Derrick Lewis is willing to trade leather with Francis Ngannou. Lewis is fresh off his second-round knockout victory over Travis Browne last Sunday night (Feb. 19) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. “The Black Beast” moved up to the seventh spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight rankings with the victory. He finds himself […]
Derrick Lewis is willing to trade leather with Francis Ngannou. Lewis is fresh off his second-round knockout victory over Travis Browne last Sunday night (Feb. 19) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. “The Black Beast” moved up to the seventh spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight rankings with the victory. He finds himself […]
Over the last few years, the UFC heavyweight division has been highlighted by names like Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum, three of the best heavyweights of all-time, and three men who have previously sported UFC gold. With those men aging, the division is evolving, however, and its currently in an inevitable transformation
Over the last few years, the UFC heavyweight division has been highlighted by names like Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum, three of the best heavyweights of all-time, and three men who have previously sported UFC gold.
With those men aging, the division is evolving, however, and its currently in an inevitable transformation period.
34-year-old Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight king after he brutally knocked out Werdum in the first round of their UFC 198 bout last May. He then defended the strap with another first-round knockout of Alistair Overeem this past September.
Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Although he appears to be in the prime of his career, Miocic is no spring chicken, and neither are the division’s top four contenders.
Velasquez is also 34 years of age, but his career has been plagued by injuries in recent memory. He spent over a year on the sidelines after losing his title to Werdum in 2015, but returned at July 2016’s UFC 200 to score a dominant victory over Travis Browne. Then scheduled to rematch Werdum at December 2016’s UFC 207, Velasquez was forced to withdraw from the bout after he failed to receive medical clearance due to the fact that he had yet another surgery scheduled just days after UFC 207. It’s unclear how much longer the ex-champion’s body will hold up.
Dos Santos, a 33-year-old, is slated to rematch Miocic this May for the title after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Ben Rothwell last April. The Brazilian slugger beat Miocic in their first meeting, but he’s lost three of his last six bouts and has taken a tremendous amount of damage over the course of his career.
Werdum is the oldest of the top contenders at 39 years of age. Still sitting at No. 1 in the divisional rankings, however, he has actually won seven of his last eight with his only loss in that stretch coming to Miocic, but he likely only has a few years left in the tank as well. Overeem, on the other hand, is currently 36 and is coming off a knockout loss to the champion. He will return in just a few weeks against Mark Hunt at UFC 209, but he too has taken a large amount of damage throughout his lengthy career.
While any of the four aforementioned fighters could still realistically win the UFC heavyweight title, it’s clear that they are on the downside of their respective careers.
The division is being forced to evolve and it has already begun, most notably with No. 6-ranked Francis Ngannou and No. 7-ranked Derrick Lewis. Ngannou is currently 30 years old, while Lewis is 32. You may not consider either man a young prospect, but each man is relatively young compared to the other top heavyweights.
“The Predator” currently possesses a 10-1 professional record, and he’s continued to gain steam by scoring five consecutive Octagon wins. Most recently knocking out former champion Andrei Arlovski in the first round of their bout, Ngannou will likely be given another pivotal bout in his next outing on his way to a title shot.
Lewis, on the other hand, just picked up an impressive second round stoppage victory over Travis Browne at last Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 105. That win made it six straight for the “Black Beast” and five of those have come by way of T/KO. His entertaining skills on the mic has fans intrigued, and his mysterious knockout power will likely continue to earn him big fights.
Do you see Ngannou or Lewis holding heavyweight gold in the near future, and what are your predictions for the heavyweight division in the coming years?
UFC Fight Night featured a heavyweight main event against the surging Derrick Lewis and hit or miss Travis Browne. Now that description of Browne isn’t to insult the man. He’s still one of the best heavyweight fighters out there. But lately he hasn’t been able to hit the mark. At first everyone and their momma blamed Browne’s downfall on the training he’s been receiving. But with another loss under a different coach, one has to wonder if Browne is simply declining.
UFC Fight Night featured a heavyweight main event against the surging Derrick Lewis and hit or miss Travis Browne. Now that description of Browne isn’t to insult the man. He’s still one of the best heavyweight fighters out there. But lately he hasn’t been able to hit the mark. At first everyone and their momma blamed Browne’s downfall on the training he’s been receiving. But with another loss under a different coach, one has to wonder if Browne is simply declining.
The fight itself was a pretty interesting affair. In fact, it was a tale of two rounds. The first round showcased exactly why so many people were high on Travis Browne to begin with. He was moving on the outside, controlling the distance with his longer limbs and straight shots. In all honesty, it looked as if the changes made to his coaching staff was beginning to pay off in a big way. Browne hurt Lewis a number of times from distance and his timing was spot on.
Then came round two.
Derrick Lewis proved that not only does he have keen finishing instincts, but that he has heart to go along with it. Lewis was on Browne at the beginning of the second frame and didn’t let up his attack. He swarmed with a barrage of punches that forced Browne along the cage and it seemed to be only a matter of time as Lewis pressed the attack. Eventually we saw Lewis drop Browne, follow him to the ground and eventually finish the fight with devastating ground and pound.
It was an impressive victory for Lewis to say the least, yet I couldn’t help feeling for Browne. After such an impressive first round, appearing to shake off the stigma of training under his former coach at Glendale Fighting Club, Browne looked like his former self. In fact he showed clear signs of improvement despite the knockout loss. It’s a tough and unforgiving sport and while another loss may tarnish Browne’s record, giving up at this point would definitely be the wrong move.
Travis Browne still has potential. The best move for him moving forward is to take some time off, consider his options, and simply look to improve. He’s only one fight removed from switching up his coaching staff. He needs to give himself the time to adjust as well as give his body time to heal.
For Derrick Lewis things have never looked brighter. That over training and over…sexing, could have harmed his performance in the first round. It’s safe to say that he’s not going anywhere but up in the heavyweight division and with a brutal style of fighting and unorthodox style on the mic, it’s safe to say ‘The Black Beast’ is creating a brand all his own.
What do you think should be next for Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) referee Mario Yamasaki understands fans who say he stopped the UFC Fight Night 105 main event late. Headlining this past Sunday night’s (Feb. 19) card was a heavyweight battle between Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne. Lewis knocked out Browne in the second round. “The Black Beast” finished the fight with ground-and-pound […]
Mixed martial arts (MMA) referee Mario Yamasaki understands fans who say he stopped the UFC Fight Night 105 main event late. Headlining this past Sunday night’s (Feb. 19) card was a heavyweight battle between Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne. Lewis knocked out Browne in the second round. “The Black Beast” finished the fight with ground-and-pound […]
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
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.
Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne may not be chums anytime soon, but they can thank each other for the UFC Fight Night 105 bonuses. Last night (Feb. 19), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held its fifth event of 2017. This time it was for a Fight Night event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The action […]
Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne may not be chums anytime soon, but they can thank each other for the UFC Fight Night 105 bonuses. Last night (Feb. 19), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held its fifth event of 2017. This time it was for a Fight Night event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The action […]
