Rewind back to the earlier, leaner days of “The Black Beast” Derrick Lewis.
It’s a Derrick Lewis fight weekend coming up, and we know what happens whenever ‘The Black Beast’ steps in there. Somebody goes to sleep nine times out of ten, and it’s usually the other guy. Just ask Travis Browne, Curtis Blaydes, and Alexander Volkov, to name a few.
What’s not usually brought up when talking about Lewis is his ability to find a way to win. Whether it’s playing possum or simply fighting with grit behind his mallet hands, he manages to barrel through adversity to come out on top.
That was exactly what he did when he fought UFC veteran and NCAA Division I wrestler Jared Rosholt for the Legacy FC heavyweight title in 2012.
Lewis came in as the +275 underdog against Rosholt, who came in as the -475 favorite. The odds were likely in favor of the then-undefeated Rosholt because of his wrestling prowess, and he put it on full display by scoring a takedown within the first 15 seconds of action.
Rosholt maintained top control while landing his shots to put his opponent in trouble. But even when he was dominated in the grappling exchanges, Lewis maintained his composure. He was once again outworked in round two, but as soon as he got the action back up in the second half, Lewis began letting his hands go.
After throwing a barrage of heavy hands, it was a left hook to Rosholt’s jaw that put an end to the action. Just like that, Derrick Lewis was the newly crowned Legacy Heavyweight champion.
On Saturday, Derrick Lewis will try to get back on the win column when he headlines UFC Vegas 45 against Chris Daukaus. This should be a fun one.