Two of the hardest punchers in the UFC will go toe-to-toe at UFC 226. Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou are known for their devastating one-punch knockout power, but who will come out on top when they trade shots on July 7th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
This matchup has been the topic of discussion within the MMA community for some time now. Now the bout has officially been signed, Derrick Lewis spoke to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour and explained how excited he is for this fight.
“It is crazy. I felt the same way when I fought ‘Big Country’ [Roy Nelson], because seeing ‘Big Country’ fight everybody, knock everybody out — then it’s like a dream come true whenever I finally fought him,” Lewis said Monday on The MMA Hour. “It’s going to feel almost the same way fighting Francis. A guy like him beating everybody, knocking everybody out, then finally facing him — I just live for that type of rush, that thrill, because I don’t call anybody out that I know I could easily beat.
“I like to fight tough fights. I believe the tough fights bring out the better fighter in myself.”
Francis Ngannou’s meteoric rise to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division was nothing short of destructive. Racking up impressive knockout wins over UFC heavyweight legends Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem, but Derrick Lewis believes that a major reason for Ngannou’s success is the fact that he has faced weathered and old opponents.
“Beating on Francis is really not going to really do too much for me anyway, because the guy got to where he’s at right now on luck,” Lewis said. “He fought Overeem — Overeem doesn’t have a chin. He fought Arlovski — Arlovski doesn’t have a chin. Fight somebody that’s tough. Fight a Mark Hunt, somebody like that who’s real tough. Don’t fight these old guys who are already on the downside of their career.”
This matchup is a pivotal bout in both of these fighters careers. Francis Ngannou aims to get back to winning ways and fight back at critiques after his disappointing performance against UFC champion Stipe Miocic. Derrick Lewis, on the other hand, is within touching distance of a title shot, after winning 7 of his last 8 UFC fights. A win over Francis Ngannou would put The Black Beast’s name in the hat to fight the winner of Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight championship
Do you think Derrick Lewis deserves a title shot if he can defeat Francis Ngannou?
