Real Talk

Another great UFC card has come and gone, and as usual I will be the killjoy to send you crashing back to reality from the high heights  of last weekend’s events. Today’s candidate will be Derek “The Black Beast” Lewis after his heroic performance against Travis Browne at UFC Halifax.

Although Lewis displayed heart as well as KO power to end Travis Browne in the second round, he didn’t exactly look great up to that point. Don’t get me wrong, Travis Browne is a world class athlete and uses that athleticism to separate him from his large bellied counterparts, but his achilles heel is getting backed up against the cage and clipped, to a certain degree there’s a formula with this guy. With that being said he was still seconds away from potentially ending that fight. A situation I’m not sure Lewis would’ve survived against an opponent with a not so hot button chin.

The problem with Lewis is that he looks like a basic one dimensional fighter. I get it, his ground game is underrated and he moves deceptively well for a big fella, but you can say the same about Roy Nelson. His body is left wide open and he has an aggressive move forward style that i believe only works when you get to a certain level of competition. He relies on his strength and size but that will only get you so far when you’re going against the best of the best. Do Santos, Miocic, Werdum, Ben Rothwell,  Alistair Overeem, these guys are skilled to the tits. I just don’t see Lewis getting to the top in his current form. Speaking of form, he may also have to drop a few pounds to keep his questionable cardio up. This is a catch 22 because he uses a lot of that weight to pressure his opponents. According to Joe Rogan he can balloon up to 280 lbs after weight-ins,  but that information is unconfirmed.

As contrary as it sounds, I really do like Derrick Lewis and hope he can be heavyweight champion one day. But if you’re asking for an honest opinion, I see him as a bridesmaid.

What do you guys think of the “Black Beast”, is he just getting started?

 

Lionel Harris-Spence is a writer, filmmaker, and functioning alcoholic. You can catch him screaming obscenities at flat screens.

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