Tag: Derrick Lewis

UFC

UFC Vegas 71: Curtis Blaydes KO sees Sergei Pavlovich punch his ticket into HW title sweepstakes

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Sergei Pavlovich of Russia reacts after his TKO victory over Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on...

Since losing to former champion Alistair Overeem in November 2018, #2 ranked heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich has won six straight – all in the first round – after blasting perennial contender Curtis Blaydes into submission during their main event at the weekend. He feels his next fight will be for championship gold and following another fantastic finish, it’s hard to deny the rising Russian that wish. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 71: Curtis Blaydes KO sees Sergei Pavlovich punch his ticket into HW title sweepstakes” →

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UFC 271: Adesanya efficiency proves key in Whittaker rematch, retains middleweight title

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Israel Adesanya of Nigeria kicks Robert Whittaker of Australia in their middleweight championship fight during UFC 271 at Toyota Center on February...

Tense and competitive, but the same result: Israel Adesanya defended his middleweight crown a fourth time, this time against an old foe in determined former champion Robert Whittaker. He then called for a June title defence against ‘fresh meat’ in the form of Jared Cannonier, who recovered from first-round adversity himself to convincingly end Derek Brunson’s title hopes.
Continue reading “UFC 271: Adesanya efficiency proves key in Whittaker rematch, retains middleweight title” →

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UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane – Long-awaited heavyweight unification bout upon us

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Opponents Francis Ngannou of Cameroon and Ciryl Gane of France face off during the UFC 270 press conference at the Anaheim Convention Center on...

The heavyweight champion makes his first title defence this weekend against a familiar foe, with a well-documented backstory and storyline that has plenty invested. Will interim titlist Gane – who knows him intimately – prove spoiler? Or can the Cameroonian reign supreme? Continue reading “UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane – Long-awaited heavyweight unification bout upon us” →

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UFC Vegas 44: Lewis sets KO record to end 2021, after big wins for Muhammad, Gamrot

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Derrick Lewis knocks out Chris Daukaus in their heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 18, 2021 in Las Vegas,...

Derrick Lewis reinforced his knockout artist pedigree, now standing alone with the UFC’s KO record (13) after viciously ending Chris Daukaus’ first main event in R1 to cap the promotion’s final card of an eventful 2021 campaign. Elsewhere, there were big wins for welterweight contender Belal Muhammad and lightweight prospect Mateusz Gamrot among others.
Continue reading “UFC Vegas 44: Lewis sets KO record to end 2021, after big wins for Muhammad, Gamrot” →

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Daukaus-Lewis a classic matchup between rising contender and dangerous veteran

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Although he fell way short of his own sky-high expectations against Ciryl Gane for interim gold in August, Derrick Lewis wants to end 2021 by righting that wrong against soaring heavyweight contender Chris Daukaus set for his first main event this weekend. Continue reading “Daukaus-Lewis a classic matchup between rising contender and dangerous veteran” →

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UFC 265: Gane outclasses Lewis with R3 TKO, becomes new interim HW champion

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Ciryl Gane punches Derrick Lewis in the third round of their Heavyweight bout at Toyota Center on July 7, 2021 in Houston, Texas.

Ciryl Gane (#3) improved to 10-0 after another impressive win – this time in enemy territory from Houston’s Toyota Center – blasting Derrick Lewis (#2) with a third-round TKO finish to seize the UFC’s interim heavyweight title. Beforehand, there were impressive victories for a determined bantamweight contender in Jose Aldo as well as welterweight title hopeful Vicente Luque.
Continue reading “UFC 265: Gane outclasses Lewis with R3 TKO, becomes new interim HW champion” →

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UFC 265: Derrick Lewis, Ciryl Gane preview their interim heavyweight title fight

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Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane of France face off during the UFC 265 press conference at at Toyota Center on August 05, 2021 in Houston, Texas.

Ahead of their interim heavyweight title fight headliner at this weekend’s UFC 265 PPV, Derrick Lewis (#2) and Ciryl Gane (#3) have previewed an intriguing matchup that could either be a boring 25-minute affair or live up to the billing: one of the pair landing a devastating knockout.
Continue reading “UFC 265: Derrick Lewis, Ciryl Gane preview their interim heavyweight title fight” →

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UFC Vegas 30: Composed Ciryl Gane passes Alexander Volkov test, remains unbeaten

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Ciryl Gane of France punches Alexander Volkov of Russia in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 26, 2021 in Las...

After five tests of increasing difficulty, Ciryl Gane knew the Volkov challenge was a necessary litmus test to see whether he was more than the UFC’s rapidly-growing hype machine. During an entertaining striking battle, the Frenchman passed with flying colours and won all five rounds on two of the three judges’ scorecards, before eyeing a title shot vs. Francis Ngannou. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 30: Composed Ciryl Gane passes Alexander Volkov test, remains unbeaten” →

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UFC Vegas 30: Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov welcome a pivotal main event task

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In this UFC handout, Opponents Ciryl Gane of France and Alexander Volkov of Russia face off during the UFC weigh-in at UFC APEX on June 25, 2021 in...

In a division that has been deemed imbalanced for a while, this matchup pits two of the top five heavyweights against one another – something they both expect will help produce the best version of themselves with the lure of a potential title shot dangling for Saturday night’s winner.
Continue reading “UFC Vegas 30: Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov welcome a pivotal main event task” →

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UFC Vegas 19: Derrick Lewis’ R2 uppercut stuns Curtis Blaydes in heavyweight upset

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Derrick Lewis punches Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 20, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

#4 ranked heavyweight Derrick Lewis relished the underdog tag and showcased timely takedown defence en route to blasting Curtis Blaydes (#2) into unconsciousness, after #7 ranked bantamweight Yana Kunitskaya’s big decision win over Ketlen Vieira (#6) in the co-main event. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 19: Derrick Lewis’ R2 uppercut stuns Curtis Blaydes in heavyweight upset” →

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Crazy or not, Derrick Lewis has opportunity to justify unlikely title ambitions

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Opponents Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis face off during the UFC weigh-in at UFC APEX on February 19, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Three years after his first UFC title shot, Derrick Lewis (#4) is under no illusions about how much work lies ahead should he finally earn another crack at becoming the heavyweight champion. But after their initial November matchup was rescheduled following a positive COVID-19 test, the Black Beast has a real chance to stake his claim against Curtis Blaydes (#2) tomorrow. Continue reading “Crazy or not, Derrick Lewis has opportunity to justify unlikely title ambitions” →

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Curtis Blaydes’ heavyweight warning to Jon Jones speaks volumes

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Curtis Blaydes routs Alexander Volkov for fourth UFC win in row

#2 ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes, slated to face Derrick Lewis (#4) during this weekend’s UFC Vegas 15 card this weekend, tested positive for COVID-19 and the bout will be rescheduled. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old had plenty of compelling comments regarding Jon Jones’ heavily-anticipated move up in weight and has a title shot on his agenda in the not-too-distant future. Continue reading “Curtis Blaydes’ heavyweight warning to Jon Jones speaks volumes” →