Derrick Lewis (21-5) isn’t one to mince words, whether it be the temperature of his balls or his worthiness of fighting for a UFC title.
The No. 1 contender for the heavyweight crown is coming off a TKO victory against Alexander Volkov, where he scored the finish with just 11 seconds remaining in the bout. If the fight had gone to decision, Lewis almost certainly would have been handed the loss. Instead he’s on a three-fight win streak, including a decision victory over former title contender Francis Ngannou.
After the fight, Lewis said he needed to do more cardio when Joe Rogan asked if he was ready for a title shot. Despite his resistance to being ready for a showdown with Daniel Cormier (21-1), the organization announced the two will fight for the heavyweight belt on Nov. 3 at UFC 230 in New York City.
Following the announcement, former champion Stipe Miocic took offense to being looked over for a title rematch after he was knocked out by Cormier in July. Lewis, for his part, agrees that Miocic is the rightful top contender.
Derrick Lewis is as real as they come. I asked him if this upcoming title fight is something he really WANTS, or something he just can’t pass up, and he immediately said it’s the latter. And then said Stipe Miocic deserves the shot more than him.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 18, 2018
Miocic won six consecutive fights before dropping the title to Cormier, and somehow wasn’t labeled next in line for a championship bout. Instead it’s Lewis, who understands the magnitude of his matchup with Cormier.
Title shots don’t come around every day, and with hungry challengers like Miocic, a returning Brock Lesnar, Ngannou (assuming he figures out some semblance of a fighting strategy) and others standing in line, it’s possible this could be Lewis’s lone final opportunity for UFC gold. One hail mary right hand like he landed against Volkov, and he could send the entire division into chaos.
