We’ve got an action-packed fight weekend this past Saturday night (February 4, 2023) with UFC Vegas 68 inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Bellator 290 blowing the roof off the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California.
Several fighters were feeling the post-fight blues once the dust settled, including Fedor Emelianenko, who was knocked out by Ryan Bader in the main event of Bellator 290 in the final bout of his career (review here). And Sabah Homasi, who was knocked unconscious by Brennan Ward in a total bloodbath.
But which fighter could feel the worst post-fight hangover, now days away from events?
Derrick Lewis.
Going into his headlining fight against Serghei Spivac, ‘Black Beast’ was hoping to turn things around after suffering back-to-back first stoppage losses to Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovoch. By doing so, the hard-hitting big man would avoid falling out of the Top 10.
But things went from bad to worse in a hurry for the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title challenger after he was forced to tap an airtight arm triangle in the very first round, giving him three straight losses and putting hi, at 1-4 in its last five.
It’s a drastic downfall for a man who competed for UFC gold twice and was also feared stepping into the cage. The same man who would sleep the best of them with a touch of the bricks he calls fists. But since 2021, Lewis just doesn’t look the same. He picked up a knockout victory over Chris Dauakus between his slip-ups, but his terrible run over the past two years is somewhat unfathomable.
The good thing is that Lewis isn’t going anywhere because UFC President Dana White has already confirmed that “Black Beast” won’t lose his spot on the roster following his current slip.
“Listen, I have a lot of respect for Derrick Lewis,” White said after the fight. “I love this guy. And he got a rough ride tonight. Spivac looked really good. He made a big statement tonight.
“Not with me,” White said of the Lewis stock plunge. “I love the guy. I love him, so he’s not going anywhere.
The only place Lewis needs to go is the winner’s circle, because despite having White’s vote of confidence, a fourth straight defeat could just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. That said, we know Lewis has the power and ability in his fists to turn things around in the blink of an eye.
There aren’t too many people Lewis hasn’t faced in the heavyweight division, and few rematches that make sense. The only three Top 15 people Lewis has yet to face are Stipe Miocic, Alexander Romanov and Jailton Almeida. The only fight of those three that makes sense to Romanov, as he is ranked No. 13 and is coming off a loss to Marcin Tybura.
Unless you have a better suggestion?
To see full results for Bellator 290, click hereand for UFC Vegas 68, click here.
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