Near-flawless Serghei Spivac defeats Derrick Lewis to earn biggest career victory

The UFC kicked off its February calendar with a heavyweight main event and Serghei Spivac put on a great performance.

Spivac (16-3) defeated Derrick Lewis (26-11) in the finals of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. “The Polar Bear” submitted Lewis via armbar in the first round, earning the biggest win of his career.

“Today is my time,” Spivac said after the game. “The polar bear is coming.”

Spivac had a nearly flawless match against Lewis as his superior grappling skills kept his opponent off balance throughout the fight. At the end of the round, Spivac landed thunderous punches on the ground, eventually blocking an arm triangle that forced Lewis to tap.

Spivac is now on a three-fight win streak with Saturday’s win. The Moldovan fighter achieved back-to-back wins in 2022 by defeating Augusto Sakai and Greg Hardy, both by technical knockout via strikes. Lewis, who has twice fought for the heavyweight title, has now lost four of his last five fights.

Early in the fight, Lewis was ranked 8th in the ESPN heavyweight rankings while Spivac was unranked.

After Saturday’s performance, Spivac is likely to have a number next to his name next week.