The Derrick Lewis next fight news should come soon as “The Black Beast” looks to bounce back from his disappointing performance in November. While his legion of fans waits, we offer up three potential opponent options for the UFC heavyweight star.
Who will Derrick Lewis next fight be against?
Since Lewis has lost four of his last five, he is not going to get opponents near the top of the heavyweight division’s top 10. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some interesting options available for the popular big man. That is why fights against Rodrigo Nascimento, Alexandr Romanov, or Andrei Arlovski make sense next.
- Zé Colmeia: The Brazilian is a fighter on the rise at heavyweight and Lewis has fallen into a place where he is becoming a rankings gatekeeper. Testing how good Nascimento really is by booking him against the two-time title challenger seems fitting.
- The Russian: Romanov is a fighter who is toward the bottom of the top 15 like Lewis. A booking pairing them up is a natural option for the company in the next couple of months.
- Pitbull: Arlovski is in the final year or two of his career. With him being a legend of the past and Lewis being a star of the now a clash of eras could be a good way to go for both at this moment in their careers.
Derrick Lewis vs Jailton Almeida recap
After a classic win in July, Lewis was quickly given another main event matchup against a rising contender to see if he could get on a roll and back into the title fight talk. However, fight fans quickly learned in November that Jailton Almeida is a very talented heavyweight grappler and the ground game is still “Black Beast’s” biggest weakness.
What happened: Over five rounds Almeida easily out-grappled his far bigger opponent and showed that despite being in the MMA world leader for the last decade, Lewis still has major holes in his grappling. As the fight dragged on it became abundantly clear that the American was headed to a disappointing fourth loss in his last five fights.
The fallout: Any thoughts of Lewis “being back” as a contender were completely dashed after his loss to Almeida. Now, he is in a situation where he will be fighting to hold on to a spot in the rankings in his next matchup.
The roadmap: There are two different ways the UFC can go with Lewis’ next fight. They could either make him a gatekeeper and book him against a rising star, or place him in an entertaining matchup with another good striker. To get the most value out of the big man’s value a fan-friendly and winnable fight should be next for “Black Beast.”
What makes Derrick Lewis so popular?
You would think being named “The Black Beast” should strike fear in the hearts of observers of the sport. However, in the case of Lewis, while he surely gives opponents cold sweats, he has become a beloved and comedic figure in the MMA industry. From his admiration of Popeye’s chicken to his hilariously infamous hot balls moment at UFC 229 in 2018, he has become an adored and one-of-a-kind figure in the UFC.
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However, what the Texan has done inside the Octagon is no laughing matter as he has charted a path of destruction over his decade fight in the UFC.
- Derrick Lewis record: 27-12 (22 knockouts, 1 submission)
- Lewis has the most KO’s in UFC history at 14. Six of those came in the first round
- During his time in the promotion, Lewis has scored notable wins against familiar names like Roy Nelson, Travis Browne, Alexander Volkov, Curtis Blaydes (twice), Aleksei Oleinik, and even current heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou
- Lewis has lost in both of his heavyweight title opportunities. In 2018 versus Daniel Cormier, and last year against Gane in an interim championship bout.
- “The Black Beast” hit a new stratosphere of popularity with his infamous “my balls were hot” moment in 2018. Where he removed his fight shorts before a victory interview with Joe Rogan
- Before he became an MMA star, Lewis spent three-and-a-half years in jail for a parole violation
Derrick Lewis’ net worth
The measure of a fighter often comes down to the bucks they’ve made during a career of fisticuffs. As of right now, Derrick Lewis’ net worth is speculated to be upwards of $1.5 million.
