Derrick Lewis was born on February 7, 1985. He is a professional MMA fighter from the United States. He now fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Heavyweight division, where he holds the record for most knockouts in UFC history. Lewis has been a professional fighter since 2010, competing for Bellator MMA and Legacy FC, where he was the Heavyweight Champion. He is ranked #7 in the UFC heavyweight rankings as of August 1, 2022.
| Name | Derrick Lewis |
| D.O.B | February 7, 1985 |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 120 kg |
| Occupation | Mixed Martial Artist |
| Professional Debut | 2010 |
| Wife | April Davis |
| Nicknames | The Black Beast |
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Lewis, the second oldest of seven siblings raised by a single mother in New Orleans, Louisiana, was troublesome as a child and was frequently involved in street fights. Lewis and his family moved to Houston, Texas, in 1998. Lewis began boxing training at the age of 17 and was preparing for his first amateur fight when the gym abruptly closed down.
Lewis was charged with severe assault and placed on probation two weeks after graduating from high school. Lewis broke his probation two years later, while attending Kilgore College on a full football scholarship, and was sentenced to five years in jail, but only served three and a half.
Lewis was exposed to mixed martial arts by a pal a week after his release and continued boxing under the instruction of George Foreman while working as a tow-truck driver. Lewis opted to concentrate on mixed martial arts after dominating his first professional MMA fight.
Lewis began his MMA career in late 2009 when he made his amateur debut against Jay Ross at LSAMMA on October 16, 2009. He was defeated by TKO (doctor stoppage). On January 30, 2010, he fought Tim Buchanan in a US American Combat Association tournament. He won via KO. Lewis turned professional in 2010 and compiled a 4-1 record before signing with Bellator MMA in May 2010.
Lewis was set to make his professional debut on May 21, 2011, against Brazilian Thiago Santos at Bellator 45. However, the fight was called off when Santos was forced to withdraw due to an injury. On June 25, 2011, Lewis faced Tony Johnson at Bellator 46. He was defeated by unanimous decision.
After leaving Bellator, Lewis went 6-0 with one no-contest, most notably earning and successfully defending the Legacy FC Heavyweight Championship. He was subsequently signed by the UFC.
At UFC on FOX: Werdum vs. Browne, Derrick Lewis made his UFC debut against Jack May. May was TKO’d in the first round by Lewis. In his second bout, he duplicated his performance by TKOing Guto Inocente in the TUF 19 Finale.
Derrick was knocked out in 41 seconds by Matt Mitrione in his fight. He went 1-1 in his following two fights before regaining his momentum and going on a six-fight winning streak. Lewis’ unbeaten record came to an end at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt. Hunt knocked Lewis out in the fourth round and earned the Fight of the Night prize alongside Derrick.
Lewis embarked on a three-fight winning streak, defeating the likes of Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov to earn a championship chance against Daniel Cormier in the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Cormier outwrestled Lewis and submitted him by rear-naked choke in the second round. Lewis subsequently lost his second fight by TKO to Junior dos Santos.
Derrick used his perseverance in his subsequent fights to go 4-0 and win the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship against Ciryl Gane. Ciryl Gane outclassed Lewis and used him as a striking canvas until TKOing him in the third round, thanks to his range and excellent Muay Thai abilities.
Lewis fought Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 199 on December 18, 2021. Lewis won the bout via first-round knockout. Lewis’ knockout victory against Daukaus set the record for the most knockouts in UFC history, regardless of weight category, with 13.
Lewis fought Tai Tuivasa at UFC 271 in Houston, Texas on February 12, 2022. Lewis was knocked out in the second round of the fight.
Lewis fought Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022. He was knocked out via TKO just 55 seconds into the first round, however, the stoppage by referee Dan Miragliotta was deemed premature by fighters and fans alike.
Lewis was scheduled to fight Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night 215 on November 19, 2022. Lewis, however, was forced to withdraw from the event owing to a non-COVID, non-weight-cutting sickness, and the match was scrapped. The fight has been rescheduled for February 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 218. Lewis was defeated in round one by an arm-triangle choke.
| 38 matches | 26 wins | 11 losses |
| By knockout | 21 | 7 |
| By submission | 1 | 2 |
| By decision | 4 | 2 |
| No contests | 1 | |
