Heavyweight Derrick Lewis finds himself in yet another main event at this Saturday’s UFC Nashville, paired up with rising Brazilian heavyweight Tallison Teixeira.
Teixeira, 25, is 8-0 and has never left the first round. Lewis (28-12, 1NC), 15 years his senior, is the UFC’s knockout king. It was no surprise to hear Teixeira predict during the UFC Nashville media day that he’d earn a first-round KO in the fight.
Lewis is on board with that, though obviously he plans on the outcome going his way. “That’s great, because I’m not trying to be in there no longer than he is,” the often laconic Lewis stated. “So we’re both going to try to finish this fight by KO.”
Asked to state his case as to why he’s better than Teixeira, Lewis scoffed. “Of course I’m going to say ‘yeah I’m better than him,’ he noted, before admitting that “this fight could go either way. There’s a 50-50 chance for both of us. We’re both heavyweights, we both hit hard, and we’ve got a job to do.”
Lewis, a veteran of the game at this point with 19 wins and 29 fights in the UFC alone, is the underdog once again at UFC Nashville, despite being ranked higher than Teixeira. That’s another storyline “The Black Beast” is taking in stride. “Just about every fight I’ve had, I’ve been in the underdog. Just about all of them.”
Perhaps the most notable comment from Derrick Lewis this week was about mindset. Asked how that has changed after more than a decade in the UFC, Lewis suggested he was more dangerous now than ever.
“The way my mindset has changed I’d say that I think I’m more dangerous now than I have been previously. I’m more focused, more determined to get a win nowadays. I think I’m more dangerous than ever now.”
Watch the full UFC Nashville media day appearance with Derrick Lewis above.
