Heavyweights!
This is why Derrick Lewis is one of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts.
Lewis has cultivated quite the following with his social media antics but he’s a fighter first and foremost and he displayed incredible heart in his comeback victory over Alexander Volkov on Saturday night.
As the T-Mobile Arena ramped up for the lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, Lewis gave fans a bout to remember.
After damaging his orbital bone in the first round and coming up short in almost every exchange with Volkov, who was unbeaten in his UFC career going into this weekend, Lewis did something spectacular to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
With 20 seconds remaining and almost certainly looking at a unanimous decision defeat, Lewis uncorked his famous right hand and separated Volkov from his gumshield.
DERRICK LEWIS IS BACK!! 😱
The Black Beast KO's Volkov just seconds before the fight ends! What a comeback! What a fight!
Listen to that roar! #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/wHzfpav0NG
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) October 7, 2018
Savage ground and pound from ‘The Black Beast’ earned him one of the most thrilling wins you’re ever going to see in any sport and his post-fight interview didn’t disappoint either.
“Because my balls were hot,” Lewis answered when asked why he took his fight shorts off immediately after the dramatic win.
“I told them boys that I’ve got nothing but heart. They keep underestimating me and, shit, I’m not all that technical and all that but I’m getting there.
“I forgot that a few hours before the fight, Donald Trump called me and told me to knock this Russian motherfucker out because they’re making him look bad on the news.”
Lewis was No. 2 in the heavyweight division when he walked to the Octagon on Saturday night and he cannot be all that far away from a title shot following his latest win, although that’s not something he’s interested in right now.
He added: “I need to sit my black ass down and do some more cardio, fuck what you’re talking about right now. I ain’t trying to fight for no title right now, not with no gas tank like that.”
