MMA fighter wins knockout in 33 seconds
After the opening bell of the match on July 30, Lewis immediately flew and hit a knee in the face, causing De Lima to fall to the floor. After that, the American boxer hit a series of fists, until the referee intervened, stopping the match after only 33 seconds.
In addition to a beautiful strike and a quick victory, Lewis also had fans in Salt Lake City admiring the victory celebration by taking off his pants. He also danced to the "horse dance" as in the stand-up song "Gangnam Style" by Korean singer Psy.
After the match, when asked about the flying knee attack, the 38-year-old boxer jokingly replied: "I just wanted to excel to see how effective it was, and it worked."
Victory over De Lima was Lewis' last fight on his UFC contract. According to British newspaper Sunsport, the American boxer will have a lot of offers in the next few months, and may choose to fight former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou at the PFL - the US mixed martial arts tournament.
However, Lewis still wants to continue to fight in the UFC. "Wait and see. I'm a freestyler now," he said. "Hopefully I'll stay in the UFC. I like it here. I like the staff, everyone here is great."
Before UFC 291, Lewis experienced the worst streak of his career with four losses and one win in the last five UFC fights. The result against De Lima not only helped Lewis return to the winning streak, but also helped him keep his hopes of winning the championship.
"I think I can compete for the title again," Lewis said confidently. "It's crazy and frustrating because I lost to the guys I lost. There's no way I'd lose to those guys. But it's also motivated me to train like crazy for this match, because there's a lot of guys out there. challenge me".
Taking off your pants is Lewis' familiar way of celebrating victory. The boxer nicknamed "Black Beast" once celebrated similarly after defeating Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 in October 2018. At the time, Lewis explained of the celebratory meal that he felt "hot in his pants".
Lewis' record in the UFC is currently 11 losses, 27 wins with a record of 14 knockout wins. As of July 2023, he ranks tenth in the UFC heavyweights rankings. Lewis also competed in Bellator MMA and Legacy FC, where he was the heavyweight champion.
