Derrick Lewis is very optimistic about a potential fight with Francis Ngannou. According to Dana White, Lewis is the ‘fight to make’ for the heavyweight title.
Previously, Francis Ngannou became the world heavyweight champion. He beat the former champ Stipe Miocic in a rematch of their UFC 220 bout. As a result, Ngannou is looking for his next big challenge.
” I told them my numbers, so we waiting for a response back”. Derrick reveals that he has spoken to the UFC over a potential fight. Naturally, Lewis is one of the more obvious contenders as he is Ngannous’s only active loss.
“Oh, just 200-200,” he says speaking about how much he wants to be paid for the fight. Surprisingly, Derrick seems content with a lowly $200,000 purse even for such a big fight. “People aren’t getting out of bed these days for two hundred thousand these days,” remarks Ariel Helwani.
Lewis’s victory over Ngannou at UFC 226 drew very little attention. For the most part, the fight was a ‘bore-fest ‘ and had very little to offer. Eventually, Derrick was victorious via ‘U-Dec’ on that occasion.
Can Derrick Lewis Defeat Ngannou Again?
For now, the fight is yet to receive an official confirmation. However, Lewis has confirmed that the fight is almost certainly going to happen. As such, he explains that Ngannou and his team will decide the date of the fight.
Recently, Lewis was victorious against Curtis Blaydes. Since then, however, Derrick has been on a break. He reveals that Ngannou is also taking some time off to visit his native country and that gives him an opportunity to begin training again.
Derrick Lewis punches Junior Dos Santos of Brazil in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Intrust Bank Arena on March 9, 2019. (Credits: Getty Images)
Even though ‘The Black Beast’ was victorious against the current champion, the situation has greatly developed since then. For one, Francis has knocked out all 5 of his opponents since the loss. Moreover, Derrick Lewis has recorded 2 losses in his last seven fights.
Either way, both of them are heavy hitters and will be keen on showing that this time around. With an extra motivation to fight for the title, Derrick will be determined to replicate his UFC 226 victory over Ngannou.
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