Former Champ Ecstatic After Derrick Lewis ‘Popped’ Out Infamous Celebration During UFC Nashville Win

Former UFC Champ reacts after Derrick Lewis used his infamous celebration following UFC Nashville KO victory.

Former Champ Ecstatic After Derrick Lewis ‘Popped’ Out Infamous Celebration During UFC Nashville Win

Israel Adesanya reacts to Derrick Lewis touting his celebration at UFC Nashville (Source: X)

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Derrick Lewis, the UFC’s all-time leader in KOs, added another one in the bank at the company’s Fight Night event in Nashville this weekend. The post-fight emote, as usual, consisted of a ‘pop goes the arrow’ targetting, some kill-shot warnings, and some ground-and-pound.

‘The Black Beast’ and his post-victory festivities are nothing new. After his latest win, the heavyweight veteran even went viral, attracting a shock call from U.S. President Donald Trump while being inside the Octagon. This time, though, Lewis ended his UFC on ESPN 70 win routine after a first-round TKO (punches) in just 0:35 seconds, with a familiar gesture.

After the call with Trump, there was a bow-and-arrow celebration. Subsequently, former 2-time 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya took notice of the same.

Ha Ha! H-Town! Ha Ha, yo, this nig*a—, let’s fu*king go, ….Pop arrows and get petty. Shoutout my twin!🤣

Israel Adesanya reacting to UFC Nashville, via his IG Stories

Even for the uninitiated, this emote by ‘The Black Beast’ was all too familiar. It was the same gesture Izzy opted for at UFC 287 when he mocked Alex Pereira after knocking him out cold. Although Pereira is 2-0 against Adesanya in kickboxing but in MMA, both are one a piece.

The Brazilian transitioned to MMA and won gold at UFC 281, while ‘The Last Stylebender’ bended expectations and won it back in their second outing. However, the duo has seemingly wrapped things up; they even shared the iconic “Zyn” and gummies, attending UFC 312 together in Sydney.

Adesanya is well removed from a Pereira rivalry in his division. As of now, he is fresh off a failed title bid against Dricus Du Plessis and a subsequent second-ever KO skid to Nassourdine Imavov. But the visceral classic imagery of his “beat that guy one-time” or “drop cold like Elsa” routine is one to behold.

Hence, he took a liking to Lewis doing the same after his victory in Nashville. Why did he, though? Unlike the Pereira-Adesanya dynamic, Lewis and his Nashville rival did not have such friction. But after the win, ‘The Black Beast’ explained his side of the story.

Derrick Lewis reveals his “most-hated” opponent after UFC Nashville

Derrick Lewis secured back-to-back wins inside the Octagon for the first time since defeating Aleksei Oleinik in August 2020 and former interim 265-pound title challenger Curtis Blaydes in February 2021. ‘The Black Beast’ headlined his third consecutive headlining spot following his third-round finish of Rodrigo Nascimento last May.

Derrick Lewis name-drops most hated rival
Derrick Lewis name-drops his most hated rival (Source: X)

While 40, Lewis said that he can’t hang up his gloves without rectifying one mistake and getting yet another (third) shot at the gold. For the unversed, Lewis previously challenged Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight title at UFC 230 and then fought Ciryl Gane at UFC 265 for the interim strap. However, he came up short on both occasions.

Now that the fan-favourite fighter has got some steps and KO stats in his stride, another title shot could be very near. Playing possum and hurting in the eye to execute a charged 35-second KO over a 6’7″ giant at UFC Nashville aside, the fighter has no friction with Tallison Teixeira. Yet the funnyman-knockout beast didn’t take long to manifest a rivalry to get the job done.

I just hated that guy’s face, …hated him! I probably didn’t hate no other opponent but him. I hated him the most; Just his smile. I couldn’t even really watch highlights of him because I kept just seeing a smile on his face. I hate that guy…

Derrick Lewis during UFC Nashville post-show (@ESPNMMA)

Although Lewis and Teixeira had a language barrier, ‘The Black Beast’ suggested that the Brazilian had probably been talking trash about him in Portuguese all week. At Friday’s Ceremonial weigh-ins, Lewis initially tried to avoid eye contact, but locked on with full rage when Teixeira got in his face and smiled. Over the course of 42 pro fights, he mentioned Teixeira as the one opponent whom he hates most.

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