Las Vegas — Now 40, the UFC’s knockout king Derrick Lewis returns to action at UFC 324, helping to kick off a new era (the promotion’s U.S. broadcast partnership with Paramount+ officially commences this weekend) while attempting to extend a two-fight winning streak.
“The Black Beast,” as Lewis (29-12, 1NC) is otherwise known, has drawn Waldo Cortes-Acosta this time out, a former baseballer in his native Dominican Republic who moved stateside to pursue a career in that sport. Instead, his path took him to MMA, and now a date with the infamous Lewis— a heavy-hitting fan favorite.
Despite a big fight on a big card, Lewis was his usual sardonic self when it came to the so-called Paramount+ era at Wednesday’s UFC 324 media day.
“Nah, I don’t care,” Lewis said when asked about being on the card. “I don’t care,” he repeated when asked about Cortes-Acosta. That said, he did admit that the Dominican heavyweight reminded him of another heavy hitter: Roy “Big Country” Nelson.
“This guy right here, he reminds me a lot of Roy Nelson, the way his style is a little bit. The way he winds up his right hand, just like Roy Nelson,” suggested Lewis. “He ain’t got nothing I haven’t seen before.”
A win for Lewis this weekend would seem to get him up for June’s UFC White House card. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested Lewis is one of his favorite fighters, after all. “Yeah, but sh*t. I don’t care,” Lewis said of joining the card. “It’d be good if I could fight a little sooner than that, but if not, that’s fine.”
That said, Lewis admitted it was “pretty cool though” that Trump favored him. “I’ve been riding with him since 2016, so that’s pretty cool that he’s a fan of me.”
He likewise feels it’s pretty cool that his native Houston now has a UFC champion in flyweight Joshua Van. “We started at the same gym together, so I understand the pain that he went through to become champion. I’m happy for him.”
Watch the full UFC 324 media day appearance by Derrick Lewis above.
