After his most recent failed title bid, UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis has a new opponent in mind. Former champion Stipe Miocic, whose name has been curiously absent from the heavyweight title discussion dominated by Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, looks like a great matchup as far as Lewis is concerned.
“The Black Beast” told The MMA Hour that a new face opposite him in the Octagon is exactly what he needs. “This last fight helped me.
Derrick Lewis Wants Stipe Miocic: “I can get my fans their money back from the Gane fight”
It was a big experience difference and I just wanted to finally go into a fight week and not put pressure on myself, and it felt great. I plan on doing that for the rest of my career — just go out there and have fun.
I feel like I don’t have to prove anything and that’s one of the reasons why I want to fight Stipe next. I believe that would be a great matchup for the fans and for both of us. He’s more of a wrestler, and I’m more of a wrestler, too. So it would be a great, entertaining fight.
I’ve fought just about everyone in the division in the top 10. It’d be a new face, new blood, and I believe I’d be a heavy underdog in this fight. I can get my fans their money back from the Gane fight.”
Lewis also revealed to Ariel Helwani that his own family roots against him when he fights. He actually uses the energy from his doubters and haters to push him forward and motivate him before each fight.
“I’ve got a lot of people rooting against me, a lot of family members, a lot of haters. I’ve got to use that energy to really push myself forward, so that’s what I’ve been doing.
After that fight [with Gane], I didn’t even have to change my number because nobody was hitting me up to go hang out, or this and that.
As soon as I win, everybody, and their mommy and daddy, uncles, cousins, everybody is calling me. Whenever I lose, nobody wants to talk to me, nobody wants to be around me. That’s fine with me.”
Derrick Lewis lost the heavyweight interim title fight to Ciryl Gane, only to return to winning ways with a vicious knockout win over Chris Daukaus at the UFC’s final event of 2021. Are you looking forward to more from “The Black Beast” in 2022? Let us know in the comments.
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