UFC on ESPN 70 result: Derrick Lewis plays possum, TKOs Tallison Teixeira in 35 seconds
Derrick Lewis keeps racking up knockouts.
Lewis (29-12 MMA, 20-10 UFC), the UFC's knockout leader, ended the unbeaten record of Tallison Teixeira quickly. The heavyweight bout served as the main event of UFC on ESPN 70 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. In just 35 seconds, Lewis recorded a TKO over Teixeira (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), after some admitted gamesmanship.
Lewis came out offering a jumping switch kick. Teixeira fired in a punch that appeared to hurt Lewis' right eye. After covering up his eye, Lewis kept swinging and dropped Teixeira with a powerful left hand right on the jaw. "The Black Beast" swarmed with follow-up punches until referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight.
In typical Lewis fashion, he removed his fight trunks and waved them over his head. He went over to Texeira's corner and "marked his territory" before continuing with the celebration. Then he launched his protective cup into the crowd, and then mooned them, giving Nashville the whole "Black Beast" experience.
HERE HE GOES 😅@TheBeast_UFC | #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/PB986dr8Rz
While the official decision was being announced, Lewis had UFC CEO Dana White's cell phone in his hand, allegedly speaking with U.S. president Donald Trump.
"U.S.A in this hoe, f*ck what they talkin' about," Lewis told Daniel Cormier during his post-fight interview. Lewis then explained how Teixeira's corner was "talking sh*t" all week, which is why he went over to the corner after the fight.
On the UFC Post-fight Show, Lewis admitted he was playing possum by gesturing toward his right eye during the fight in order to draw Teixeira in closer. The UFC's knockout leader has a few sly tricks up his sleeve, along with vicious fight-ending power.
With the result, Lewis wins back-to-back fights for the first time since beating Aleksei Oleinik in August 2020 and Curtis Blaydes in February 2021. "The Black Beast" 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.
On the other side, Teixeira, 25, walks away with his first career loss. In every previous fight, the Brazilian finished every opponent in the first round. However, facing a former title challenger in his second UFC appearance was a bit too much to handle.
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