Lewis ‘Tricked’ Into UFC Sao Paulo Fight

Derrick Lewis wants to go home.

“The Black Beast” claims he was “tricked” into taking the UFC Sao Paulo main event against Jailton Almeida this Sat. night (Nov. 4, 2023) at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and now the power-punching Texan is basically working for free after taxes and expenses.

Lewis replaced the injured Curtis Blaydes on short notice.

“A few weeks ago we got a call about this guy and I just agreed straight away,” Lewis told FOX Sports Australia. “I didn’t know the fight was in Brazil though. It was only after accepting that they told me. I’d always said to my manager I would never fight in Brazil because of the taxes being so bad. So I got tricked into accepting this fight.”

Wait until he sees what they charge “Down Under.”

“I said I didn’t want to fight here and, since arriving, nuthin’ has changed,” Lewis continued. “I can’t wait to go home. I’m basically fighting for them (the government) right now. I’m not getting anything out of it. By the time I pay my coaches and so on … it’s not even worth it — and that’s if I don’t get pickpocketed here. Plus I can’t eat none of the food. I’m not trusting it, I’ll end up sick.”

Lewis (27-11, 1 NC) recently snapped a three-fight losing streak by smashing Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 291 back in July. The 38 year-old slugger holds the UFC record for most knockouts at 14 and will no doubt look to add to that total at this weekend’s event.

His pre-fight preparation, however, leaves a little something to be desired.

“I shouldn’t have no problem defeating this guy,” Lewis continued. “I haven’t seen any video of him. My coaches have though, have talked about his ground game, his front kick — I need to watch out for that. But other than that, there’s not too much for me to worry about. I feel like I shouldn’t have no problem defeating this guy. Instead of waiting around for my opponent to do something, I’m going to go out there and do what I want to do.”

Almeida (19-2) has terrorized the heavyweight division since making his Octagon debut back in early 2022. A product of Dana White’s “Contender Series,” the 32 year-old “Malhadinho” is undefeated in UFC with five wins and five finishes, four in the first frame.

For the rest of the UFC Sao Paulo fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.