Derrick Lewis is tied for most KO’s in UFC history heading into UFC 265
On February 20, Derrick Lewis scored a second-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes. The stoppage was the 12th knockout of Lewis’ UFC career and put him one KO ahead of Matt Brown for most knockouts in UFC history. Brown tied things back up on June 19 when he knocked out Dhiego Lima. On Saturday, Lewis looks to break that tie when he faces Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 265. Gane enters the contest on a six-fight UFC winning streak, the longest current run of consecutive victories in the UFC heavyweight division. Other than records, the interim heavyweight title and a future date opposite current champ, Francis Ngannou, is on the line.
Lewis joined the UFC in 2014. He opened his career with two first-round knockout wins. The first eight fights of Lewis’ UFC run all ended via knockout. He was 6-2 before he went the distance, beating Roy Nelson via split decision in 2016.
In 2018, Lewis earned his first shot at UFC gold. Daniel Cormier submitted him in the second round of that fight to retain the heavyweight crown. Lewis, who is currently the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC heavyweight rankings, is on a four fight winning streak entering UFC 265.
Gane, who is one spot behind Lewis in the UFC heavyweight rankings, joined the UFC in 2019 with a record of 3-0. Today, he is 9-0. A well-rounded fighter, who takes a more cerebral approach to MMA than most heavyweights, Gane has three decision wins, two submission victories and one knockout in the UFC. He is also one of the more elusive heavyweights, his significant striking defense of 63.2 percent puts him in second among active UFC heavyweights. Only Tanner Boser, who has a significant striking defense of 63.6 percent, ranks higher than Gane.
The interim heavyweight championship could come down to power or defense on Saturday. Before Lewis and Gane face off, look at where the two fighters stand in the UFC record book.
UFC 265 takes place at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+.