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Dana White showed support for Derrick Lewis after losing his third consecutive fight.
‘The Black Beast’ is going through a rough patch in his MMA career. The 37-year-old heavyweight featured in the main event of UFC Vegas 68 against Sergey Spivak on February 4th. Despite receiving a step down in competition, Lewis lost in the first round by submission.
During the post-fight press conference, the UFC president was asked about Derrick Lewis’ performance at UFC Vegas 68. He responded by saying:
“I have a lot of respect for Derrick Lewis. I love the guy, and he got manhandled tonight... I love him, so he’s not going anywhere.”
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Lewis’ last win was against Chris Daukaus in December 2021. Since then, the American heavyweight has lost three straight fights, all inside the distance, including two in the first round. To be fair, the first two losses were against top-five opponents - Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich.
Unfortunately, Lewis suffered the same result against Spivac, who was No.12-ranked before the update from UFC Vegas 68. ‘The Black Beast’ still deserves respect for how dangerous of a fighter he is, but the question is, what’s next for the former UFC title challenger?
Watch Dana White discuss Derrick Lewis below:
What’s next for Derrick Lewis?
Hearing Dana White guarantee Derrick Lewis won’t be cut is satisfying because he’s done so much for the promotion. Lewis holds the most UFC KO/TKO wins (13) while also providing unforgettable moments like the knockout against Alexander Volkov. With that said, it’s difficult to determine who he should fight next after losing to Sergey Spivac.
Considering Spivac was ranked number twelve, Lewis will likely fight someone in the 10-15 rankings. An unranked opponent would be somewhat disrespectful, considering he’s still perceived as an elite heavyweight.
The UFC needs to decide if they want to match up ‘The Black Best’ against a lower-ranked future title contender like Jailton Almeida. It would be an awful matchup stylistically, or give him an opportunity against an entertaining striker like Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Despite some fans underestimating Lewis, the 37-year-old heavyweight has a chance to turn everything around. He has the power to take out any opponent and could walk away from his UFC Vegas 68 loss with added motivation. Needless to say, ‘The Black Beast’ needs a win in his next fight more than ever.
