Derrick Lewis explains why he added two unanswered punches to Curtis Blaydes after dropping him and calls put who he wants next for his last fight on his current contract and more — This is your Fightful fix roundup.
Derrick Lewis explains why he punched Curtis Blaydes after he had already been knocked out
Derrick Lewis was the big winner at UFC Vegas 19 when he knocked out Curtis Blaydes in spectacular fashion with a vicious uppercut. After he landed the punch, Lewis jumped onto Blaydes and landed two more strikes on Blaydes who was defenseless. This has caused some uproar among the MMA community but the "Black Beast" explained that he was worried about Blaydes doing an "Undertaker" and sitting up after the strike. The Undertaker was infamous for absorbing lots of damage in the WWE and then sitting up and continuing to fight.
“No. It’s like, I can’t just turn the switch off just like that. I know some fighters can do that, but I can’t do that.” Lewis explained (h/t BJPenn.com). “I have to wait until the referee pulls you off of him because you never know what happens. Anything could happen. He could turn into The Undertaker and sit straight up and eat all of those shots. So, you just never know. You’ve got to keep going until the referee say ‘Hey chill out.'”
Derrick Lewis calls out Alistair Overeem
Derrick Lewis has continued to call out Alistair Overeem for his next fight. Lewis was calling out Overeem before the fight and after winning against Blaydes, who is a teammate of Overeem, Lewis has continued his pursuit to challenge the UFC veteran. Overeem is only after being knocked out in his last outing so there is no timescale on when he will be able to return.
“I would like a three-round fight, just cause, I don’t want five rounds,” Lewis said. “I don’t care he had a couple of losses in a row it’d be cool just to fight him because he’s a so-called legend so it would be cool to fight somebody like that and also he been talking trash you know he’s been saying that his teammate Curtis could handle this lightweight and stuff like that and we’ve been trying to fight him for years and he turned down the fight four times already," Lewis claimed (h/t LowKick MMA). "He might take it, he’s been hit on the head a couple of times so he might forget all about what happened tonight so he’ll probably take it.”
Jamall Emmers back spasms force UFC Vegas 19 to be canceled as Chas Skelly waits in the Octagon
UFC Vegas 19 wasn't without its issues as Chas Skelly was stood waiting in the Octagon for his opponent Jamall Emmers when he was told the fight was forced to be canceled. According to the broadcast, Emmers suffered back spasms backstage and was unable to compete. The broadcast also added that Emmers’ “body had shut down,” prompting Nevada Athletic Commission officials to intervene. Ring announcer Joe Martinez made the official announcement on the microphone that the fight was canceled because of “medical reasons backstage” as Skelly awkwardly left the cage without throwing a single punch.
Tom Aspinall surprised himself with his performance and wants Chris Daukaus next
Tom Aspinall had a fantastic night by submitting Andrei Orlovski by a rear-naked choke. This was one of the first times we've seen Aspinall's ground game given his proficiency in striking. However, Aspinall showed he has more to his game when he became only the second fighter to submit Arlovski in 50 career pro fights.
“If I want to be the champion, which I know that I can be, I have a lot to improve on. I want to be fighting more veterans like that because you can learn from them. I was hitting him with some clean shots. But because he’s (taken) so many shots, he knows how to ride the shots and close the distance, so you don’t land them clean. All kinds of stuff I haven’t really dealt with before, so I’d like to fight someone like him again,” Aspinall said in the post-fight press conference (h/t MMA Junkie). “I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu a long time. My dad, he’s one of the first black belts in the U.K. I’ve been in and out of jiu-jitsu basically all my life. I’ve got some jiu-jitsu, just not a lot of people know about it. I’ll just keep in the back pocket for when I need it, I think. Just like I did tonight. No one expected that. Not even me. It was just instinctive when I got him to the mat. (I’d) take the back and choke.”
Yana Kunitskaya "wasn't so confident" of victory against Ketlen Vieira
Yana Kunitskaya defeated Keteln Viera by unanimous decision 29-28 but admitted that the fight was very close and she wasn't sure if she had done enough to convince the judges. The fight was razor close and a late flurry of elbows then opened up a nasty cut on Vieira, potentially tipping the scorecards in Kunitskaya's favor.
"To be honest, I wasn’t so confident," the Russian, who moved her career record to an impressive 14-5, said afterward (h/t RT Sport). "I wasn’t sure because in some positions she was dominant. I didn’t know how it would be in the judges’ eyes. I was a little bit nervous but I feel I did a good job."
"I feel very proud of myself."@YanaKunitskaya1 discusses her decision victory over Ketlen Vieira and her metal game played a factor in her success at #UFCVegas19 --
— UFC News (@UFCNews) February 21, 2021
Steven Nguyen defends his KO win at LFA 100 following fan backlash
Featherweight prospect Steven Nguyen defended his brutal knockout at LFA 100 after online outrage due to a late punch he landed after the KO. Nguyen finished Jorge Juarez after 30 seconds after landing a huge right hand that knocked Juarez to the floor and Juarez seemed to be knocked out cold. Nguyen followed it up with a brutal ground strike that led to fans online saying he took a cheap shot at his opponent, but Nguyen has taken to social media to defend himself.
I actually hit him on the shoulder not the back of the head. #Fyi https://t.co/oUitVQCWse
— Steven Nguyen (@Steven_Win) February 20, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Justin Gaethje gave up at UFC 254
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Justin Gaethje “gave up” in their lightweight title unification bout this past October on Fight Island. Gaethje was supposed to be the toughest fight of Nurmagomedov's career due to his wrestling background and striking finesse. Gaethje proved to be no match for "The Eagle" as he ultimately emerged victorious by way of second-round submission with a triangle choke. And Nurmagomedov has expressed his views on why he ended up victorious.
“You may not see this, but I felt it: He gave up,” Nurmagomedov said of Gaethje (h/t MMAMania). “I mean, his will was broken. He gave up mentally. I don’t think that I won this fight physically, but rather mentally.”
Glover Teixeira on being UFC 259 backup: "I didn’t want to fight anyone if it wasn’t for the title"
UFC light-heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira is desperate to fight for the light-heavyweight championship. The Brazilian is the backup fighter for the UFC 259 superfight between Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz, and Teixeira explained that the UFC wanted to give him a fight on the same card, but he would not accept it and would prefer to be the replacement in case something goes wrong in the main event.
“When the UFC called me, they asked me if I wanted to fight on the same day. I said I wanted to be the backup. I told them I didn’t want to fight anyone if it wasn’t for the title at that event. Either way, I’m still fighting a champion, because Israel is the middleweight champion, so it still benefits me. I’m sure my next fight will be for the title, even if it’s not this one. I’m doing everything right. I’m staying in shape. It’s complicated to prepare for two guys," Teixeira admitted to AG Fight. "That’s the backup job, though. You get what falls on your lap. I think they were going to call me anyway. If this backup business weren’t a thing, they would me call me because I’m next in line. It’s good for me, to stay in shape and in motion. We need to be ready for a short-notice fight. I trust my weapons. Of course, Adesanya and Blachowicz have different styles, but we try to adapt.”
Santiago Ponzinibbio wants a fan-friendly fight with Robbie Lawler
Santiago Ponzinibbio is itching to get back in the cage and prove why he was considered a threat to the UFC welterweight title just a couple of years back. Ponzinibbio suffered a loss to Li Jingliang at UFC on ABC 1, putting an end to a seven-fight winning streak. And Ponzinibbio would like to face Robbie Lawlor next to bounce back.
“There are many good fights, but matchups are often based on the rankings positions and all that,” Ponzinibbio said. “So as much as I want to fight against someone in the top five, it’s not realistic. I don’t even think I can get someone in the top 10," the Argentinean said to MMA Junkie. “So I’d like to fight against a Robbie Lawler. He’s 14, 15. He’s an ex-champion. He’s a striker like me, so it would be a fun matchup for the fans. It’s an interesting fight against Robbie Lawler. It’s an entertaining division, so there are many fights out there that are fun for the fans.”
Fightful has all of your MMA needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates, and predictions.
