Derrick Lewis Reveals Factor That Helped Francis Ngannou’s Fast Rise
Derrick Lewis is known to speak his mind and that’s part of the reason for his popularity along with his exciting fighting style.
Lewis had previously asked for a fight with former title contender Francis Ngannou and he got what he asked for.
Since then, he has been talking a lot of trash about Ngannou to promote the fight.
As seen at the UFC 220 PPV (pay-per-view) event at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on pay-per-view, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic successfully retained his title in the main event by scoring a dominant decision win over the title contender.
Ngannou was gassed after the first round and lost in a lopsided fashion.
Lewis went on record by stating in a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s radio show, The MMA Hour, that part of the reason that the title contender had a fast rise in the heavyweight division was the competition that he was facing.
“It is crazy. I felt the same way when I fought ‘Big Country’ [Roy Nelson], because seeing ‘Big Country’ fight everybody, knock everybody out — then it’s like a dream come true whenever I finally fought him,” Lewis said Monday on The MMA Hour.
“It’s going to feel almost the same way fighting Francis. A guy like him beating everybody, knocking everybody out, then finally facing him — I just live for that type of rush, that thrill, because I don’t call anybody out that I know I could easily beat.
“I like to fight tough fights. I believe the tough fights bring out the better fighter in myself.”
“Beating on Francis is really not going to really do too much for me anyway, because the guy got to where he’s at right now on luck,” Lewis said. “He fought Overeem — Overeem doesn’t have a chin. He fought Arlovski — Arlovski doesn’t have a chin. Fight somebody that’s tough. Fight a Mark Hunt, somebody like that who’s real tough. Don’t fight these old guys who are already on the downside of their career.”
Lewis is slated to fight the former title contender at the upcoming UFC 226 pay-per-view event.
