Chael Sonnen hopes Dana White and the UFC will re-sign Derrick Lewis.
At UFC 291, Lewis’ fight against Marcos Rogerio de Lima was promoted to the main card after Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson vs. Michel Pereira was canceled. ‘The Black Beast’ capitalized on the opportunity by securing a first-round TKO due to a flying knee and ground and pound.
Lewis’ post-fight celebration featured him taking his pants off, dancing around, and following up with a hilarious post-fight interview. During his short interview with Joe Rogan, he revealed his UFC contract had expired, making him a free agent.
Sonnen discussed Lewis becoming a free agent during the UFC 291 post-event show:
“Dana, I’ve asked you for things before, but not in a while. I feel like I’m owed one. Please re-sign this guy. I’m not done with Derrick. I want to see more Derrick Lewis.”
Lewis made his UFC debut in April 2014. Since then, he’s secured an 18-9 promotional record and the most knockouts in UFC history. Although the 38-year-old has had his ups and downs, he’s a fan favorite with several legendary finishes in his career.
OMG DERRICK LEWIS!!!! KO IN 30 SECONDS!!!!😱#UFC291 pic.twitter.com/ddaWZ922zr
— Jmag (@Jmagings) July 30, 2023
Chael Sonnen shares a hilarious story about Derrick Lewis earlier in his fighting career
Chael Sonnen is a phenomenal storyteller with many intriguing experiences from his fighting career. During the UFC 291 post-event show, Sonnen revealed a hilarious story about his former coach, the late Robert Follis, and Derrick Lewis. He had this to say:
“May I just tell you a quick story? The late great Robert Follis was my MMA coach. He started working with Derrick Lewis. They were in the locker room, it’s their first fight, Robert doesn’t know him terribly well. He gets his hands wrapped, everything is cool, and Derrick springs on Robert that he’s hungry but he brought a snack.”
Sonnen concluded by saying:
“Robert looks up, he’s got an entire rack of ribs, he ate them all. There was nothing but bones left, and then he walked out and did the fight. He lost the fight, and Robert sat him down and says, you know what, let’s not do the ribs next time.”
It’s unclear what’s next for Lewis. The most likely option is he will re-sign with the UFC. With that said, a different promotion could have an intriguing offer for ‘The Black Beast.’ The 38-year-old heavyweight could sign with the PFL and rematch Francis Ngannou in the Smartcage, which would guarantee a minimum payday of $2 million.
Only time will tell where Lewis decides to fight next.
