With seven consecutive wins in the 212 Division at the Mr. Olympia, Flex Lewis is one of the best bodybuilders of all time. However he is also a big MMA fan, and has some thoughts on Conor McGregor’s loss, and the upcoming UFC Vegas 32 bout with TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen.
Between seven wins at the 212 Olympia, and having come in first place in every single contest he is competed in since 2012, it goes without saying that Flex Lewis is a legend in the sport of bodybuilding. That said, he is also an avid fan of the UFC, having even attended events held in the Apex Center.
As such a huge fan of MMA, it comes as no surprise that he has some thoughts on Conor McGregor’s broken leg that he suffered at UFC 264, opposite of Dustin Poirier. Speaking in the recent interview, the bodybuilding champ explained that he is a huge fan of Conor, but felt like the Irishman has lost the hungry mentality that he used to go from being a humble prospect, to champ-champ and megastar.
“Myself and Conor have a very similar upbringing, we both come from very similar housing development structures in the earlier stages of our lives. If I was to look at him and the people he has around him, it’s very similar to the friends I have. That being said, I love what Connor has done. He’s brought his whole camp up, when he eats his whole team eats. I know a lot of his training partners,” Lewis said.
“Being a fan of his, a genuine fan of his, I’ve seen him go from the bottom, and how he had that poor man’s mentality, and I can relate to that. I still have a poor man’s mentality, regardless of what I do financially with the businesses, and everything else. I think having a poor man’s mentality keeps you having this edge. I’m not saying that Conor has to go back and be like Rocky and go in the middle of nowhere, and start throwing logs around or anything like that, but I do think if you’re waking up in your own luxury, there’s an element that’s been taken away.
“When you’re hungry, and you have nothing to your name, and you’ve got bills, and your electricity is out, and there’s things of that nature going on, you have a tremendous edge to improve your life and those around you too,” Lewis continued. “When you have everything, it’s like what’s your purpose, why do you wake up in the morning?
“I truly believe the Conor has an athlete’s mentality, because he doesn’t have to get up in the morning and do what he does, run or kick, get kicked, get punched. But he does it because he loves to scrap.”
Flex Lewis Predicts TJ Dillashaw vs Cory Sandhagen
Another big fight is the one this weekend, between a returning TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen. This is a bout the Flex Lewis is excited for, and thinks it will be a barn burner of a fight.
When asked for a prediction, Flex said that he was leaning towards Sandhagen in the stand-up department. However if TJ can mix in the wrestling and looks like the old version of himself, he could easily get it done.
“It’s going to be a banger. I think if it stands up it’s going to be Sandhagen. I think he’s just, he’s dangerous. I’m not knocking TJ Dillashaw at all, just the fact that he hasn’t fought in 2 years… I feel that Sandhagen is fresh, he’s had that run,” Lewis said.
“TJ is, I feel like a little bit more of a complete fighter, so if it’s taken to the ground, it’s TJ’s. If it stands on the feet, it’s going to be a little more interesting, but I think it’s Sandhagen’s.”
This is an interesting assessment from Flex Lewis, who seems to be a genuine and intelligent fan of the sport. It will be interesting to see how this fight goes down.
