Athletes
Derrick Lewis: Running And Rootbeer
Heavyweight Knockout Artist Discussing Getting Into The Best Shape Of His Career And Competing On Short notice In São Paulo This Weekend Against Jailton Almeida
Derrick Lewis made a name for himself in the UFC by being both its premier knockout artist and resident comedian, tandem roles bestowed upon him for all eternity ever since his come-from-behind finish of Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 and the memorable post-fight disrobing that followed.
Pre- and post-fight conversations with the powerful and playful finisher were rarely serious; any and all attempts to get him to open up about his career, his success, and his place amongst the top heavyweights deflected with humor and dismissed with a quip.
But after he collected a first-round stoppage win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima in July at UFC 291, Lewis let a little of the relief he felt and how much the victory meant to him show through.
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“I kept getting all these guys calling me out left and right, so I was like, ’S*** — they must have forgotten about your boy!’” Lewis said when asked about his most recent victory just a couple days before returning to action against Jailton Almeida in the main event of the UFC’s return to São Paulo on Saturday. “I wanted to go out there and show them I’m still a dangerous fighter. I’m not an easy fight for anyone.”
Free Fight | Derrick Lewis vs Marcus Rogério de Lima
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Free Fight | Derrick Lewis vs Marcus Rogério de Lima
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Four months since that victory, the 38-year-old has had plenty of time to stitch up the slight tears that showed through his “uncaring” facade in Salt Lake City, but anyone that knows Lewis knows how much that victory meant.
A perennial contender and Top 10 fixture for a number of years, he entered that bout on a three-fight slide, stopped in each of those contests, and hadn’t registered a victory since closing out the UFC’s 2021 campaign with a first-round knockout win over Chris Daukaus.
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Having stumbled in some of the biggest moments of his career — including a couple consecutive losses at home in Houston — many people wondered whether “The Black Beast” was coming to the end of the line? He’d had an incredible, improbable career, fought for UFC gold twice and etched his name in the record books, and it seemed to many that his time as a Top 10 stalwart were coming to a close.
But Lewis didn’t want to go out like that, and so he got into the best shape of his career, marched into the Octagon, and blew through de Lima, dispatching the Brazilian in 33 seconds.
“It felt great,” he said, reflecting on his performance, a giant smile plastered on his face. “It showed me that instead of waiting around, waiting to see what my opponent is going to do, just go out there and let him react to whatever I’m going to do. Don’t let him dictate what I’m going to do; just do what I want to do first.
“We also learned that I have to run every day,” he added. “(I’ve got to) run at least three miles every day, and that’s what I’ve been doing for this camp, and it’s helped me out a lot.”
Lewis turned up for his bout this summer in the best shape of his career. Tucked up and sporting a six pack, he stepped on the scale at 263.5 pounds, a couple pounds south of the divisional limit and his usual weigh-in number.
In the moment, those types of things don’t often seem like much, but you could see from his physique on the scale that after years of talking about getting himself into better shape, the affable fan favorite had gone out and done so, and the results were undeniable.
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He credited an 11-week training camp where he rarely missed a practice and cutting out root beer for helping him get into the best shape of his life, but the former wasn’t available to him this time around, as he agreed to step in opposite Almeida this weekend on short notice, replacing former opponent Curtis Blaydes.
As for the latter…
“No — I had like four root beers on Friday,” he said, laughing his deep baritone laugh. “I tried to resist, but I had a party on Friday — a Halloween party — and that’s what everyone was drinking. I was like, ‘I gotta try it.’
“I had some and then I couldn’t stop, so I don’t know about a six pack this go-round.”
Derrick Lewis Fight Week Interview | UFC São Paulo
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Derrick Lewis Fight Week Interview | UFC São Paulo
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Taking short notice fights isn’t something Lewis has done much of over the course of his career, and neither is competing outside of the United States. Saturday marks his first trip to Brazil, and his fourth international appearance in 28 fights, his first since making back-to-back stops in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Auckland, New Zealand in 2017.
Seeing different parts of the world was never what Lewis got into this business to do, and Brazil was one place he didn’t expect to visit.
“I told my manager, ‘Don’t ever call me for a fight in Brazil’ and what’d he do? Called me for a fight in Brazil,” he said, shaking his head when asked about how this weekend’s matchup with Almeida came together. “We were already asking the UFC for fights for the last few weeks because I wanted to fight one more time before the year was over with, but they said they didn’t have anything.
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“So this came about and I was like, ‘I’ll take it,’” continued Lewis. “And he said, ‘Only thing is, it’s in Brazil.’”
He paused, offering a faux-annoyed, “can you believe this s***?” expression.
“I thought about it for a minute, and I said, ‘All right, I’ll take it.’”
Almeida has been on a tear since arriving in the UFC via Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series, posting five consecutive stoppage wins and catapulting himself into the rankings in the heavyweight division, where he currently sits one spot ahead of Lewis.
A more svelte and athletic heavyweight, “Malhadinho” has manhandled his opponents thus far, using his outstanding grappling to routinely drag foes to the canvas, where he’s been quick to find a finish. Last time out in May, he followed that blueprint in beating Jairzinho Rozenstruik, forcing the former kickboxer to tap to a rear naked choke less than four minutes into the opening stanza.
Thus far, the ascending Brazilian has looked the part of a future contender, but he’s yet to share the Octagon with someone as experienced and dangerous as Lewis, and the veteran heavyweight plans on using that to his advantage this weekend.
“Just being unpredictable — you never know what I’m going to do,” Lewis answered when asked what he brings to the table that Almeida has yet to deal with inside the UFC cage. “In the first round, as soon as the bell rings, you never know what I’m going to come out and do.
“There is stuff I’ve been wanting to do for years inside the Octagon that I didn’t have the cardio to do it, but I finally believe I’ve got a little more cardio and I can really achieve these things now.
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“I’m excited. I’m loving this,” he added. “I love the way camp went, I’m loving the way refining my body has gone this camp.”
“I love the way camp went” was never something I expected to hear from Derrick Lewis just a handful of days before he made the walk into battle.
Traditionally, he’d grouse about the work he’d been forced to do, having to do media, or simply being ready to get the fight over and done with so he can get home to his wife and kids. But this time, he was genuinely excited, buoyed by having ended his losing streak and re-upping with the UFC.
I told him this was the most excited, most engaging I’d ever remembered him, and asked if we were about to finally see the healthy, focused, fit version of Derrick Lewis he’d always wanted to deliver?
“I hope so, man,” he said, cackling. “This is what I’ve been going for the last few fights.
“I feel like I have nothing to prove. The UFC gave me a very good contract, so I’m feeling like I have nothing to lose, nothing to prove. I’m feeling great about it.”
He smiled.
“Plus, I’m drinking a root beer right now as we speak.”
He wasn’t, but Derrick Lewis is always going to be Derrick Lewis.
UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Lewis took place live from Ibirapuera Arena in São Paulo, Brazil on November 4, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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