UFC heavyweight and Popeyes ambassador Derrick Lewis has to be one of the funniest and likable characters in the promotion, whether it’s down to his hilarious post-fight comments or ferocity in the octagon, Lewis is one hell of a personality. Last week in Las Vegas, Lewis sat down as a guest speaker ahead of UFC […]
UFC heavyweight and Popeyes ambassador Derrick Lewis has to be one of the funniest and likable characters in the promotion, whether it’s down to his hilarious post-fight comments or ferocity in the octagon, Lewis is one hell of a personality.
Last week in Las Vegas, Lewis sat down as a guest speaker ahead of UFC 264 where he finally went on the record and gave fans an explanation for the terrible pitch he threw at a Houston Astros baseball game.
“Throwing out the first pitch was everything I’ve dreamed of,” Lewis said ahead of UFC 264. “What happened was Mosquitos are bad in Houston, so a mosquito bit me on my wrist at the same time I was throwing the ball. Those things bite hard!” (Transcribed by FSMMA)
Fortunately for Lewis, he isn’t the only big name who has been known for throwing terrible first pitches at Major League Baseball games over the years, with 50 Cent and Carl Lewis being a couple of the most notable names to do so.
‘The Black Beast’ is currently scheduled to fight fellow heavyweight Ciryl Game for the heavyweight interim title at UFC 265. The winner ultimately facing the heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou who is coming off a phenomenal performance over former Champion and future Hall of Famer Stipe Miocic.
Lewis has been launched into top contention over his last few performances and most notably his vicious knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC Vegas 19.
Derrick Lewis is a Texan man born and bred and raised in Houston. At UFC 265, He will have the chance to win the biggest fight of his career in his own hometown.
Will we see a better pitch from Derrick Lewis at UFC 265?
‘The Korean Zombie’ is back. In the main event of last night’s (Sat. February 4, 2017) card from Houston, Texas on Super Bowl weekend, No. 9-ranked UFC featherweight Dennis Bermudez welcomed back Chan Sung Jung to the Octagon after a lengthy hiatus due to military service requirements in his home country of South Korea. ‘TKZ’
In the main event of last night’s (Sat. February 4, 2017) card from Houston, Texas on Super Bowl weekend, No. 9-ranked UFC featherweight Dennis Bermudez welcomed back Chan Sung Jung to the Octagon after a lengthy hiatus due to military service requirements in his home country of South Korea.
‘TKZ’ connected with a right hand that dropped Bermudez and earned Jung his first UFC win in nearly four years. The loss snapped ‘The Menace’s’ two-fight win streak and put a halt in his plans to solidify himself as a title contender at 145 pounds.
During the post-fight press conference Bermudez stated he felt as though he improved from his last Octagon outing despite the fact that he was unable to walk away with the victory:
“Everything was going my way, I felt,” Bermudez said. “I definitely improved this fight from my last fight, even though I didn’t get the victory. Mistakes were made, Korean Zombie capitalized on it. It’s all good.”
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas of USA TODAY Sports
‘The Korean Zombie’s’ last Octagon appearance saw him suffer a fourth round TKO loss to 145-pound champion Jose Aldo in August of 2013, after dislocating his shoulder in the fight. Jung was then forced to fulfill mandatory military service in his home country of South Korea, putting a brief three and a half-year pause on his fighting career.
While Bermudez wasn’t expecting Jung to come into the fight as a victim of the tossed around term ‘ring rust’, he does believe referee Herb Dean may have called the bout off a bit prematurely:
“I thought it was a little bit early stoppage,” Bermudez claimed. “I know I was on Herb’s (Dean) leg but, I knew he was there trying to hit me so I was shooting on him, and just Herb was — I know Herb was just doing his job, trying to keep us safe in there. But yeah, I had a big platform to make a rise to the top and it didn’t go our way tonight.”
“I heard some people saying some stuff about him. Ring rust and stuff like that. We were ready and prepared for a tough Korean Zombie. I put myself in his shoes. If I was away from the sport for three years, I would be so thirsty, so hungry, get in there and get after it. So yeah.”
Do you believe the contest was stopped a tad too quick? You can check out Bermudez’s post-fight interview here below:
UFC Fight Night 104 went down in Houston, Texas last night, and delivered with a ton of great fights. Once again proving fight nights can be just as, if not more exciting than a pay-per-view extravaganza, he card was a thriller. Featuring the return of ‘Korean Zombie,’ Felice Herrig vs. Alexa Grasso and a number
UFC Fight Night 104 went down in Houston, Texas last night, and delivered with a ton of great fights. Once again proving fight nights can be just as, if not more exciting than a pay-per-view extravaganza, he card was a thriller. Featuring the return of ‘Korean Zombie,’ Felice Herrig vs. Alexa Grasso and a number of other matchmaking triumphs, the event was riddled with finishes and exciting wars.
While the dust settles on the 12-fight card in Texas, there are a number of points to debate. Here are the biggest winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 104:
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas of USA TODAY Sports
Chan Sung Jung
Having been absent from the sport since 2013, Chan Sung Jung emerged from UFC Fight Night 104 as the biggest winner. Not only was ‘Korean Zombie’ looking to shake off ring rust, but he was also coming off a loss in his return. Against Jose Aldo, Jung lost by brutal TKO and was nursing a litany of harrowing injuries after UFC 163.
Facing number nine-ranked Dennis Bermudez was no small task, bu ‘KZ’ needed just half a round to get the job done. Considering he’s currently unranked at 145 pounds, victory over a top ten staple should score Jung a decent fight next. Given the state of affairs at featherweight, the re-introduction of an exciting fighter like ‘Korean Zombie’ will be very welcome. The top five is littered with great potential bouts, including Frankie Edgar, and perhaps further down the line a rematch with Aldo.
Ovince St-Preux
It was not a great night for Ovince St-Preux. Previously tabbed as a red-hot prospect, ‘OSP’ lost his third on the bounce in Texas. Although Volkan Oezdemir is a relative unknown, he is 13-1 now he’s defeated St-Preux, racking up 10 finishes on the way. “Cousin” is arguably one of the biggest winners of the event, but sadly the future is very uncertain for ‘OSP.’
Volkan Oezdemir could test himself against the Gian Villante’s or Patrick Cummins’ of the division, for the currently number six ranked St-Preux, the very same could be said.
Photo by Mark J. Rebilas for USA TODAY Sports
Jessica Andrade & Angela Hill
There were no losers from this scrap. After a duo of straight losses for the UFC, Angela Hill crossed over to Invicta, winning the strawweight title and making one defense. Her highly anticipated return to the UFC was no walk in the park. Riding two straight wins, Jessica Andrade needed to make an impression in the ever-expanding 115-pound division.
This burner was arguably among the greatest fights in the division’s history, no doubt deserving of the ‘FOTN’ honours it received. Although on the raw end of the judge’s decision, ‘Overkill’ loses no stock. For Andrade, that’s three straight since dropping to 115, so a top five contender fight is warranted. For Hill, perhaps Alexa Grasso, who also lost in Texas, could be a fun fight.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Props
Marcel Fortuna deserves a big applause for his brutal KO over Anthony Hamilton. Niko Price added further to his hype as a 170-pound prospect, taking Alex Moreno to sleepy land in the second round. Great turnaround by Felice Herrig, and how about James Vick’s slick d’arce choke against Abel Trujillo?
In our co-main event from yesterday’s (Sat. February 4, 2017) UFC Fight Night 104 two of the strawweight division’s finest went to war, as No. 12-ranked Alexa Grasso took on mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Felice Herrig. The first round really showcased Herrig’s veteran advantage. Although Grasso was able to slip some of Herrig’s strikes
In our co-main event from yesterday’s (Sat. February 4, 2017) UFC Fight Night 104 two of the strawweight division’s finest went to war, as No. 12-ranked Alexa Grasso took on mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Felice Herrig.
The first round really showcased Herrig’s veteran advantage. Although Grasso was able to slip some of Herrig’s strikes and move well, ‘Lil Bulldog’ landed the more frequent and effective shots.
In the second round more of the same was featured. Herrig continued her dominance with her striking, repeatedly finding a home for her left hand. Towards the end of the round ‘LBD’ was able to land some ferocious knees to Grasso’s body. The No. 12-ranked strawweight looked very reluctant to pull the trigger.
Herrig began the third round by picking up where she left off in the second round, controlling the fight as they stood toe-to-toe. She then decided to take the fight to the ground with a quick takedown attempt, and Grasso threatened that move with a kimura attempt that led to a scramble back to the feet.
Grasso turned it up for the remained of the round, however, Herrig seemingly ran away with the contest given her sheer dominance for the first ten minutes. Herrig won the bout via unanimous decision.
You can check out the full fight video highlights here:
