"I don't even count that as beating" - Derrick Lewis recalls his lackluster win against Francis Ngannou
Derrick Lewis said that he is not proud of his win over Francis Ngannou at UFC 226. The UFC Heavyweight said he doesn't think that he "beat" The Predator considering how mundane the bout was.
Lewis is currently on a four-fight winning streak, having defeated Curtis Blaydes in his last outing. This helped The Black Beast climb up the rankings in the Heavyweight division.
In his recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Derrick Lewis reflected on his fight against Ngannou. The Black Beast also added that he wouldn't mind fighting The Predator for a second time.
"I don't even count that as beating Francis Ngannou," Lewis told Rogan. "My back was hurting, I felt overweight the whole fight, I had knee issues, I had a bunch of problems with myself. I don't know what was going on with him... I for sure would love to run it back though," added Lewis.
The Black Beast further shed light on issues with his back. He said the injuries had a negative impact on his performance till the time he underwent a successful knee surgery.
The dull affair between Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou
The Derrick Lewis vs. Francis Ngannou fight was one of the most highly-anticipated bouts of the year in 2018. The Heavyweight pair locked horns in the co-main event of UFC 226 which was headlined by Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.
Both men had established themselves as two of the hardest-hitting knockout artists in the promotion. Although Ngannou was coming off a loss to Miocic, The Predator had secured big wins over the likes of Andrie Arlovski and Alistair Overeem.
On the other hand, Lewis had lost just once in his last eight matchups. The Louisiana-born fighter boasted an incredible 17 knockout wins coming into the fight against Ngannou.
However, the exciting clash between two of the biggest Heavyweights in the division turned out to be lackluster since neither of the fighters were willing to engage.
According to Fightmetric, Derrick Lewis landed only 20 significant strikes on his opponent, whereas, Ngannou had 11 under his belt.
After losing his fight to Lewis, Ngannou has been on a tear in the heavyweight division. He has racked up four consecutive victories since, finishing all of his opponents in the first round via KO/TKO.
The Predator is set to challenge the current Heavyweight Champion once again in a rematch which will take place on March 27 at UFC 260.