Derrick Lewis has defeated Aleksei Oleinik in the main event of the UFC on ESPN+ 32 this Saturday evening in Las Vegas.
The Black Beast (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) won via TKO in the 21st second of the second round, after coming out hard and attacking the Russian with all of its power. He would inflict a flying knee and immediately send a hard right hand that struck Oleinik’s (59-14-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) jaw.
After that, the Boa Constrictor fell on the ground, and experienced a flurry of hits from Lewis who didn’t want to stop until the judge Herb Dean interfered. The American landed dozens of punches directly to Oleinik’s head, who was trying to tie Lewis’s legs and get up, but without any success.
[embed]https://twitter.com/SpinninBackfist/status/1292315499452338182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]This was the record-breaking 11th KO win for Lewis, who now holds the record for the most KO triumphs in the UFC heavyweight division. Previously, he, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos had the same number together.
The bout started a bit differently. Lewis did strike more often, and he did do some damage to Oleinik, but if it weren’t for the end of the round, the outcome would probably be different.
Lewis scored a takedown, which would turn out to be a massive mistake for him. Oleinik would soon take the initiative, before getting into the dominant position, and going after the submission. He was harassing Lewis who was constantly in the defensive mode, and Oleinik tried to make the Americana lock to finish the match. Yet, his opponent survived the round.
After regrouping and refocusing in between the rounds, the 35-year old former title challenger came out strong to defeat the 43-year old veteran.
[embed]https://twitter.com/SandhuMMA/status/1292302919883268110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]This was the sixth win in the previous eight matches for Lewis, who is trying to get back to the heavyweight division’s elite echelon. Over the past few months, the Black Beast has been working hard on his body, trying to cut down the weight and go under 260.
After the battle, Lewis would add that he intends to lose more weight after this event and completely changes his look.
On the other side, Oleinik recorded a loss after being Maurice Greene and Fabricio Werdum. The legend of the MMA sport, with 46 submission wins, will probably slide down from the top 10 in the division until the end of the year.