Derrick Lewis has the most knockouts in the UFC’s history, with 16. He will look to add to his total on Saturday, when he takes on Waldo Cortes-Acosta on the main card of UFC 324.
As UFC 324 approaches, check out Lewis’ 16 knockouts in order along with a selection of statistical nuggets about his career below:
April 19, 2014: In his UFC debut, Lewis defends a takedown from Jack May and lands in top position before unleashing a barrage of ground-and-pound that leads to the stoppage.
July 6, 2014: Lewis finishes Guto Inocente with ground strikes that open up multiple cuts on the Brazilian’s face before referee Herb Dean stops the fight.
February 28, 2015: Lewis dominated Ruan Potts, outstriking him 53-7, with 46 of those coming on the ground. Referee Jerin Valel mercifully steps in to save a turtled Potts in the second round.
October 3, 2015: In his first UFC fight in his adopted hometown of Houston, Lewis finished Viktor Pesta with ground strikes after a failed takedown attempt by Pesta early in the third round. This was the start of a 6-fight win streak for Lewis, the longest of his UFC career.
February 6, 2016: Lewis uses a modified judo throw to get Damian Grabowski to the ground and lands heavy shots from there, including one that opens a cut on Grabowski’s hairline, before referee Mark Smith stops the fight. At 2 minutes, 17 seconds, it’s Lewis’ third-fastest finish in the UFC.
April 10, 2016: Lewis dispatched former UFC title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga with a barrage of punches against the cage, including a right hook that sits Gonzaga down and forces the stoppage. The first-round stoppage earns Lewis his first postfight bonus award.
December 9, 2016: Fighting against Shamil Abdurakhimov in his first UFC main event, Lewis lands a takedown midway through the fourth round and eventually gets the stoppage with ground-and-pound from full mount. At 3 minutes, 42 seconds of the fourth round, it’s the latest stoppage of Lewis’ career.
February 19, 2017: With his back up against the cage, Lewis lands an overhand right to Travis Browne’s forehead that knocks him down. From there, Lewis finishes Browne with massive ground-and-pound strikes.
February 18, 2018: Lewis might very well have needed a third-round stoppage to beat Marcin Tybura, and that’s exactly what he got. Tybura outlanded Lewis 37-30, but Lewis landed the most important strike of the fight, a right hook that knocked down Tybura and led to the stoppage. This is Lewis’ only UFC fight with multiple knockdowns.
October 6, 2018: Lewis was dominated over most of the 15 minutes he spent in the cage with Alexander Volkov before a thunderous right hand dropped Volkov with less than 30 seconds to go in the fight. From there, Lewis landed several strikes on the ground to finish Volkov with 11 seconds remaining in the fight. Lewis’ minus-82 strike differential is the largest deficit by a fighter to win by finish in UFC history. This fight is also known for Lewis’ NSFW postfight interview.
August 8, 2020: Lewis knocks down Aleksei Oleinik with a right hand early in the second round of their main event clash before finishing him with several clean ground-and-pound strikes 21 seconds into the second round. This was Lewis’ 11th knockout in the UFC, setting a new record for knockouts by a UFC heavyweight.
February 20, 2021: After being dominated in the first round, Lewis needed just one uppercut to put out Curtis Blaydes’ lights in the second round. This was his 12th knockout in the UFC, which tied him for most in promotion history by any fighter.
December 18, 2021: Lewis bounces back from a title fight loss by setting the UFC record for knockouts with a first-round stoppage of Chris Daukaus, his first opening-round stoppage in over five years. Lewis uses a flurry of punches with Daukaus up against the cage to drop him and force referee Mark Smith to stop the fight.
July 29, 2023: Lewis sends the crowd in Salt Lake City into a frenzy by starting his fight with Marcos Rogerio de Lima with a flying switch knee attack, and he never lets up, finishing Rogerio de Lima with ground strikes. At 33 seconds into the very first round, it’s Lewis’ fastest finish of his career. His 14th UFC knockout breaks a tie with Matt Brown for most in the UFC, after Brown had matched Lewis’ record in May 2023.
May 11, 2024: Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento had each won a round in their main event clash before Lewis came out in the third round and took it out of the judges’ hands. He crushes Nascimento with an overhand right 40 seconds into the round, and referee Jason Herzog stops it shortly after.
July 12, 2025: This main event clash against Tallison Teixeira was chaos for the 35 seconds it lasted for. A straight left hand to the eye hurt Lewis, but he recovered to knock down Teixeira with a left hook before overwhelming him and earning the stoppage.
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