The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has successfully re-signed popular heavyweight fighter Derrick Lewis, potentially securing his services for the remainder of his career. On Wednesday, UFC executives confirmed the news during a media scrum, with the terms of the agreement being announced early Thursday morning by The Mac Life. Although the exact dollar amount has not been disclosed, the UFC and Lewis have agreed to an eight-bout contract. This long-term deal is not uncommon for the UFC, with fighters such as Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, and Michelle Waterson signing similar contracts towards the end of their careers.
Derrick Lewis’ Recent Performance
Lewis last appeared in the Octagon in July, stepping up to the main card on short notice. Facing Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Lewis defeated his opponent in just 33 seconds, ending his career-long three-fight losing streak. Prior to the UFC 291 pairing, Lewis had suffered losses to Tai Tuivasa, Sergei Pavlovich, and Sergey Spivak, all ending within two rounds. Despite the setbacks, the 38-year-old from Houston quickly rejoined the roster, with many fans speculating a potential rematch against Francis Ngannou, who recently signed with the Professional Fighters League.
Lewis’ Records and Achievements
“The Black Beast” holds the UFC’s all-time knockout record with 14, surpassing welterweight action fighter Matt Brown with his July stoppage of Rogerio de Lima. Lewis is also tied in second place for the most heavyweight appearances in UFC history with Frank Mir, both trailing divisional leader Andrei Arlovski (40) by a significant margin. Although Lewis is just five victories behind Arlovski for that record, he does hold the distinction of having the most finishes – all 14 of his stoppages coming via strikes. Additionally, Lewis is only one post-fight bonus check away from tying Stipe Miocic for the most of any heavyweight in the promotion.