) August 9, 2020
Exciting
‘The Black Beast’ clearly wanted to make the small cage count. He came out of the blocks hard, landing a head kick and dropping his opponent. He rained down on the Russian who hung tough and reversed the position. Then Oleinik went to work. He threatened with a scarf hold but Lewis broke free.
However, Oleinik went with the same move and locked it in tight. Lewis just about survived and finally, the Russian gave up. Then with about ten seconds left on the clock, he went hunting for the Americana. But the bell rang and Lewis got away with it.
1️⃣0️⃣ Junior Dos Santos
1️⃣0️⃣ Cain Velasquez
1️⃣1️⃣ Derrick Lewis@Thebeast_ufc now has the most knockout victories in UFC heavyweight history 💥#UFCVegas6 pic.twitter.com/Cfe3jPPe8g— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) August 9, 2020
Savage
The finish came very quickly into the second round. Lewis came out with a flying knee straight into his opponent’s chest. Then he smashed Oleinik with an overhand right. From there it was all about the ground-and-pound. He landed some brutal strikes before Herb Dean finally called an end to the fight.
It was a highly impressive finish from Lewis, who definitely enjoyed fighting in that smaller cage. If Daniel Cormier does beat Stipe Miocic and retire next week, then the Black Beast may even end up with a title shot in the very near future. It’s quite the turn of events. Then to make it even better he said:
“Yo I got to take a s**t.”
Did you really think @Thebeast_ufc wouldn't have a memorable post-fight interview? 🤣 #UFCVegas6 pic.twitter.com/276TKIqlEa
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 9, 2020
Finisher
Lewis acknowledged that Oleinik was close to getting the finish. However, he broke the record for most heavyweight KOs so he is very happy with that. In sum, he remains a cult hero and one of the most exciting fighters in what should be the UFC’s prestige division. Lewis broke the fight down in his post-fight interview:
“He had that British Bulldog… whatever the hell that is, that head submission he had on me. He had it pretty deep. I couldn’t breathe at all. Shit, I’m just glad the time ran out.”
“It feels good (to have that record), especially knowing I’m not where I’m supposed to be at,” he said. “I’m not going to take any more fights until I walk around at 250, 245 range. I’ve got to get down at least 15, 20 lbs.”
