UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis isn’t exactly blaming referee Dan Miragliotta for his recently faded fortunes in the Octagon, but he won’t be happy to see Miragliotta presiding over his next fight, either. Lewis will headline UFC Vegas 68 opposite Sergei Spivac this weekend, and discussed his disdain for Miragliotta’s “conspiracy” against him at the pre-fight press conference.
“They act like they didn’t see that last fight. They’re going to stop the fight all early and this and that, and [people are] like, ‘I don’t know if Derrick still has it.’ Come on, man. Dan Miragliotta, whatever his name is, he’s got a conspiracy out on me. The last two fights I lost, he’s been the ref.
Derrick Lewis Calls Out Ref Dan Miragliotta: “He’s got a conspiracy out on me”
If he’s the ref on this fight, I’m going to be like, ‘I don’t want him.’ If they’re still going to try to put him in the cage and he’s going to say, ‘Fighter, you ready? Fighter, you ready?’ I’m going to say, ‘No.’ We’re going to need Herb Dean or somebody up in there because [Miragliotta] ain’t reffing none of my fights. No offense to him, he’s a great guy, I’m pretty sure, but I don’t want him reffing none of my fights.”
Lewis has three losses in his last four fights, all of which had Miragliotta as the referee. That includes his interim title loss to Ciryl Gane, and his abysmal run of losses in front of a home crowd in Lewis’ native Houston. Lewis pointed out that, before that run of fights, he was undefeated in Texas. Lewis remains undefeated at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and hopes to continue that streak this weekend.
“I was undefeated in Texas too until Dan Miragliotta f***** all that up. Hopefully, I can keep it going in Vegas. I’m undefeated in Vegas also.” Lewis semi-facetiously labeled the situation a “conspiracy,” demanding a background check on Miragliotta. “I’m telling you, it’s a conspiracy. They need to do a background check on Dan, for real. I’m serious.”
While Derrick Lewis’ recent run of form, especially at home in Texas, might leave a lot to be desired, Lewis still boasts the UFC record for most knockouts. Lewis will hope to extend that record this weekend with another stoppage win over Sergei Spivac, with the possibility of returning to title contention soon. Whether he can string together enough wins to earn his way back to the top is another story, the first chapter of which will be written this Saturday night at the UFC Apex.
Is there an anti-Derrick Lewis conspiracy? Let us know in the comments.
