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What's the story?
UFC double-division champion Daniel Cormier has successfully defended his heavyweight championship belt against Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 230.
Going into the fight as a heavy underdog, Lewis managed to survive the champion's relentless onslaught only for a small time frame.
By taking control of Lewis' back in round number two, "DC" secured his win via a rear naked choke after just 2 minutes and 14 seconds into the round.
In case you didn't know...
Daniel Cormier last competed in the Octagon against the former heavyweight champion of the world, Stipe Miocic.
In a fight that was expected to go the distance as both fighters had tremendous wrestling backgrounds, the result was quick, with Cormier knocking Miocic out in round number one of their championship bout.
Soon after the fight, WWE wrestler and former UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, entered the Octagon to come face to face with the current double champ.
Derrick Lewis last fought on October 6th, at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on the Khabib-McGregor fight card.
His opponent was Alexander "Drago" Volkov, who was coming off an impressive victory over Fabricio Werdum.
After being utterly outclassed for three rounds out of a five-round fight, Lewis knocked Volkov out cold with a looping right hand from the back of the room.
Following the win, Lewis moved up to number two of the UFC heavyweight rankings list and was set to face Cormier for the title at the main event of UFC 230.
The heart of the matter
Fighting for the title in under a months time is always going to be a challenge against a competitor with the caliber of Daniel Cormier.
Although Lewis opened the account of the fight with a kick to the body, followed by a leg kick and a kick to the head, "DC" took the "Black Beast" to the ground using his top-notch wrestling skill set.
The champion then wasted no time in pulling a half guard and successfully managed to land a couple of elbows and punches on the ground.
Derrick Lewis struggled to keep up to the pace that "DC" forced on him by holding him against the cage to tire him out.
By utilizing the single-leg takedown, Cormier dropped Lewis to the ground, but Lewis was surprisingly able to spring back up to the action.
Round number two began with a couple of combinations, followed by a switch kick, landed by Derrick Lewis.
Lewis' strategy to knock "DC" out, however, was short-lived as Cormier executed a single-leg trip, followed by a knee to the body to take "The Black Beast" down. Lewis then had his back exposed to Cormier, who wasted no time to pull him into a safely secured rear-naked choke. And that was all she wrote.
What's next?
During the post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, "DC" showed no hesitation to call out Brock Lesnar once again for their rumored bout, early next year.
Will Brock Lesnar be the one to strip Daniel Cormier of his heavyweight title? Leave your thoughts and opinions below!
