Derrick Lewis Explains Why He’s a Bad Match Up For Stipe Miocic

Derrick Lewis still has some work to do before he’s tapped to fight Stipe Miocic yet, but if and when he faces the champ, the heavyweight clearly likes his chances.

Lewis is preparing to fight Mark Hunt this Saturday, in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 110, which will go down in Auckland, New Zealand. Since Lewis has won six straight bouts and is ranked #6, if he scores a big win, many believe he could be next for a title shot. Particularly since Miocic already holds wins over Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, and it’s not clear yet what’s next for Cain Velasquez.

Well, at the media day for UFC FN 110, Lewis was asked about Mr. Miocic. Here is what Lewis had to say (quote via MMA Junkie):

“I love the way I match up with Stipe,” Lewis said. “I believe Stipe is going to come out and try to wrestle me, just play right into my game. I like guys that try to come out and wrestle me. It’ll just be a boring fight, but I believe I can still come up with the win.”

No, if you follow Lewis, then you know he’s not afraid to speak his mind. Would Miocic turn to his wrestling necessarily? Hard to say. If he got tagged early on, then chances are he would. But, Miocic can also crack, as we’ve seen several times in recent years.

And what about a fight with Francis Ngannou? Who has also been closing in on a title shot? When asked about the surging heavyweight, Lewis stated:

“I wanted to fight him before I called out Mark. If he wants to get this work next, he can come on. He can get this work.”

There you have it. The UFC definitely has some intriguing matchmaking options for Lewis, if he gets by Hunt on Saturday. That could be much easier said than done, however, when you consider Hunt’s name is synonymous with “walk off KO”.