Derrick Lewis shared the octagon with Francis Ngannou in a combat each have admitted they’d prefer to overlook at UFC 226 in July 2018, however Lewis mentioned Ngannou—with out even realizing—helped him out years later.
Lewis is ready to face Jhonata Diniz at UFC Edmonton this Saturday. Following his memorable knockout win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 291 in July 2023, Lewis re-signed with the promotion. With Ngannou signing with PFL and negotiating assured large paydays for his opponent, Lewis noticed that as a negotiating software.
“Francis performed the function of serving to me get this contract that I received proper now,” Lewis advised MMA Preventing. “As a result of, , the negotiations, I mentioned, ‘Man, look what they’re doing over there, I could possibly be over there getting that. It’s so bizarre. I want to keep right here.’
“So, , I ain’t gonna say an excessive amount of.”
“The Black Beast” stopped Rodrigo Nascimento in the principle occasion of UFC St. Louis in his most up-to-date outing in Might. Lewis was initially slated to face Alexandr Romanov, however the promotion shifted him to Diniz for what’s going to possible be a hanging battle.
Now that Lewis has a profitable contract, he hopes to proceed preventing as continuously as he did up to now. He can’t complain concerning the cash he’s getting, even with the potential of getting hundreds of thousands to face Ngannou in PFL throughout his transient free company interval.
“Sure, as a result of it was there, so now I’m right here,” Lewis mentioned. “So, , now they’re making an attempt to area my fights out. I mentioned, ‘No, don’t area them out. Come on, give me them three, or 4 fights that I wished to offer them earlier than.’”
Ngannou not too long ago made his MMA return at PFL Battle of the Giants earlier this month and knocked out Renan Ferreira within the first spherical. Ngannou battled with a heavy coronary heart following the passing of his 15-month-old son Kobe. As a father, himself, Lewis couldn’t assist however really feel for his previous foe.
“I heard, I learn an article about what occurred,” Lewis mentioned. “It’s fairly unhappy his son handed away like being one-year-old at that too, as a result of at one they’re already responsive, like speaking and transferring round, strolling and stuff like that. So to lose a son that early, like at that age, I’m certain it’s very traumatic.”
Whereas Lewis doesn’t watch lots of MMA in his free time, his coach confirmed him Ngannou’s large end of Ferreira.
“Oh, it was good,” Lewis mentioned of Ngannou’s efficiency. “It was good, I didn’t watch the combat [live]. I don’t assume no one did, I heard they solely received 10,000 pay-per-view buys, but it surely’s good [for Francis].”
