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Derrick Lewis defeated UFC's lineal champ in 'worst fight of all time'

Mathew Riddle|
Jason da Silva-Imagn Images

Derrick Lewis has built a reputation for being the top dog for knockouts in the UFC.

'The Black Beast' has dynamite in his fists and the mean demeanor to follow his opponents to the ground to separate them further from consciousness. Of course, with such a style, Lewis's record is littered with tight losses, but one win often flies under the radar.

Back in 2018, Lewis handed a loss to one of MMA's greatest heavyweights in what would be dubbed one of the worst fights of all time...

Derrick Lewis fighting Francis Nganno
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Throwback to when Derrick Lewis defeated Francis Ngannou in UFC's biggest anticlimax

What happens when you throw two of MMA's most prolific finishers into the Octagon? Nothing, apparently.

This is what happened when Lewis fought the current UFC lineal champion, Francis Ngannou, in 2018. Ngannou had just fought and lost his first title fight against Stipe Miocic.

'The Predator' would go on to leave the promotion as the champion in 2023, making him the current lineal heavyweight and open-weight UFC champion, a title that dates back to Royce Gracie.

Back at UFC 226, all eyes were on Lewis vs. Ngannou. By this point, Ngannou hadn't won a contest by decision, and Lewis had won all but one fight in the UFC by knockout.

What ensued was nothing short of a staring contest between the two men for fifteen minutes.

Ngannou landed eleven strikes to Lewis's twenty. UFC CEO Dana White branded the fight an 'abomination' and threatened to cut Ngannou. Thankfully, he had a change of heart, and Ngannou would go on to become one of the most dominant heavyweights in the promotion's history.

Lewis fights again this weekend in the main event of UFC Nashville, where he welcomes the young buck, Tallison Teixeira, for his second fight in the UFC.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with half a decade of digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, and Heavy on UFC. He runs Warrior Tribune and can be contacted by his Muckrack profile.

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