Derrick Lewis fought Sergei Pavlovich this weekend at UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. He was finished by a flurry of strikes in under 1 minute.
This was Lewis' return to his home state of Texas after his last fight, another knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa at UFC 271. Fans were excited to see the Black Beast compete on home soil and hopefully pick up a win. Pavlovich spoiled those plans, though, as he unleashed a barrage of strikes on Lewis, sending him down early. The referee had seen enough just 55 seconds into the fight and waved it off, much to the dismay of fans and the fighters. Even the commentary did not agree with the stoppage, with Joe Rogan referencing the Edgar/Maynard fights stating that fighters need to be given more of a chance to survive.
The controversy surrounding the stoppage stems from the belief that it was premature, and that Lewis could have continued the fight. Lewis immediately protested the stoppage as he jumped back to his feet, while the arena exploded with boos.
Many fans voiced their disappointment towards the referee as this was an uncharacteristically quick stoppage for Dan Miragliotta. Perhaps his most notable achievement was officiating Pat Barry vs. Cheick Congo, a fight in which he gave Kongo every chance to survive an early onslaught despite appearing to be out cold multiple times. Congo would spring the comeback and win the fight because of this. Fans were upset that Lewis was not given chances to survive like this.
This is Lewis' 7th KO/TKO loss in the UFC, and he is now 1-3 in his last 4, with all 3 losses coming by knockout.