Most mixed martial arts (MMA) fans were jumping for joy when Derrick Lewis scored a thrilling, come-from-behind knockout against Alexander Volkov at the UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Saturday night (Oct. 6, 2018) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
No. 3-ranked heavyweight contender, Curtis Blaydes, wasn’t one of them.
“If y’all think I wouldn’t merc Derrick Lewis or Volkov, y’all are high,” Blaydes wrote on social media. “This grappling is pathetic. I can’t wait to clean out this division, literally no one can wrestle besides ‘DC’s’ old ass. One level change and the fight’s mine.”
Blaydes, who was recently passed over for a 265-pound title shot in favor of the returning Brock Lesnar, was critical of the “Black Beast’s” inability to do anything besides suck wind and wing punches.
Not surprisingly, Lewis gives zero f—ks about anyone else’s opinion.
“Curtis Blaydes just playing fish right now,” Lewis said after the fight (via MMA Junkie). “He wants me to say something back to him, and say, ‘OK, let me fight Curtis Blaydes next.’ Which, he’s behind me, instead of me saying, ‘OK, I want the title shot.’ That’s all he’s doing, just trying to play – he don’t want me to fight for the title next, he wants to get a shot at me before anyone does. That’s all it is, but fuck Curtis Blaydes.”
Lewis is no stranger to post-fight criticism, but perhaps his most vocal critic is ... himself. The heavy-handed Texan told Joe Rogan that he was not going to be asking for a title shot because he was ill-equipped to go five rounds.
He could barely stay upright for three.
The UFC heavyweight division has something of a bottleneck in the top five. Lewis and Blaydea are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, with Stipe Miocic sitting right above them. Perhaps “Black Beast” can sit idly by while “Razor” tries to avenge this drubbing?
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