Derrick Lewis explains why he wants to fight Alistair Overeem next: “He’s turned me down four times already”

UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis explained why he wants to fight Alistair Overeem, accusing “The Reem” of turning him down four times.

Lewis brutally knocked out Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Vegas 19, picking up the victory as a massive +350 betting underdog. It’s a huge win over Lewis over the No. 2 ranked heavyweight in the UFC and it should push him closer to getting a title shot. However, the title is not what Lewis is striving for next. Instead, he called out Overeem for his next fight. Overeem is, of course, a teammate of the Elevation Fight Team and also one of the top-10 ranked heavyweights in the world. Following the win, Lewis explained why he wants to fight Overeem despite him getting knocked out by Alexander Volkov.

“I don’t care that he had a couple of losses. It would be cool just to fight him because he’s a so-called lesson so it would b cool to fight somebody like that. And also he’s been talking trash. He’s saying his team and Curtis can handle this lightweight and stuff for that. We’ve been trying to fight him for years and he turned down the fight four times already. He might take the fight (now). He’s been hit in the head a couple of times, so he might forget all about what happened tonight, so he might take it,” Lewis told the media.

Lewis and Overeem have a history together, so a fight between the two would definitely be a grudge match, and stylistically it’s a very fun fight between two men who don’t mind standing and trading. However, the UFC will likely match up Lewis with someone coming off of a win in his next fight. With Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane set to meet in next weekend’s main event, Lewis could fight the winner of that if he doesn’t get Overeem next.

Do you want to see Derrick Lewis fight Alistair Overeem next?