Derrick Lewis

Overview

Sixteen knockouts in 20 UFC wins, and not one submission. Derrick Lewis, "The Black Beast," is a Heavyweight with a UFC record of 20-12 and a 29-14-0 mark across all promotions. He has no UFC win by any route other than a knockout or a decision.

He also takes it back. Nine of his 12 UFC losses came by KO/TKO, and he carries a two-fight losing streak into his next bout. The pattern is simple: when a fight ends early, it usually ends violently, and sometimes it's his turn on the wrong side of it.

Power, not volume, defines his career.

UFC Career

Lewis debuted on April 18, 2014 at UFC on FOX: Werdum vs Browne, stopping Jack May in the first round. A second first-round KO of Guto Inocente followed in July. Then came the first loss, a 41-second KO/TKO defeat to Matt Mitrione.

The run that built his name came from 2015 to 2018. He beat Gabriel Gonzaga by first-round KO/TKO at 4:48 and took a split decision over Roy Nelson. Then he headlined a five-round fight against Shamil Abdurakhimov and finished it in round 4, followed by a round 2 stoppage of Travis Browne. A stoppage loss to Mark Hunt interrupted the streak, but he went on to a longest UFC win streak of six, a run that included a unanimous decision over Francis Ngannou and a KO/TKO of Alexander Volkov in round 3 at UFC 229.

The step up to elite opposition went badly. Daniel Cormier submitted him in round 2 at UFC 230, and Junior Dos Santos stopped him in round 2 four months later. He rebuilt with decisions over Blagoy Ivanov and Ilir Latifi, then knocked out Aleksei Oleinik in 21 seconds of round 2.

His best win by our model's opponent tiers came next: a round 2 KO/TKO of Curtis Blaydes, one of the elite opponents of his career. He headlined UFC 265 against Ciryl Gane and lost by KO/TKO in round 3.

Later years brought more of the same volatility. Losses to Tai Tuivasa, Sergei Pavlovich and Serghei Spivac were followed by a 33-second finish of Marcos Rogerio de Lima. A five-round unanimous decision loss to Jailton Almeida broke the pattern, since it's his only UFC loss by decision. Wins over Rodrigo Nascimento and Tallison Teixeira came in main events, but KO/TKO losses to Waldo Cortes Acosta and Josh Hokit left him on two straight defeats.

Twelve main events, and his fights still end fast.

Fighting Style

Lewis is a low-volume striker who lands less often than most. He is also hit more than most fighters, and his defense leaves him open to a lot of return fire. His accuracy is about typical, so his damage comes from the shots he lands rather than how often he throws.

He rarely shoots for takedowns and almost never hunts submissions. His takedown defense is about typical, and the numbers point to a fighter who stays on the feet.

The finishing pattern fits that profile. Of his 16 KO/TKO wins, seven came in round 1, four in round 2, four in round 3 and one in round 4. He has no submission wins and four decision wins.

Notable Wins

• Curtis Blaydes — KO/TKO, round 2, UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis (2021)
• Francis Ngannou — unanimous decision, UFC 226 (2018)
• Alexander Volkov — KO/TKO, round 3, UFC 229 (2018)
• Gabriel Gonzaga — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. Dos Santos (2016)

Quick Facts

• Division: Heavyweight
• UFC record: 20-12 (16 KO/TKO wins, 4 decision wins)
• Professional record (all promotions): 29-14-0
• UFC debut: 2014
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 6'3" / 79"
• Team: 4oz Fight Club
• Born: New Orleans, LA, United States