Highlights

• Derrick Lewis is one of the UFC's most thunderous punchers, and is the club house leader for most knockouts in the promotion.
• The 'Black Beast' was back to his best Saturday when he finished Rodrigo Nascimento in the third round.
• In this list, we look back at 10 of the heavyweight fighter's best knockouts.

Derrick Lewis (28-12: 23 KOs, 1 SUB) is one of the most beloved fighters of his time because of his likable personality and thunderous knockouts. He may be jovial and approachable around his fights, but if you get locked in a cage with the “Black Beast” it’s a good chance you’re going to sleep.

Throughout the duration of his 10-year UFC career, Lewis has separated himself from his peers by becoming the all-time UFC knockout leader. He’s had some pretty spectacular KO performances, and deserves a ranking of his 10 best.

10 10. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Date: July 29, 2023; Event: UFC 291; Result: 1st-Round Knockout

Lewis has never claimed to be a grappling expert or possess any type of jiu jitsu or judo black belt, but the heavy-handed athlete is quite good at decision-making when the fight hits the mats. In his fight against Marcos Rogerio de Lima, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, de Lima learned that Lewis is not flustered in grappling exchanges.

Lewis set the tone early by coming out like Jorge Masvidal with a flying knee. Though he did not get a five-second KO like Masvidal, Lewis put de Lima immediately on his back in a defensive position. The Brazilian threw up a heel hook attempt that was countered by a flurry of pendulum punches from Lewis to seal the deal.

9 9. Rodrigo Nascimento

Date: May 11 2024; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 3rd-Round Knockout

Following a disappointing loss to Jailton Almeida, Lewis was looking to rebound in a big way against Rodrigo Nascimento, as he was booked to headline his 12th UFC card, this time in St. Louis, MO. The fight started out with Nascimento trying to clinch, but to no avail, as the veteran knockout artist was able to shake off takedown attempts and be in control the entire time.

Like most Derrick Lewis fights, he was patient in his offensive explosions, while not letting off the gas for Nascimento to feel relaxed there. Very subtly, Lewis appeared to be taking in some air, but then he quickly snapped off a shearing overhand right that found the temple of Nascimento. It was good night Irene from that point forward and the “Black Beast” was able to extend his UFC knockout record to 15.

8 8. Aleksei Oleinik

Date: August 8 2020; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 2nd-Round Knockout

The only path to victory for strangulating grappler, Aleksei Oleinik, was to drag the fight to the floor and weave his way to a submission. With the fight shaping up to be a kickboxing match, it was just a matter of time before Lewis found an opening to land something heavy.

Lewis connected with a huge flying knee followed by a big right hand to put Oleinik on the ground. The pain would not stop there for the Russian fighter. The “Black Beast” would unleash violent hammer fists that would leave Oleinik unconscious.

7 7. Jack May

Date: April 14 2014; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 1st-Round Knockout

One of Lewis' best wins came in his UFC debut against Jack May. Lewis was still very much an unknown in the division, but he put everyone on notice with this KO. This was one of the handful of wins for Lewis that showcased his counter-wrestling.

Unfortunately for May, who was unaware of the raw skill that Lewis possesses, he thought it would be in his favor to grapple with Lewis. After staying calm and finding a favorable position to rain down punches, Lewis did not miss his chance to tee off on Jack May and started his UFC career with a bang.

6 6. Gabriel Gonzaga

Date: April 10 2016; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 1st-Round Knockout

Gabriel Gonzaga was a UFC heavyweight synonymous with big fights and big-named opponents. At this point in his career, Lewis was still climbing the ranks and history books, but did not miss out on his opportunity to capitalize on a well-known opponent in Gonzaga.

This KO was very swift and needed zero ground and pound as Lewis connected with a stunning right hook that shut down Gonzaga while he was still on his feet. This bone-chilling victory came in the middle of a six-fight win streak, the longest of his career.

5 5. Chris Daukaus

Date: December 18 2022; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 1st-Round Knockout

Sadly, Chris Daukaus, a former police officer, had zero chance against Lewis as many people were underestimating Lewis leading up to this match because he lost a major fight in his prior fight, which was for an interim title. A focused Lewis is a dangerous man, and that showed in this quick dispatching of a rising heavyweight in Daukaus.

Unlike a few of the other wins on this list, Lewis did not play around early on. He was dialed in and put the Philadelphia fighter on ice skates immediately. The fight was such a blowout that trying to predict what Lewis would like in a fight was almost impossible. This win kept the Houston native relevant and near the tippy-top of the division.

4 4. Marcin Tybura

Date: February 18 2018; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 3rd-Round Knockout

One of Lewis’ best attributes is how much he believes in his power late in fights. Even though heavyweights have historically been known to fade power-wise after the first couple of rounds. This was the case against Poland’s Marcin Tybura.

Another uncanny attribute of the “Black Beast” is his ability to lull opponents to sleep with his passive mannerisms and expressions, but once he catches his breath, he is as explosive as they come in the big boy division. Tybura was holding his own against Lewis but out of nowhere he bounced back to his feet and put the mitts on the Polish fighter to notch another comeback win under his belt.

3 3. Travis Browne

Date: February 19 2017; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 2nd-Round Knockout

At his best, Travis Browne was considered a long and talented striker with championship potential. When he got paired up against Lewis, the fight seemed like it would inevitably end in a knockout and there would be a future title challenger.

Early on, Lewis did what he always does when he started slow with bursts of offense occasionally mixed in. As the action progressed, Lewis and Browne canceled out each other’s grappling and found themselves standing toe to toe. Both fighters swung for the fences simultaneously, but Lewis connected first and badly dropped Browne. Lewis followed up with devastating ground and pound.

2 2. Curtis Blaydes

Date: February 20 2021; Event: UFC Fight Night; Result: 2nd-Round Knockout

Leading up to the Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis fight, it was predicted that Blaydes would use his extensive wrestling experience to smother Lewis for five rounds. The Denver native has worked tirelessly to improve his striking, but this would ultimately be his undoing against Lewis.

After the feel out process that happens 99.9% of the time in fighting, Blaydes felt comfortable enough to stay within striking range and not level change for a takedown. With no wrestling threat, Lewis perfectly timed an uppercut to Blaydes that flattened him instantly.

1 1. Alexander Volkov

Date: October 6 2018; Event: UFC 229; Result: 3rd-Round Knockout

The most impressive knockout of Lewis’ career came against Alexander Volkov, which was on the main card of the most viewed MMA event in history, UFC 229. It’s a close one, but the celebration that transpired after the knockout might have been viewed more than the performance itself.

The Houston native was down big on the scorecards as Volkov was using his typically long striking techniques to score points on the judges' scorecards. He found himself on top of Lewis with under a minute left in the bout, but the tables quickly turned when the “Black Beast” sprouted up from the ground to his feet to then land heavy punches to his Russian counterpart. It was an unforgettable comeback victory for Lewis on a gigantic card.