Derrick Lewis
The Black Beast
USA
No-shows UFC 324 defeat
Lewis lost to Waldo Cortes-Acosta via TKO (punches) at 3:14 of Round 2 at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
This projected as a tough matchup for Lewis on paper as evidenced by the fact he closed as a +260 underdog, but few could have imagined he would have looked this bad. Derrick simply couldn't keep up with the speed and movement of Cortes-Acosta, but the real concern was the finish. Lewis appeared to slip and fall to his back and have zero interest in continuing to fight. As a result, Waldo jumped on top of him and unloaded unanswered blows until referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Cortes-Acosta is no pushover, but Lewis will be 41 years of age in a couple weeks and whenever you see a performance this poor it makes you wonder if the end is near. As is, and has been the case for years, Lewis is more of an attraction than legitimate contender.
This projected as a tough matchup for Lewis on paper as evidenced by the fact he closed as a +260 underdog, but few could have imagined he would have looked this bad. Derrick simply couldn't keep up with the speed and movement of Cortes-Acosta, but the real concern was the finish. Lewis appeared to slip and fall to his back and have zero interest in continuing to fight. As a result, Waldo jumped on top of him and unloaded unanswered blows until referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Cortes-Acosta is no pushover, but Lewis will be 41 years of age in a couple weeks and whenever you see a performance this poor it makes you wonder if the end is near. As is, and has been the case for years, Lewis is more of an attraction than legitimate contender.
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Fighting Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324
Lewis will fight Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324 on Jan. 24, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
The 40-year-old Lewis made quick work of Tallison Teixeira in July, taking him down in just 35 seconds. He'll now aim to extend his winning streak to three against Cortes-Acosta, who could experience a bit of fatigue after fighting five times in 2025 and twice in November alone.
The 40-year-old Lewis made quick work of Tallison Teixeira in July, taking him down in just 35 seconds. He'll now aim to extend his winning streak to three against Cortes-Acosta, who could experience a bit of fatigue after fighting five times in 2025 and twice in November alone.
35-second main event victory
Lewis defeated Tallison Teixeira via TKO (punches) at 0:35 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Nashville.
ANALYSIS
Lewis turned 40 years of age in February. He's still a below-average athlete for a UFC fighter and has long had questionable cardio, but his pure power is amongst the best in the history of the sport, and they say power is the last thing to go. Teixeira found that out firsthand here. The latter clipped Lewis with a shot to the eye immediately after the opening bell rang, but the blow seemed to only serve to anger Lewis. Derrick pushed forward swinging for the bleachers, and one left hook connected with Teixeira's chin. A handful of follow-up shots later and referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Lewis is more of an attraction than anything else at this late stage of his career, but he's still capable of selling out an arena and putting on a masterful performance such as this. He remains one of the most popular fighters in the company.
Lewis turned 40 years of age in February. He's still a below-average athlete for a UFC fighter and has long had questionable cardio, but his pure power is amongst the best in the history of the sport, and they say power is the last thing to go. Teixeira found that out firsthand here. The latter clipped Lewis with a shot to the eye immediately after the opening bell rang, but the blow seemed to only serve to anger Lewis. Derrick pushed forward swinging for the bleachers, and one left hook connected with Teixeira's chin. A handful of follow-up shots later and referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Lewis is more of an attraction than anything else at this late stage of his career, but he's still capable of selling out an arena and putting on a masterful performance such as this. He remains one of the most popular fighters in the company.
Next fight scheduled
Lewis (undisclosed) is scheduled to compete against Tallison Teixeira in a heavyweight fight at UFC Nashville on July 12, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Lewis has not fought in over a year because of a medical issue. The heavyweight will look to continue building momentum after finishing Rodrigo Nascimento in St. Louis.
Lewis has not fought in over a year because of a medical issue. The heavyweight will look to continue building momentum after finishing Rodrigo Nascimento in St. Louis.
Drops out of fight
Lewis withdrew from his scheduled fight against Jhonata Diniz at UFC Edmonton on Friday, Nolan King of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
The reason for Lewis' withdrawal is being described as a "non-weight cut medical issue," neither fighter will participate in Saturday's event.
The reason for Lewis' withdrawal is being described as a "non-weight cut medical issue," neither fighter will participate in Saturday's event.
Now expected to fight Diniz
Lewis will take on Jhonata Diniz in a heavyweight bout at UFC Edmonton on Nov. 2, Nolan King of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
Lewis was originally scheduled to face Alexandr Romanov, but now it appears that the UFC would like to split up this main event. That leaves Lewis in line to face Diniz, which should be a fascinating fight. Diniz has yet to lose professionally, but he's just 2-0-0 in the UFC. Lewis, meanwhile, is of course an all-time great UFC fighter, most recently coming off a win over Rodrigo Nascimento.
Lewis was originally scheduled to face Alexandr Romanov, but now it appears that the UFC would like to split up this main event. That leaves Lewis in line to face Diniz, which should be a fascinating fight. Diniz has yet to lose professionally, but he's just 2-0-0 in the UFC. Lewis, meanwhile, is of course an all-time great UFC fighter, most recently coming off a win over Rodrigo Nascimento.