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Derrick Lewis finished Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Vegas 19 with one of the most vicious uppercuts in promotion history. But he also landed a few more punches afterwards.
Blaydes was already oblivious to the initial impact of the punch as Lewis stuffed a takedown attempt with his fist. But the fight wasn’t over yet – Lewis jumped in to land two more shots before referee Herb Dean could rush in to stop the fight with the end at 1:26 of the second round.
Afterward, Lewis was screaming at Blaydes’ corner, but it turns out that the verbal exchange had nothing to do with some sort of bad feeling or personal grudge settling in the cage.
“Because his corner, his coaches spoke of ‘it was bullshit’. I was saying it’s not my fault, it’s Herb Dean’s fault, ”Lewis said at the UFC Vegas 19 post-fight press conference.
“I’m going to keep fighting until the ref tears you off.” It’s with anyone. The same could happen to me. I’m going to keep fighting until the referee says stop.
While there’s a long list of highlights featuring one-punch knockouts, Lewis promises it’s never going to be him because he’s just not built that way.
His argument comes from the instructions given to the athletes before the event where they are told to keep fighting until the referee tells them to stop. Lewis has said that’s what he always will do even if it looks like his opponent is clearly not planning a comeback.
“I can’t just turn the switch off like that,” Lewis said. “I know some fighters could do that, but I can’t do that. I have to wait for the ref to rip you off because you never know what’s going on. Everything can happen.
“He could turn into ‘Undertaker’ and sit up straight and eat all those punches.” We never know. You should continue until the referee tells you to relax.
The arrival also tied Lewis for the most knockouts in UFC history alongside former champion Vitor Belfort with 12 overall.
Getting into the record books was the least of his worries when the fight began as Lewis explained that he felt slow in the first round and struggled to get going.
“I couldn’t really wake up in there,” Lewis said. “Like all the time in the back, walking towards the octagon, the first and second rounds, my body just couldn’t wake up. I do not know why. I just didn’t have it today, the energy I needed. I wanted to be more explosive in the first one, but I couldn’t just pull the trigger.
“But all I was waiting for was just for him to shoot. I didn’t care about anything else. I was just waiting for him to shoot. Throw the uppercut or knee. We knew it was going to happen.
Ahead of the take-out attempt that led to the knockout, Lewis saw Blaydes start to find more confidence in his strike, which only fueled his desire to finish all the more.
“At the end of the first round, I’m like, ‘He’s made a mistake,’ Lewis said. “That’s what I was saying in my head. His coach was trying to pump his head – “Fine, you’re fine” – and I’m like great, keep playing this game. That’s what I thought.
“Then the second round came up and I thought he was going to come out and get up a bit, then he was going to try to shoot. I just had to be patient.
The game plan worked perfectly as Lewis was just waiting for Blaydes to finally act, and that’s when he dropped the bomb that ended the fight.
“That’s what we’ve been drilling all month,” Lewis said of his uppercut. “Really 12 weeks, really, trying to prepare for this guy.”
It obviously paid off as Lewis built his winning streak to four overall while adding Blaydes to the long list of fighters who made the mistake of testing the power of ‘The Black Beast’.
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