UFC Vegas 19 went down last night (Saturday, February 20, 2021) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Derrick Lewis achieving a cruel knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes (see it again here) in the title. In the main event, Yana Kunitskaya defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision in a 138-pound catch weight match (summarized here).
Biggest winner: Derrick Lewis
There must be a certain sense of accomplishment for a fighter when he or she eventually throws fists with a person who has relentlessly claimed to have dived it. Satisfaction is only heightened when a knockout blow for the fighter is the end result. And that’s exactly what happened when Lewis delivered one of the most vicious knockouts of the year on Blaydes after hearing an innumerable accusation from ‘Razor’ that he had rejected the fight and had to avoid it at all costs. With the win, Lewis shoots straight up to the No. 1 heavyweight claim, meaning he will have to face the winner of Jones Jones versus Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou. With four consecutive wins on his CV – as well as an extra $ 50,000 in his pocket – Lewis sits nicely in the championship photo and only enhances his reputation as one of the toughest punches in the history of the sport.
Runner-up (s): Chris Daukaus and Tom Aspinall
In this preview message, I mentioned that UFC matchmakers seemed to want to use former 265-pound champion Andrei Arlovski and longtime MMA veteran Aleksei Oleinik as a stepping stone for young talent like Aspinall and Daukaus. And if that was indeed what it did, it worked because Aspinall scored an Arlovski victory for a second round, while Daukaus knocked out Oleinik in the first round. Their victories are huge for their respective careers, as well as their bank accounts, as each man earned an extra $ 50,000 in bonus after the fight. These are some great names in their resume, each of which can only make them climb faster in the ranks.
Biggest loser: Curtis Blaydes
Throughout the history of the UFC, there have been several fighters who only had to win three or four fights to get to a title fight. Then there are others like Blaydes who never got an invitation to take part in a 265-pound championship fight, even though he had a winning streak of four fights and won eight out of nine overall. If he had defeated Lewis, he would undoubtedly have stood in line. Now he will have to start all over again and win one after the other if he wants to come back. He must be perfect. Still, his latest setback should definitely cut deep for Blaydes, especially since it comes at the hands of a man he doesn’t care much about. And what may sting him a little more is the fact that ‘Razor’ was determined to wrestle his way to a victory, only to knock out without ever getting a rematch. Indeed a rough night at the office.
For full UFC Vegas 19: “Blaydes vs. Lewis” results and play-by-play, click HERE!