Top Five Most Hilarious Derrick Lewis Interviews
Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis picked up the most significant win of his career this weekend at UFC Fight Night 105 over fellow contender Travis Browne. The win marked his sixth straight in the Octagon.
But just as impressive as Lewis’ second-round, come-from-behind knockout was the promo he cut in the post-fight interview.
Lewis has become known as much for his charisma and hilarious social media presence as he is for his knockout power. His nonchalant demeanor and dry one-liners have made his interviews must-see attractions. Not a bad follow-up for his aggressive, knockout-oriented fighting style.
Following the most memorable Octagon interview of his career so far, here are the other highlights of Lewis’ post-fight speeches.
5. First-Round TKO Of Jack May
Unfortunately, many of Lewis’ early career Octagon interviews can’t be found on YouTube. If you can, check out UFC Fight Pass for his interviews following his wins over Guto Inocente and Viktor Pesta, both of which have some pretty entertaining lines. For a bonus, there is this link to a backstage interview in which Lewis says he could feel Pesta’s soul come out just before he finished him.
But there is this somewhat-suspect footage from his UFC debut, a TKO victory over Jack May at UFC on FOX 11 on April 19, 2014. In it, Lewis is much less comfortable on the mic than in his most recent performances. He describes feeling like his whole body was asleep and needed to wake up, and how meeting Bruce Buffer affected him. Most comically of all, Joe Rogan doesn’t seem to understand either comment and tries to just move through the interview.
Just as his fighting skills have grown over the past few years, so have Lewis’ abilities on the microphone.
4. First-Round Knockout Of Gabriel Gonzaga
As Lewis’ star power and post-fight call-out skills began to grow, the UFC took notice and started uploading them to YouTube for your viewing enjoyment. It started with Lewis’ first co-headlining spot opposite Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC Fight Night 86 in Zagreb, Croatia, on April 10, 2016.
The interview started with Lewis quipping about the awkward nature of it. UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik and he both speak English, but Anik’s questions and Lewis’ responses both had to be translated to Croatian for the crowd.
After Anik’s first question was translated and the mic turned toward Lewis, “The Black Beast” said, “No habla Ingles. What he say?”
Lewis went on to shout out his gym and one of his head coaches who had recently passed away. His obviously heartfelt gratitude for his coach bolstered Lewis’ growing rep as an all-around nice guy, despite his shocking power and somewhat checkered past.
3. Split Decision Over Roy Nelson
The one UFC victory Lewis owns that did not end by knockout or TKO came at UFC Fight Night 90 in Las Vegas on July 7, 2016, over the famously durable Roy Nelson. “Big Country” largely succeeded in outwrestling Lewis for long stretches of the fight, but when they returned to the feet, it was Lewis going for the kill and outstriking the long-time UFC veteran. The fight resulted in a disappointing decision, even for the winner, Lewis.
After the decision was read, boos could be heard from the crowd. Lewis began his post-fight speech with a profanity-laced defense of his performance directed at the crowd. Highlights include “F*ck what y’all talkin’ about”, “Black Beast in this ho”, and the unforgettable “Swangin’ and bangin’, H-Town on that boy.”
Like everyone else, I only ever want to see Derrick Lewis swangin’ and bangin’ in the cage.
2. Fourth-Round TKO Of Shamil Abdurakhimov
After four straight wins over Pesta, Grabowski, Gonzaga, and Nelson, Lewis earned his first headlining spot at UFC Fight Night 102 in Albany, New York on December 9, 2016. He was set opposite well-rounded Russian Shamil Abdurakhimov.
Well aware of Lewis’ crushing power, Abdurakhimov took advantage of Lewis’ most glaring hole: his takedown defense. The Russian kickboxer was repeatedly able to catch Lewis’ kicks and take him down, though he never really threatened “The Black Beast” from top position. Finally, in the fourth round, Lewis found his opening and took out Abdurakhimov.
But when speaking to Jon Anik post-fight, Lewis called it one of his “terriblest” performances. Then: “Sh*t, I was gonna say I want Travis Browne or Mark Hunt, but this performance right here was some bullsh*t, so I’m gonna sit my a** down.””
Lewis clearly demands more of himself than even the fans do when it comes to putting on exciting scraps. His self-deprecating nature and exhausted delivery continue to endear the Houston native to fight fans. It doesn’t hurt that even in a “terrible” showing, Lewis knocked a dude senseless.
1. Second-Round Knockout Of Travis Browne
Now for the pièce de résistance. It turned out the UFC didn’t mind Lewis’ showing against Abdurakhimov, giving him the fight he was planning to ask for anyway, and in a headlining spot, no less.
At Sunday night’s (February 19, 2017) UFC Fight Night 105, Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne put on a blistering two-round slugfest. After being hurt to the body by debilitating front kicks on multiple occasions in the first round, Lewis turned the tide in the second. When Browne allowed himself to be corralled near the fence, Lewis teed off with salvo after salvo of crushing punches until “Hapa” went to sleep.
The most infamous part of the interview can be found above. It’s a low-quality video because the UFC cut that part of the interview from what was posted online. But here’s that first part, in which he calls out Browne’s history of alleged domestic violence and catcalls Ronda Rousey:
I just knew I had bigger heart than him. You know, he call himself a man but he like to put his hands on women. So forget that guy, I got much more heart than he has. You know, where Ronda Rousey fine a** at?
The rest of the interview can be found below and includes some other gems. For instance, when asked if he was hurt to the body by the kicks in the first round, Lewis says it was just a “booboo” and he had to take a “Number 2”. It was a truly vintage interview that capped off an equally vintage Derrick Lewis fight.
