Serghei Spivak's Statement Win Vaults Him into Top 10 of UFC Heavyweights
In a completely one-sided bout, Serghei Spivak defeated Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night to close out an active Saturday in MMA.
The day began with UFC President Dana White’s announcement that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will serve as the coaches on the new season The Ultimate Fighter, and will then fight one another later this year. Laura Sanko also made UFC history on the card, becoming the first female color commentator for the promotion since 1993. It then ended with a slate of bouts at UFC Fight Night, which ended in the main event with Spivak (16-3) winning by submission via an arm-triangle choke in a fight that barely lasted three minutes.
“The work pays off,” says Spivak, speaking through a translator. “I’m taking this very seriously, and I’m moving toward the gold.”
In that short amount of time, Spivak landed 36 total strikes, compared to only three from Lewis. Spivak connected on six different takedown attempts, practically ragdolling the massive Lewis, repeatedly forcing him to the mat. It was a complete mauling, a type very rare to see against Lewis.
“When I took him down, I knew I was going to win in either the first or second round,” says Spivak. “That’s when I realized he had no balance when it came to grappling, so I made sure to put my game plan on him.”
This was a late night of fights at the Apex. The main card did not start until 10 p.m. PT in Vegas, with the reason for the late start because of the Road to the UFC final bouts that were initially supposed to air from Seoul, South Korea. Those featured top prospects from China, Japan, Korea, India, and Indonesia, and tournament winners were crowned in flyweight (Park Hyun-sung), bantamweight (Rinya Nakamura), featherweight (Lee Jeong-yeong), and lightweight (Anshul Jubli), with a UFC contract awarded to each of those winners. There was also excitement in Bellator, where former UFC contender Ryan Bader defended the heavyweight title against Fedor Emelianenko in a bout that aired on CBS.
Ultimately, the final takeaway of the evening was this main event and the stunning performance from Spivak. The loss hurts for Lewis (26-11, 1 NC), who has now dropped three in a row. While he should remain in the bottom half of the top 10 of the heavyweight rankings (he entered the bout at No. 7), the defeat effectively removes him title contention.
Spivak is an altogether different story. He has won three in a row and six of his last seven. The victory against Lewis is his most significant to date, and it will elevate him inside the top 10.
“Jon Jones, Stipe [Miocic], I want a top-five opponent next,” says Spivak. “This was a great night, and now it’s time to keep working.”
