Midnight Mania! ‘I Can’t Eat Properly’ — Black Beast Knee Wrecked Teeth!

Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images

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Derrick Lewis “threw some bulls—t” last weekend (Sat. July 29, 2023) at UFC…


UFC 291: Lewis v de Lima
Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Derrick Lewis “threw some bulls—t” last weekend (Sat. July 29, 2023) at UFC 291, and boy, it landed perfectly! “The Black Beast” stormed out of the gate with a wild flying knee, and it connected perfectly to the jaw of Marcos Rogerio de Lima. The hulking Brazilian hit the canvas, and Lewis sealed the deal with follow up shots (watch highlights). All in all, it made for a rather lovely Jorge Masvidal homage, and the knockout puts Lewis back atop the heap as all-time UFC KO king.

Often, that’s where the story ends. We usually get an Instagram post or interview afterward from both men, but the pain the defeated man undergoes isn’t often discussed publicly. This time, however, de Lima spoke with Super Lutas and described in more detail the damage he absorbed from Lewis’ heavy strikes. The veteran describes a lot of trauma to his teeth from the loss, as well as disappointment regarding fan criticism after the quick loss.

“It’s one thing when you lose while fighting. The way it was, it was really painful,” de Lima began (translation via Lucas Rezende). “We do this thing where you feel out the other guy’s energy before you start fighting. I was feeling great. I felt like he was a little apprehensive. I started out like I always do. He rushed me and I thought he was going to throw a Superman punch. I raised my guard and he threw the knee. I was kind of out when I fell down. It was a hard blow and I couldn’t react.”

He continued, “Now, there’s a lot of people sending me messages, e-mails. I’ve never received that many messages. I lost one fight and instead of supporting me, people from my country, my fans, are bothering me. I took a hard knee. My teeth are all loose. I can’t eat properly. It’s a hard moment. Let’s support our fighters and motivate them.”

The defeat snapped the 38-year-old de Lima’s two-fight winning streak. A member of the UFC roster since 2014, “Pezao” currently holds a UFC record of 10-7. As for Lewis, he improves his overall UFC record to 18-9. More importantly, he enters free agency following a highlight reel win, which could line him up for a massive payday opposite Francis Ngannou, whom Lewis defeated in 2018.

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