Heavyweight fan favorite Derrick Lewis hopes to stay with the UFC after fulfilling the final fight of his contract on Saturday night.
Riding into Salt Lake City on a three-fight losing skid, ‘The Black Beast’ was looking better than ever and determined to show the world that he is still a serious threat in the heavyweight division. Lewis did exactly that, scoring a brutal 33-second knockout against Brazilian standout Marcos Rogerio de Lima. In a most unexpected moment, Lewis threw a flying knee right out the gate, immediately bringing comparisons to Jorge Masvidal’s five-second KO of Ben Askren in 2019.
While Lewis didn’t put de Lima out cold, he made contact with his chin and dropped the Brazilian in a matter of seconds. From there, it was just a matter of time as ‘The Black Beast’ unloaded a series of ground-and-pound strikes that ultimately ended with the referee stepping in and calling for a stoppage.
DERRICK LEWIS CAME FLYING IN 😳#UFC291 LIVE on ESPN+ PPV pic.twitter.com/XLXJXYvK8r
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 30, 2023
Following the bout, Lewis delivered another iconic post-fight celebration, stripping off his fight shorts and delivering a few crotch chops that would make even Shawn Michaels and Triple H proud. Speaking with Joe Rogan inside the Octagon, Lewis revealed that UFC 291 was the last fight on his contract and he is officially a free agent.
During his appearance at the post-fight press event, Lewis was asked point blank if he intends to test free agency.
“I’m hoping to stay here in the UFC. I like it here. I like the staff,” Lewis told members of the media. “Everybody’s cool here except for the media. Ya’ll d*ckheads. Like, f*ck all ya’ll, really. I should walk out on ya’ll right now, but go ahead.”
Lewis’ comments will likely give UFC fans a sigh of relief, but should he opt to test out the market, we’re confident there will be plenty of suitors ready to scoop up ‘The Black Beast’ to bolster their own heavyweight divisions.
Derrick Lewis ladies and gentlemen 😂 pic.twitter.com/Yn0tZ9at1n
— MartialMind 🇳🇬🇺🇲 (@MartialMind1) July 30, 2023
Derrick Lewis Believes He Has One More UFC Title Run In Him
As for what comes next, Derrick Lewis has every intention of getting back into the heavyweight title picture. His three-fight skid moved him out of the division’s top ten, but one or two more wins could easily put him back into contention.
“I believe I do,” Lewis responded when asked if he has another title run in him. “It was just so crazy and frustrating, me losing to the guys that I lost to. There’s no way in hell I should have lost to those guys. That was another reason why I wanted to train my a** off for this fight. Because now I got a lot of guys calling me out now and I showed… Like that last guy that called me out, Curtis Blaydes, and you know what happened with that.”
‘The Black Beast’ is now 18-9 inside the Octagon following his highlight-reel-worthy showing at UFC 291.
