Derrick Lewis, who is set to fight Rodrigo Nascimento in the heavyweight headliner of UFC St. Louis, feels confident and in his prime despite recent losses, attributing his improved condition to dietary changes and being injury-free.
Derrick Lewis is switching things up. He’s feeling on top of the world.
Saturday’s the big day. Lewis is stepping into the octagon for the 41st time as a pro. His opponent? Rodrigo Nascimento. The event? UFC St. Louis.
Lewis, affectionately known as “The Black Beast,” turned 39 this past February. Sure, he’s been in a bit of a rut after losing to Jailton Almeida. But he’s not letting that shake his confidence. He’s certain the best version of himself will show up on fight night.
“I’m feeling great right now,” Lewis said. He’s confident. He’s ready. “I actually really feel like this is my prime. My 20s, early 30s? Didn’t feel as good. Now? I’m feeling fantastic.”
He was in great shape for his last fight. But there were issues. He tore both his shoulders the week before the fight. It happened during some jiu-jitsu drills. He couldn’t push off or throw a punch. Even an uppercut hurt. And then, the week of the fight, he got two ear infections. One in each ear. He didn’t recover until three weeks after the fight.
Lewis took the fight with Almeida at UFC Sao Paulo on less than a month’s notice. He lost a dull decision that saw Almeida smother him on the ground for five rounds. By the end, neither man’s stock rose.
But now? Lewis is confident. He’s injury-free heading into the Nascimento fight. He’s also made improvements in his diet. He thinks this might extend his career.
“At first I thought it was Popeye’s,” Lewis said about his secret to longevity. “But now they’re telling me that it’s not a good idea for me to be eating Popeye’s whenever, I’m almost 40.” He’s been on a rough road with his nutrition. But he thinks he’s finally getting the hang of it. “Maybe it’s just because I’m a big guy.”
In his past five fights, Lewis has scored just one win. A 33-second knockout of Marcos Rogerio de Lima. That win was preceded by a trio of setbacks to Serghei Spivac, Sergei Pavlovich, and Tai Tuivasa. Lewis didn’t make it past the second round in any of those losses.
Lewis hasn’t given any indication that he plans to retire anytime soon. But he’s keeping an open mind about what’s next. Maybe even working with the UFC’s sister company, WWE.
“We actually in talks right now,” Lewis said. “We’ve been talking for a few months now. I was supposed to go down there in February to check everything out.”
And if he did go into pro wrestling, what would his signature move be? He made a reference to retired WWE big man Rikishi, who was famous for rubbing his behind in his opponents’ faces.
“It would have to be something like Rikishi,” Lewis said. “You might see it. Somehow, I like taking off my shorts, so you might see something like that.”