Dana White: Derrick Lewis 'delivered' but KO stoppage 'was a little fast'
UFC CEO Dana White was impressed with what he saw from "The Black Beast," but not everything was perfect.
Derrick Lewis, a two-time UFC heavyweight title challenger, extended his record for most knockouts in UFC history, putting away undefeated prospect Tallison Teixeira in the main event of UFC on ESPN 70 on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Lewis (29-12 MMA, 20-10 UFC) just needed 35 seconds to drop Teixeira (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), land ground-and-pound on him, and more shots as Teixeira was standing up, to get referee Jason Herzog to intervene.
"We kind of figured that fight would go like that," White said at the UFC on ESPN 70 post-fight press conference. "I mean, the line on that thing was over/under five minutes, so yeah, it delivered. It was what we expected. It was what everyone expected. Nobody expected a five-round fight."
Although impressed with what Lewis was able to do at 40, White did think the stoppage was premature. Teixeira, though visibly hurt, was working his way back to his feet while grabbing the cage – which is illegal – while taking shots from Lewis. Teixeira, and many online, complained about the stoppage as soon as the fight ended.
"The fight can turn in one punch," White said. "Whoever lands that big shot – and they were both trying to land them – but (Lewis) got him. I thought the stoppage was a little fast, but it is what it is."
With the win, Lewis wins back-to-back fights for the first time since beating Aleksei Oleinik in August 2020 and Curtis Blaydes in February 2021. Lewis entered his third straight main event following a third-round finish of Rodrigo Nascimento last May, and extended his knockout total to 16, the most in UFC history. He's now 3-1 in his past four outings and is angling another run at the belt, which is currently being held by Tom Aspinall.
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