Derrick Lewis doesn’t think he’s ready for a UFC heavyweight title shot. “The Black Beast” made mixed martial arts (MMA) fans jump out of their seats Saturday night (October 6, 2018) with his UFC 229 performance. Lewis shared the Octagon with fellow top-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov.
For the majority of the first three rounds, Volkov was seemingly having his way with Lewis. Lewis was looking very gassed and hurt during the entirety of the fight. With just seconds left in the fight, Lewis pulled off one of the most memorable blitzes in UFC history. Lewis connected on a wild overhand that dropped Volkov down to the canvas. He followed up with ground-and-pound to put the Russian away with 11 seconds left in the fight. Had the bout gone the distance and to the judges’ scorecards, Lewis almost certainly would’ve lost via decision.
Instead, Lewis earned one of the most impressive knockout wins of his career. After the fight, UFC commentator Joe Rogan suggested Lewis should be next in line for a heavyweight title opportunity. Lewis responded by saying his cardio is nowhere near ready for a title fight. He echoed those sentiments in his post-fight interview with media (via MMA Junkie):
“I really don’t think I’m ready for a title shot, because that’s five rounds,” Lewis said. “(Expletive), I can barely go three rounds. I used to train 30 minutes a day, whenever I train. This camp, I trained for an hour. I guess I’ve got to hype up my hours a little bit more in training.”
What do you think about Lewis’ comments?
