- Dana White is not cutting Derrick Lewis despite being handed his third straight loss at UFC Vegas 68
- The UFC boss gave Serghei Spivac the props for pulling off a great performance against “The Black Beast”
UFC president Dana White had just reassured Derrick Lewis that despite suffering a first-round submission loss to Serghei Spivac at UFC Vegas 68, the promotion will keep him employed.
The boss has made a decision
Lewis was at the wrong end of the spectacular headliner of UFC Fight Night 218 this past Saturday. The two-time title challenger was dominated by Spivac, who capped the fight off with a sensational Arm Triangle choke in the very first round.
The defeat saw “The Black Beast” extending his losing streak to three in a row, but White remains unfazed. According to the UFC boss, he got so much love and respect for Lewis that even though it seems like his career doesn’t look good right now, he’s “not going anywhere.”
“Listen, I have a lot of respect for Derrick Lewis,” White told reporters in his UFC Vegas 68 post-fight news conference. “I love the guy, and he got manhandled tonight. Spivac looked really good. He made a big statement tonight.”
He added, “(It doesn’t hurt his stock) Not with me. I love the guy. I love him. So he’s not going anywhere.”
Dana White reacts to Derrick Lewis vs Sergey Spivak 👀🤫 #danawhite #ufc #derricklewis pic.twitter.com/FtlC4ejwdH
— Best MMA Moments (@XcellentMMA) February 5, 2023
A badly needed win
Despite being saved by White, Lewis still needs to secure a massive win sooner rather than later. He is expected to make a drastic drop in the current UFC rankings following the loss to Spivac.
At the moment, Lewis is at No. 7 but is very likely to be out of the Top 10 heavyweight contenders. On the other hand, Spivac will do the opposite and break into the Top 10.
Indeed, Lewis’ UFC Vegas 68 loss to Spivac was hard considering he had just declared that he will bounce back stronger and prove that there’s a reason why he is a two-time title challenger.
Lewis now has a pro record of 26-11-1 and still holds the UFC record for most wins by knockout in the heavyweight division. Spivac, meanwhile, has gone unbeaten in his last three trips to the Octagon, winning all fights via finishes. The win over Lewis saw “The Polar Bear” improving his record to 16-3.
