"It's such a harsh reality" - Daniel Cormier weighs in on Derrick Lewis fighting No.11-ranked Tai Tuivasa after being a title contender

Daniel Cormier has expressed his opinion on the upcoming fight between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa.

In the latest episode of ESPN MMA's DC & RC show, Cormier discussed the "harsh reality" of Lewis' standing in the UFC heavyweight division. 'The Black Beast', who is currently ranked No.3 in the division, is set to take on No.11-ranked Tuivasa this weekend at UFC 271.

'DC' commented on the matchup, saying:

"You know Ryan, it's such a harsh reality. It's such a harsh world we live in, right? Because when you get a guy like Derrick, who's fought for the belt twice, who has lost twice, who has lost to the Ciryl Ganes of the world and myself and he has lost to those types of guys, now it becomes his position that people kind of jump him."

The former two-division champion added:

"Last fight he fought Chris Daukaus, a very young heavyweight, and guess what Derrick did? Derrick knocked him out bad... Once you've been at the top for so long, you start going back towards 10 and ultimately out of the top 15, and that's where he finds himself [right now]."

Watch the latest episode of DC and RC below:

Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa are set to lock horns in the co-main event of UFC 271, which is set to go down in Houston, Texas, this Saturday. The two knockout artists will look to add another vicious KO finish to their respective resumes as Lewis looks to protect his ranking while Tuivasa attempts to break into the top 5.

Lewis, after losing to Ciryl Gane via TKO at UFC 265, made a statement against Chris Daukaus in December last year. 'The Black Beast' knocked out Daukaus in the very first round to become the all-time leader in KO finishes in UFC history.

Meanwhile, Tuivasa has been on a scintillating winning streak since 2020. 'Bam Bam' is coming off four back-to-back knockout finishes against Stefan Struve, Harry Hunsucker, Greg Hardy and Augusto Sakai.

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Derrick Lewis wants to fight Stipe Miocic

Derrick Lewis has expressed interest in fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in the near future.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, 'The Black Beast' asserted that the bout might be exciting for the fans and that the matchup also makes sense stylistically. He said:

"I want to fight Stipe Miocic next. I believe that would be a great matchup for the fans. He is more of a wrestler and I am more of a wrestler as well. So it could be a great entertaining fight."

Watch Derrick Lewis' appearance on The MMA Hour below:

For now, Lewis will have to focus on his upcoming bout against Tai Tuivasa at UFC 271.

Meanwhile, Miocic has been on the sidelines since his KO loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 last year. It has been widely rumored that the Cleveland-native could take on Jon Jones for the interim title later this year as Francis Ngannou, the reigning champion, recovers from his knee injury.