Derrick Lewis and 4 other UFC fighters who have never won on home soil

For UFC fighters, competing on home soil can be euphoric. Mixed martial artists, boxers, kickboxers, and all other combat sports athletes experience a level of support when performing in front of their hometown crowds that will never be matched by any other audience.

At UFC Fight Night 208 in London, Paddy Pimblett was welcomed into the octagon with a chorus of adoration from his fellow countrymen. Yet, home support burrows deeper than simply fighting in one's home country. Fighting in one's home city or state is a different beast altogether.

When Darren Till clashed with Stephen Thompson in Liverpool, he managed—through a herculean effort—to outstrike one of the few fighters who once made a strong case to be considered the best striker in MMA. Sadly, this is not the case for all fighters.

For every fighter who overperforms in their hometown, there is one who crumbles under pressure when expectations are highest. Sometimes, the fear of disappointing one's hometown supporters is enough to freeze even the greatest of fighters. Thus, this list takes a look at Derrick Lewis and 4 other fighters who have never tasted victory in their hometowns.

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#5. Shawn Jordan

Former UFC heavyweight Shawn Jordan is a curious case in the context of this list. Not only has the Texas native failed to win every bout he's had on home soil, but he is also directly responsible for Derrick Lewis' lack of wins in his own hometown.

A native of El Paso, Texas, 'The Savage' has twice fought in his home state, with both matchups taking place in Houston. The first loss came against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 166. As Jordan lunged forward with an overzealous combination, Gonzaga retreated, earning himself enough time and space to crack Jordan's chin with a counter-right hook as the Texas native came forward.

Gonzaga's counter knocked Jordan off his feet. Rocked and grounded, he was quickly dispatched by the Brazilian's follow-up punches. It was a thunderous first round knockout loss. Two years later, 'The Savage' earned his chance at redemption. At UFC 192, he returned to Houston in what was ultimately his final UFC fight.

Jordan faced Ruslan Magomedov. While he managed to avoid another knockout loss on home soil, his efforts were still in vain as he lost by unanimous decision. The UFC chose not to renew his contract, and Jordan went on to ply his trade in the WSOF (now the PFL).

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#4. Al Iaquinta

Retired MMA fighter Al Iaquinta is known for two things by UFC fans: facing Khabib Nurmagomedov for the then-vacant UFC lightweight championship (which Iaquinta was unable to win due to missing weight) and defeating Kevin Lee twice.

A proud New Yorker, Iaquinta twice fought on home soil in the two most meaningful bouts of his career. The first matchup was against none other than Khabib 'The Eagle' Nurmagomedov as a last-minute replacement for the UFC 223 main event. It was Iaquinta's first and only chance at capturing UFC gold, a chance he lost prior to the bout by being 0.2 pounds above the 155 pound weight limit.

The matchup that ensued was a lopsided unanimous decision win in Nurmagomedov's favor, as Iaquinta was outwrestled and bloodied over the course of five rounds. The next, and also last, time 'Raging Al' fought in New York was in his retirement bout at UFC 268.

Iaquinta, who had never been knocked out prior, faced Bobby Green. With his foe backed up to the fence, Iaquinta pressed forward only to be floored by a jab-right cross combination. His foe chased him to the ground, and the referee waved the fight off after Iaquinta was battered by a torrent of unanswered strikes.

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#3. Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith is a veteran of the sport. His career dates back to 2008, and the Texas native owes much of the success he's enjoyed in mixed martial arts to his durability and toughness. Thus, it is no coincidence that Smith is nicknamed 'Lionheart' — no other alias is more fitting.

The longtime middleweight made the switch to the light heavyweight division in search of greener pastures. Upon changing weight classes, 'Lionheart' embarked on a 3-fight win streak that saw the Texas native either knockout or choke out every foe who stood between him and then-reigning UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

Finally, at UFC 235 Smith and Jones locked horns—unfortunately for Smith, it was a typical Jones performance. 'Bones' neutralized and froze Smith as he had so many others. The loss led to a 1-3 stretch in Smith's new division, punctuated by a particularly brutal loss to Glover Teixeira. Smith lost multiple of his teeth from the blows he'd absorbed.

HHowever, 'Lionheart' would not be denied. He bounced back, amassing a 3-fight win streak ahead of his matchup with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277. The bout was a title eliminator and took place in front of a Texan crowd, no less. Alas, Smith was overmatched. He was outstruck, nullified, and eventually injured when Ankalaev checked one of his low kicks, losing a 2nd round TKO in his only fight on home soil.

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#2. Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal bears some curious similarities to Anthony Smith. While Smith's record sits at 36 wins and 17 losses, Masvidal's record features 35 wins and 16 losses. Furthermore, both fighters share a habit of dismissing their opponents' accomplishments by making a distinction between 'fighters' and 'mixed martial artists'.

Smith did so against Jon Jones, claiming to be the better fighter while describing Jones as the better martial artist. He did so again with Magomed Ankalaev, stating that in none of the bouts the Russian had taken part in were fights — only mixed martial arts competitions. Similarly, Jorge Masvidal has discredited both Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in the past for not fitting his definition of a fighter.

Lastly, like Smith, Masvidal has only ever fought on home soil once. A Miami native, 'Gamebred' had the pleasure of performing in front of his hometown at G-Force Fights 3 in 2010 against the now reigning BKFC lightweight champion Luis Palomino.

Masvidal suffered a split-decision loss to the Peruvian-American who, years later, tried to capitalize on the Miami native's newfound fame in the UFC by challenging him to a boxing match that never materialized.

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#1. Derrick Lewis

'The Black Beast' is a huge fan favorite. He doesn't just own the record for the most knockouts in UFC heavyweight history; he owns the record for the most UFC knockouts in any weight class. Furthermore, Derrick Lewis is a humorous character with one of the most entertaining social media presences of any fighter on the UFC roster.

Unfortunately, he is also a fighter who has never had the pleasure of claiming victory on home soil. While many fans mistake him for a Texas native, Lewis is actually from New Orleans, Lousiana, despite his Cypress residence. Even his current losing streak on Texas soil is not as lopsided as it seems, as 'The Black Beast' has fought there 13 times, winning 10 of those bouts while only losing his last 3.

Instead, Lewis' true hometown losing record stems from his loss to Shawn Jordan at UFC Fight Night 68. It was not the first meeting between the pair, as Lewis lost to Jordan by unanimous decision in only his second professional bout. Thus, when the two again crossed paths 5 years later, 'The Black Beast' was eyeing vengeance.

With the support of his hometown crowd, Lewis fought as well as he could have against a foe with a clear athletic advantage. Unfortunately, just under a minute into the second round, Lewis was dropped with a hook kick. Smelling blood, Jordan swarmed him on the ground before the referee stepped in to call off the action.