65 Facts About Derrick Lewis

1.

Derrick Lewis was born on February 7,1985 and is an American professional mixed martial artist.

2.

Derrick Lewis currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he currently holds the record for most knockouts in UFC history.

3.

At the age of 17, Derrick Lewis began training in boxing and was preparing for his first amateur fight when the gym unexpectedly shut down.

4.

Two weeks after graduating from high school, Derrick Lewis was charged with aggravated assault, and was placed on probation.

5.

Two years later, while attending Kilgore College on a full scholarship for football, Derrick Lewis violated his probation and was sentenced to five years in prison, but ended up serving three and a half.

6.

Derrick Lewis began his journey in MMA in late 2009, when he made his debut as an amateur against Jay Ross at LSAMMA on October 16,2009.

7.

Derrick Lewis then faced Tim Buchanan at the United States American Combat Association event on January 30,2010.

8.

Derrick Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut at Bellator 45 on May 21,2011, against Brazilian Thiago Santos.

9.

Derrick Lewis faced Tony Johnson at Bellator 46 on June 25,2011.

10.

Derrick Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Nandor Guelmino at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs Kampmann 2 on August 28,2013.

11.

However, the bout was canceled as Derrick Lewis had to pull out due to an injury.

12.

Derrick Lewis instead made his debut at UFC on Fox: Werdum vs Browne on April 19,2014, against Jack May He won via TKO in the first round.

13.

Derrick Lewis won the fight via KO in the first round.

14.

Derrick Lewis faced Matt Mitrione on September 5,2014, at UFC Fight Night 50.

15.

Derrick Lewis faced Ruan Potts on February 28,2015, at UFC 184.

16.

Derrick Lewis won the fight via TKO in the second round.

17.

Derrick Lewis next had a rematch with Shawn Jordan on June 6,2015, at UFC Fight Night 68.

18.

Derrick Lewis was expected to face Anthony Hamilton on October 3,2015, at UFC 192.

19.

Derrick Lewis faced Damian Grabowski on February 6,2016, at UFC Fight Night 82.

20.

Derrick Lewis dominated the fight, winning via TKO in the first round.

21.

Derrick Lewis next faced Gabriel Gonzaga on April 10,2016, at UFC Fight Night 86.

22.

Subsequently, Derrick Lewis earned his first Performance of the Night bonus.

23.

Derrick Lewis faced Roy Nelson on July 7,2016, at UFC Fight Night 90.

24.

Derrick Lewis was expected to face Marcin Tybura on October 15,2016, at UFC Fight Night 97.

25.

Derrick Lewis faced Shamil Abdurakhimov on December 9,2016, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 102.

26.

Derrick Lewis faced Travis Browne on February 19,2017, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 105.

27.

Derrick Lewis won the fight via knockout in the second round.

28.

Derrick Lewis faced Mark Hunt on June 11,2017, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 110.

29.

Derrick Lewis lost the fight via TKO in the fourth round.

30.

Later in the month, Derrick Lewis revealed that he ultimately decided to continue fighting.

31.

Derrick Lewis was expected to face Fabricio Werdum on October 7,2017, at UFC 216.

32.

Derrick Lewis faced Marcin Tybura on February 18,2018, at UFC Fight Night 126.

33.

Derrick Lewis won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.

34.

Derrick Lewis faced Francis Ngannou on July 7,2018, at UFC 226.

35.

Derrick Lewis won the fight via unanimous decision, but the fight itself was heavily criticized for the lack of action in both fighters with Lewis only landing 20 strikes, and Ngannou landing 11.

36.

Derrick Lewis faced Alexander Volkov on October 6,2018, at UFC 229.

37.

Derrick Lewis faced Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on November 3,2018, at UFC 230.

38.

Derrick Lewis lost the fight by rear-naked choke in the second round, marking the first submission loss of his professional MMA career.

39.

Derrick Lewis signed a new contract with the UFC after the title shot.

40.

Derrick Lewis lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

41.

Derrick Lewis faced Blagoy Ivanov on November 2,2019, at UFC 244.

42.

Derrick Lewis faced Ilir Latifi on February 8,2020, at UFC 247.

43.

Derrick Lewis faced Aleksei Oleinik on August 8,2020, at UFC Fight Night 174.

44.

Derrick Lewis won the bout via TKO early in round two.

45.

Derrick Lewis set the record for most knockouts by a heavyweight in UFC history.

46.

Derrick Lewis was scheduled to face Curtis Blaydes on November 28,2020, at UFC on ESPN 18.

47.

Derrick Lewis won the fight via knockout in the second round.

48.

Derrick Lewis faced Ciryl Gane on August 7,2021, at UFC 265 for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.

49.

Derrick Lewis lost the fight via technical knockout in round three.

50.

Derrick Lewis faced Chris Daukaus on December 18,2021, at UFC Fight Night 199.

51.

Derrick Lewis won the fight via knockout in the first round.

52.

Derrick Lewis faced Tai Tuivasa on February 12,2022, at UFC 271 in Houston, Texas.

53.

Derrick Lewis lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

54.

Derrick Lewis faced Sergei Pavlovich on July 30,2022, at UFC 277.

55.

Derrick Lewis lost the fight via TKO, just 55 seconds into the first round, however there was controversy as the stoppage by referee Dan Miragliotta was considered premature by fighters and fans alike.

56.

Derrick Lewis was next expected to face Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night 215 on November 19,2022.

57.

However, Derrick Lewis was forced to pull out of the event due to non-COVID, non-weight cutting illness and the bout was canceled.

58.

Derrick Lewis lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke in round one, and he did not land a single strike during the fight.

59.

Derrick Lewis was scheduled to face Marcos Rogerio de Lima on July 29,2023, at UFC 291.

60.

Derrick Lewis has been characterized as a 'classic heavyweight' owing to his knockout power and physique.

61.

However, analysts have noted that when facing fighters with a background in folkstyle wrestling, such as Daniel Cormier, Derrick Lewis finds it more difficult to escape the bottom position.

62.

Nonetheless, Derrick Lewis appeared to simply 'standup' when threatened with a crucifix position by Roy Nelson, a fighter with a wrestling pedigree.

63.

Derrick Lewis married his long-time girlfriend in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 17,2017.

64.

On May 18,2021, Derrick Lewis was returning to his car after a workout when he discovered a man allegedly trying to open the door of his vehicle.

65.

Derrick Lewis reportedly struck the alleged thief and pinned him to the ground until the police arrived.