Derrick Lewis
The Black Beast
USA
Late add to UFC Freedom 250
Lewis will take on Josh Hokit in a heavyweight matchup at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14, according to UFC President Dana White.
ANALYSIS
Lewis had been on a two-fight winning streak before looking a bit lethargic in a January loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta, but "The Black Beast" still owns a top-10 spot in the UFC's heavyweight rankings. Apparently, he's also a favorite of sitting United States President Donald Trump, who asked Dana White at UFC 327 why Lewis wasn't fighting on the White House card this June. White countered by quickly making a matchup between Lewis and Hokit, the latter of which had just gotten through an all-out war in the main card. As long as Hokit is medically cleared to fight just over two months from Saturday's bloody affair, the White House card will add a seventh fight. While Lewis has as much pure power as any heavyweight these days, Hokit likely enters as the betting favorite, as he's the younger man with superior cardio, plus he showed off an outstanding chin Saturday.
Lewis had been on a two-fight winning streak before looking a bit lethargic in a January loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta, but "The Black Beast" still owns a top-10 spot in the UFC's heavyweight rankings. Apparently, he's also a favorite of sitting United States President Donald Trump, who asked Dana White at UFC 327 why Lewis wasn't fighting on the White House card this June. White countered by quickly making a matchup between Lewis and Hokit, the latter of which had just gotten through an all-out war in the main card. As long as Hokit is medically cleared to fight just over two months from Saturday's bloody affair, the White House card will add a seventh fight. While Lewis has as much pure power as any heavyweight these days, Hokit likely enters as the betting favorite, as he's the younger man with superior cardio, plus he showed off an outstanding chin Saturday.
Fight Log
Loading Fight Log...
More Fantasy News
No-shows UFC 324 defeat
Lewis lost to Waldo Cortes-Acosta via TKO (punches) at 3:14 of Round 2 at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
This projected as a tough matchup for Lewis on paper, as evidenced by the fact he closed as a +260 underdog, but few could have imagined he would have looked this bad. Derrick simply couldn't keep up with the speed and movement of Cortes-Acosta, but the real concern was the finish. Lewis appeared to slip and fall to his back and have zero interest in continuing to fight. As a result, Waldo jumped on top of him and unloaded unanswered blows until referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Cortes-Acosta is no pushover, but Lewis will be 41 years of age in a couple weeks, and whenever you see a performance this poor, it makes you wonder if the end is near. As is, and has been the case for years, Lewis is more of an attraction than a legitimate contender.
This projected as a tough matchup for Lewis on paper, as evidenced by the fact he closed as a +260 underdog, but few could have imagined he would have looked this bad. Derrick simply couldn't keep up with the speed and movement of Cortes-Acosta, but the real concern was the finish. Lewis appeared to slip and fall to his back and have zero interest in continuing to fight. As a result, Waldo jumped on top of him and unloaded unanswered blows until referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Cortes-Acosta is no pushover, but Lewis will be 41 years of age in a couple weeks, and whenever you see a performance this poor, it makes you wonder if the end is near. As is, and has been the case for years, Lewis is more of an attraction than a legitimate contender.
Fighting Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324
Lewis will fight Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324 on Jan. 24, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
The 40-year-old Lewis made quick work of Tallison Teixeira in July, taking him down in just 35 seconds. He'll now aim to extend his winning streak to three against Cortes-Acosta, who could experience a bit of fatigue after fighting five times in 2025 and twice in November alone.
The 40-year-old Lewis made quick work of Tallison Teixeira in July, taking him down in just 35 seconds. He'll now aim to extend his winning streak to three against Cortes-Acosta, who could experience a bit of fatigue after fighting five times in 2025 and twice in November alone.
35-second main event victory
Lewis defeated Tallison Teixeira via TKO (punches) at 0:35 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Nashville.
ANALYSIS
Lewis turned 40 years of age in February. He's still a below-average athlete for a UFC fighter and has long had questionable cardio, but his pure power is amongst the best in the history of the sport, and they say power is the last thing to go. Teixeira found that out firsthand here. The latter clipped Lewis with a shot to the eye immediately after the opening bell rang, but the blow seemed to only serve to anger Lewis. Derrick pushed forward swinging for the bleachers, and one left hook connected with Teixeira's chin. A handful of follow-up shots later and referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Lewis is more of an attraction than anything else at this late stage of his career, but he's still capable of selling out an arena and putting on a masterful performance such as this. He remains one of the most popular fighters in the company.
Lewis turned 40 years of age in February. He's still a below-average athlete for a UFC fighter and has long had questionable cardio, but his pure power is amongst the best in the history of the sport, and they say power is the last thing to go. Teixeira found that out firsthand here. The latter clipped Lewis with a shot to the eye immediately after the opening bell rang, but the blow seemed to only serve to anger Lewis. Derrick pushed forward swinging for the bleachers, and one left hook connected with Teixeira's chin. A handful of follow-up shots later and referee Jason Herzog had seen enough. Lewis is more of an attraction than anything else at this late stage of his career, but he's still capable of selling out an arena and putting on a masterful performance such as this. He remains one of the most popular fighters in the company.
Next fight scheduled
Lewis (undisclosed) is scheduled to compete against Tallison Teixeira in a heavyweight fight at UFC Nashville on July 12, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Lewis has not fought in over a year because of a medical issue. The heavyweight will look to continue building momentum after finishing Rodrigo Nascimento in St. Louis.
Lewis has not fought in over a year because of a medical issue. The heavyweight will look to continue building momentum after finishing Rodrigo Nascimento in St. Louis.
Drops out of fight
Lewis withdrew from his scheduled fight against Jhonata Diniz at UFC Edmonton on Friday, Nolan King of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
The reason for Lewis' withdrawal is being described as a "non-weight cut medical issue," neither fighter will participate in Saturday's event.
The reason for Lewis' withdrawal is being described as a "non-weight cut medical issue," neither fighter will participate in Saturday's event.