This past Saturday night in the headliner of UFC Vegas 68, the all time heavyweight knockout king returned. Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (26-11) was looking to snap out of the recent funk he’s been going through as he took on the surging Sergey Spivak (16-3).
When analyzing the fight, I actually picked Derrick Lewis to get the win. I was looking at this fight like another Curtis Blaydes fight where I figured that Lewis would finally Spivak’s chin and put him to sleep. No disrespect to Spivak, but I don’t look at him and put him on that elite level in terms of grappling.
However, maybe I should rethink things. In the main event, Derrick Lewis only threw three punches and didn’t land a single one before getting taken down by Spivak. Spivak completely controlled him on the ground and submitted him just before the four minute mark of the first round.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 68?
This is a really tough one for Derrick Lewis. His previously two losses were knockout losses against Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich. There’s no shame at all in losing to either one of those men, especially Pavlovich who looks like a pure destroyer.
However, this loss to Spivak just seems different. In the past, Spivak is the kind of guy that Derrick Lewis would put away. He just didn’t look like himself in there on Saturday night. Dana White made it clear that Lewis isn’t going anywhere, but the consensus is that the UFC might dial back the competition.
With that in mind, who should Lewis face off with next? I love the idea of him facing off against Andrei Arlovski next. It’s a winnable fight and pairs together two octagon legends. I’d go that route or potentially Augusto Sakai if he can get a win later this month.