HOUSTON – UFC fighter, Derrick Lewis is looking to build off the momentum of his last fight. In case you missed it, he knocked out his opponent in 33 seconds. That TKO earned Derrick a new UFC contract and allowed him to step in to fight, Jailton Almeida, who is currently on a 14-fight win streak. Almeida is also Brazilian, and their fight is scheduled to take place in Sao Paulo on November 4th, so Derrick definitely has his work cut out for him. However, even on a time crunch, the “Black Beast” cleared his morning schedule to chat with Houston Life!!
“I think everyone is crazy and everyone just really is teasing me cuz I’m throwed off a little bit,” he joked.
“I just wanted to go out there and show everyone that I still have it. I really haven’t been healthy and I felt like, the best I’ve ever been in my life going into that fight I just had so much energy, I just felt like I could fly, so that’s what I did,” Derrick said when asked about his last impressive victory.
His coach, Robert Perez, owns Main Street Boxing and Muy Thai gym where Derrick trains.
“With a short fight camp, we basically only have 3 weeks to prepare for this specific fighter, he’s a grappler. We are obviously working on things to nullify his grappling and more than anything pushing cardio to go the distance. He is a hard worker, and his right hand is like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Perez said.
After we talked business, Derrick let me hold mitts for him and taught me his infamous victory celebration! It was a dream come true. GO GET EM D!
You can watch UFC Sao Paulo on ESPN+ on November 4th.