Sticking Around! ‘This Is The Best I’ve Felt’

Derrick Lewis believes he’s got plenty left to give in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Fight No. 41 in the career of the “Black Beast” (27-12, 1 no contest) goes down in UFC St. Louis’ main event this weekend (Sat., May 11, 2024). Lewis, 39, will once again look to turn back a rising Heavyweight who’s looking to make a name in the division. This time, it will be another Brazilian, Rodrigo Nascimento.

The past seven fights haven’t been the kindest to Lewis, as he’s gone 2-5. He snapped a tough three-fight skid when he earned a 33-second technical knockout of Marcos Rogerio de Lima (watch highlights) in July 2023. Although the win could have made for a perfect sendoff for UFC’s all-time knockout leader, Lewis re-signed for eight more fights and isn’t feeling close to retirement.

“It’s nothing I’m thinking about,” Lewis told Shakiel Mahjouri. “My coaches and other people are saying, ‘Oh, once you get to 40 everything starts to slow down. But this is like the best I’ve felt the last two fights. This is the best I’ve felt leading up to a fight. The training camp and everything. I feel great.

“I’m still running,” he added. “Running even more. I believe the running is one of the biggest parts. At the beginning of my career, I never ran. I really just started running like three or four years ago. I ain’t never ran before. Just tried to do all my cardio on the stair master.”

Nascimento, 32, entered UFC by earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2019. After a shaky start to his tenure inside the Octagon, Nascimento got on track and can extend his current winning streak to four (11-1, 1 no contest overall) in a row with a big win over Lewis.

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