Lewis KOs Blaydes with uppercut in UFC main event

Derrick Lewis shook up the heavyweight division Saturday, stunning Curtis Blaydes via knockout at 1:26 of the second round in the UFC Fight Night main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

"The Black Beast" wound up a massive uppercut and landed it perfectly, and Blaydes collapsed to the mat. Lewis landed two heavy shots on the ground before referee Herb Dean stepped in.

With the victory, Lewis is now tied with Vitor Belfort for the most knockout wins in UFC history (12), according to Fight Metric's Michael Carroll. He already held the heavyweight record for most knockout wins in the UFC.

Lewis said afterward he's not focused on a title shot since former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will likely face the winner of the March 27 title bout between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. But if it were up to Lewis, he would face Miocic for the belt next.

"I like them wrestlers," he said in his postfight interview.

Blaydes had a strong start to the main event. He was the busier fighter in the first round, pressuring Lewis and chopping him down with leg kicks. Lewis largely stood back and waited for his opponent to make the first move. But when Blaydes tried to close the distance early in the second frame, Lewis landed the fight-ending punch.

The 36-year-old pulled off the biggest betting upset in a UFC main event since Michael Bisping's win over Luke Rockhold in June 2016, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Lewis was a +350 underdog against Blaydes.

Lewis, who was ranked No. 4 in the heavyweight division heading into Saturday's bout, extended his winning streak to four. No. 2 Blaydes saw his four-fight winning streak come to an end and suffered his first loss since November 2018. It's the first time the 30-year-old has lost to someone other than Ngannou.