The UFC kicked off its February schedule with a heavyweight main event, and Serghei Spivac delivered in a big way.
Spivac (16-3) defeated Derrick Lewis (26-11) in the finale of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. “The Polar Bear” submitted Lewis via armbar in the first round, thus earning the biggest victory of his career.
“Today, this is my time,” Spivac said after the match. “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. By the end of the round, Spivac was landing thunderous strikes on the ground and eventually locked in an arm triangle that forced Lewis into tapping.
Spivac is now on a three-fight winning streak with the victory Saturday. The Moldovan fighter earned two 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 past five fights.
Going into the bout, Lewis was ranked No. 8 in ESPN’s heavyweight rankings, while Spivac was unranked.
After Saturday’s performance, Spivac will likely have a number next to his name heading into next week.