Serghei Spivac (16-3, 7-3 UFC) needed a little over three minutes to officially end the run of Derrick Lewis (26-10, 17-8 UFC) as a top heavyweight at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
The two faced off in a high-profile crossroads fight that was pitched as a closer fight than it should have. Spivac has been on the upswing as he’s established he is a problematic heavyweight, whereas Lewis has been on a sharp decline despite his resilient popularity.
Ahead of the fight, Lewis displayed a slimmed down physique giving the appearance he was finally getting into shape for a fight. Though Lewis did look great, the years of not properly conditioning or developing a ground game doomed him against his better prepared foe.
As the fight got started, the two got into a clinch that began a series of events leading to Lewis’ downfall. The Moldavian tossed Lewis to the ground and immediately fought to establish control. Try as he could, Lewis was unable to get back up without absorbing some stiff strikes.
There wouldn’t be a chance for Lewis to deliver his trademark power as he was dumped on the canvas yet again. After another trip to the mat, Spivac was able to lock in an arm triangle causing Lewis to rapidly tap out after 3:05 minutes of action in the first round.
Spivac’s victory would be his sixth win in his last seven fights and puts him in prime position for a title shot down the line. While the UFC heavyweight picture is looking to get clarified with the hopes that either Jon Jones or Ciryl Gane will emerge as champion at UFC 285, Spivac is on the short list for a title shot.
Derrick Lewis was in a must-win situation versus Spivac
Things don’t look good for Lewis, dropping his third fight in a row and now has lost four of his last five. While Lewis is a sentimental favorite for many, including UFC President Dana White, Lewis is on the decline and won’t be bought as a legitimate contender after this defeat.
Lewis’ physique was an improvement, but this recent change came too late in his career. Even then, Lewis partially credited his new look from a bout with COVID-19 a few months ago that caused him to lose weight. As good as Lewis looked, he still showed the same inabilities and deficiencies that have prevented him from becoming more than a brute clubber.
With White saying post-fight that he still has opportunities left for Lewis, he isn’t done with the UFC for the time being. We can, however, rule out that Lewis will be getting another major fight with this extending losing streak and ongoing decline.
