Number five-ranked heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis lost for a second straight time on Saturday night at UFC 277. “The Black Beast” was TKOd by Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich inside a minute of action in their main card bout.
Lewis was dropped by a punch and was unable to recover, which Pavlovich capitalized by swarming him. After a few unanswered shots on Lewis’ end, referee Dan Miragliotta decided he’d seen enough and put the fight to a halt.
Some felt the stoppage may have been premature, UFC president Dana White included. Here’s what he said at the post-fight media scrum.
“I like the ref, but I wouldn’t debate that that was an early stoppage. It was definitely an early stoppage,” White told reporters.
“When you jump right back up like that and you’re ready to go… Listen, he was a little rocked, but no more rocked than Julianna was, three, four times during the fight. And she fought five rounds.”
White is usually vocal against questionable officiating, and he’d always give a piece of his mind about it. But this time, he seemed to have taken a softer stance.
“Miragliotta made a mistake, and it happens. I don’t think it diminishes Derrick Lewis at all. I would like to have seen that fight go on.”
With the UFC 277 loss, Lewis dropped to a record of 26-10 (1 NC).
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