Derrick Lewis News

Ciryl Gane opens as heavy favorite to defeat Derrick Lewis at UFC 265
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021
Ciryl Gane has opened as a sizeable favorite over Derrick Lewis for the interim heavyweight title. The hope for the UFC was to have Ngannou defend his heavyweight title for the first time at UFC 265 on August 7 against Lewis. Yet, the timing didn’t work so the promotion went to an interim belt between Gane and Lewis and the undefeated Frenchman has opened as a sizeable favorite.

Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane interim heavyweight title fight set to headline UFC 265 in Houston
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021
Derrick Lewis will be fighting for UFC gold on August 7 in Houston, it just won’t be for the undisputed belt. Lewis was reportedly set to face Francis Ngannou in the main event of UFC 265 for the heavyweight title. Yet, the promotion couldn’t come to terms with Ngannou on the timeframe and now the UFC is set for an interim title. According to UFC president, Dana White, who told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Lewis will face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 265.

Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis 2 reportedly delayed until at least September
Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021
The rematch between UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and rival Derrick Lewis has reportedly delayed until at least September. The UFC has been planning on having Ngannou and Lewis headline UFC 265, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on August 7 in Houston, Texas. However, it appears as though the promotion has run into a scheduling conflict and the fight between Ngannou and Lewis has now been delayed. According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Ngannou vs. Lewis is a “long shot” to take place at UFC 265, and instead, September seems more likely.

Stipe Miocic responds after Derrick Lewis suggests he is punch drunk: "His balls were probably too hot, that’s probably why he said that"
Christopher Taylor - May 26, 2021
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has responded after top contender Derrick Lewis suggested that he has gone punch drunk. Miocic lost the UFC heavyweight title back in March when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou (11-3 MMA) in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 260.

Dana White comments after Derrick Lewis stops attempted carjacking: "He slammed him on his head and knocked him out"
Adam Martin - May 20, 2021
UFC president Dana White commented after Derrick Lewis stopped an attempted carjacking, saying Lewis slammed the thief down and KOed him. Lewis shared on social media this week the news that he had stopped a would-be thief from breaking into his car with a screwdriver. Appearing on “Big Night Breaks” podcast (h/t MMA Crazy), White reacted to Lewis stopping the burglar from breaking into his car.

Derrick Lewis says he stopped someone from breaking into his car, shows off bruised knuckles (Video)
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2021
Derrick Lewis stopped an alleged car thief from breaking into his vehicle. Lewis posted on social media a video of him stopping a car thief from breaking his car and the thief later being put into custody by the Houston police.

Derrick Lewis explains why he “hates” UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou
Adam D Martin - May 16, 2021
Fan-favorite knockout artist Derrick Lewis explained why he “hates” UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou during the UFC 262 presser. Lewis is set to take on Ngannou in a rematch later this summer for the UFC heavyweight championship. With former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones not being able to strike a deal with the UFC, Lewis has slipped in and will get the next title shot against the champ Ngannou. Lewis was a guest at the UFC 262 press conference and when reporters asked him why he doesn’t like Ngannou, “The Black Beast” answered in a way only he can.

Dana White says Stipe Miocic will face the winner of Derrick Lewis vs. Francis Ngannou 2
Chris Taylor - May 15, 2021
Dana White appears to have moved on from Jon Jones suggesting that Stipe Miocic will now face the winner of Derrick Lewis vs. Francis Ngannou 2. Earlier this week the UFC President confirmed that a rematch between ‘The Black Beast’ and ‘The Predator’ was in the works for later this summer. During that same interview White suggested that former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic could be next for Jon Jones.

Derrick Lewis says he will KO Francis Ngannou in the "first exchange"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Derrick Lewis believes he will beat Francis Ngannou again, but this time will do it in a more dramatic fashion. Lewis and Ngannou first met in the co-main event of UFC 226. It was a highly anticipated heavyweight scrap as they are to KO artists. However, the fight was a lackluster one as Lewis was dealing with a bad back and Ngannou was coming off being dominated by Stipe Miocic so his confidence wasn’t there. It resulted in the two barely throwing any punches and Lewis edging out a boring decision.

Derrick Lewis says he has accepted Francis Ngannou fight: "Jon Jones is out of the picture"
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis says he has accepted a fight with Francis Ngannou and he believes Jon Jones is out of the running. After Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to become the UFC heavyweight champion, most thought that Jones would be next in line to fight “The Predator.” However, Jones and the UFC are now involved in a public pay dispute and there is no guarantee that Jones gets the fight. Instead of “Bones” getting the title shot, UFC president Dana White pointed to Lewis fighting Ngannou in a rematch instead, and it appears that fight is next.

UFC president Dana White says a rematch with Derrick Lewis is “probably” next for Francis Ngannou
Harry Kettle - April 20, 2021
UFC president Dana White believes a rematch against Derrick Lewis is “probably” next for UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Ngannou has been riding high ever since knocking out Stipe Miocic to finally win the title – three years on from his first shot at the strap. It was easily one of the most impressive championship-level performances we’ve seen in years in the UFC, and it’s put Ngannou on the map as one of the most dangerous men on the planet.

Francis Ngannou opens up as huge betting favorite for potential rematch with Derrick Lewis
Adam D Martin - April 5, 2021
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has opened up as a massive betting favorite for a potential rematch against Derrick Lewis. Ngannou is currently involved in a very public fight negotiation with the UFC and former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones. Both Jones and Ngannou want the fight, but the UFC is having trouble coming to financial terms with Jones. Instead, the promotion is now floating a potential rematch between Ngannou and Lewis instead. On Monday, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC has offered Ngannou the rematch with Lewis for UFC 263 in June, but the heavyweight champion turned it down due to issues with timing. It also seems likely that he wants to see if the UFC can get the fight with Jones done first, as well.

Derrick Lewis reacts to the news Jon Jones wants $8 to $10 million to fight Francis Ngannou
Adam D Martin - March 31, 2021
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis reacted to the news that Jon Jones wants $8 to $10 million to fight Francis Ngannou. Jones posted a series of tweets on Wednesday in which he said he told UFC executive Hunter Campbell that $10 million would be “way too low” for a fight against Ngannou, which on paper stands to be one of the biggest blockbuster super fights the promotion could ever put on. Both Jones and Ngannou are in the primes of their MMA careers right now and the fight between two of the promotion’s biggest stars sells itself. And yet, the UFC doesn’t seem willing to yet match Jones’ demands as far as the money goes.

Chael Sonnen lists reasons for Derrick Lewis deserving the next UFC heavyweight title shot, this while trashing Jon Jones
Harry Kettle - March 29, 2021
Chael Sonnen listed the reasons why Derrick Lewis deserves the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title – while taking a shot at Jon Jones. We now all know that at UFC 260, Francis Ngannou finally ascended to the top of the mountain and beat Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight crown. In doing so, he also avenged his defeat to Miocic from UFC 220 back in 2018.

Curtis Blaydes on Derrick Lewis loss: "Nine out of ten times I think I smash him"
Cole Shelton - March 22, 2021
Curtis Blaydes has opened up on his loss to Derrick Lewis. Back on February 20, Blaydes and Lewis were finally set to fight after years of trash-talking one another. In the lead-up to the fight, many expected Blaydes to use his wrestling to control the fight. However, that was far from the case as the first-round was a kickboxing fight which Blaydes won. Yet, in the second round, as Blaydes went for a takedown, Lewis landed a perfectly timed uppercut that KO’d Blaydes.

Derrick Lewis believes he will fight Jon Jones one day, doesn't think "Bones" should bulk up as much as he thinks
Cole Shelton - March 15, 2021
Derrick Lewis believes he will eventually fight Jon Jones. Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, is moving up to heavyweight and will face the winner of Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou 2 for the belt. With that said, Jones has made it clear he still needs to be paid what he is worth.

Ciryl Gane responds to callout from fellow UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis
Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021
Undefeated UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane has responded after receiving a callout from former division title challenger Derrick Lewis. Lewis and Gane are both coming off of recent Octagon victories.

Derrick Lewis wants to stay active following KO of Curtis Blaydes: “I know my window of time is closing to make money"
Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021
Heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis is looking to stay active following his sensational knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes at UFC Vegas 19. Lewis (25-7 MMA) squared off with Blaydes (14-3 MMA) on February 20 in a highly anticipated heavyweight bout. The result was a knockout victory for ‘The Black Beast’, who was able to put ‘Razor’ to sleep early in the second round after landing a nasty uppercut.