Derrick Lewis recounts the street fight that landed him in prison on the Joe Rogan Experience
UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis is one of the most beloved fighters today. But the New Orleans native has had a tough past that he opened up about in his recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.
While reflecting on the street fight that ended in imprisonment, Derrick Lewis told Joe Rogan that he struggled to deal with the situation financially and almost had his sentence extended to five years due to violation of probation. The Black Beast did not reveal the details of the incident that caused him to lose valuable years of his life but shared his experiences in the years that followed.
"I have been imprisoned and stuff like that. Did three-and-a-half years in prison for aggravated assault. I ended up getting probation for that. I ended up playing that year at college, Killgore college, violating the probation because I didn't have a job. I had to pay my fines and fees and show up to my meetings which no one wanted to help me so I ended up getting violated from that... I went to prison for a five-year sentence but I got parole, three-and-a-half years," Derrick Lewis told Joe Rogan.
Derrick Lewis was raised by a single mother along with six other siblings. The hardships and the family environment experienced by Lewis set him on a life trajectory that ended up in him doing the time in prison.
Derrick Lewis needed that experience to grow in his life
Serving jail time is by no means mandatory to build character. But Derrick Lewis views that part of life in a positive light. The Black Beast told Joe Rogan that the experience helped him stay out of trouble in the later years and molded him into the person that he is now.
"They gave me a lot of motivation. I know how easy it is to slip up and go back into those situations because it was a street fight that ended up bad for the guy I was in against and I ended up having to serve almost five years... My life is unbelievable as it is and seeing that makes me so much more proud... I believe that I had to g through that situation to be a better person that I am today," Derrick Lewis said.