Surprising stat about times Derrick Lewis' opponents have come in heavier than 'The Black Beast' emerges after UFC St. Louis weigh-in
After the recent UFC St. Louis weigh-in, a startling statistic emerged regarding instances when Derrick Lewis' opponents have outweighed him. 'The Black Beast' stands as a towering figure, measuring 6 feet 3 inches tall and carrying a walkout weight of approximately 290 pounds.
Lewis is set to square off against Rodrigo Nascimento in the main event of UFC St. Louis, which is scheduled to be held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, this weekend.
Prior to the Fight Night event, the official weigh-ins took place on Friday. Lewis weighed in at 264 pounds, while Nascimento tipped the scales at 265 pounds, just one pound shy of the maximum limit allowed for their non-title heavyweight bout.
According to a recent report by combat sports journalist Marcel Dorff, this unique incident, where Lewis' opponent weighed just one pound more than him, is unprecedented. In his 39-fight professional career, which includes 28 UFC appearances, 'The Black Beast' has never faced an opponent who outweighed him.
Check out Marcel Dorff's post below:
Lewis is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Jailton Almeida at UFC Sao Paulo last November. The 39-year-old American is facing a tough period in his career.
Previously enjoying a four-fight win streak, which included victories over notable opponents like Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou, Lewis experienced a setback with a third-round TKO defeat against Ciryl Gane in the interim title bout at UFC 265 in August 2021. Subsequently, his performance has been erratic, with a 2-5 record in his last seven fights.
With this upcoming bout, Lewis will enter his 29th UFC heavyweight bout, ranking second only to Andrei Arlovski's record of 41 appearances in the division's history.
When Derrick Lewis recalled feeling like he "actually died" cutting weight
During the media day interview (via Bloody Elbow) prior to his bout against Marcos Rogério de Lima at UFC 291 last July, Derrick Lewis recounted the daunting experience of cutting weight for his fight against Serghei Spivac at UFC Vegas 68.
'The Black Beast' said he had passed out just before weigh-ins for that fight, requiring his coaches to carry him and ensure he remained conscious:
"I cut like 25 pounds in three days, not eating, just drinking water — probably just a little something to eat. It was a big eye-opener, and it was in the back of my head during the fight. I felt like I actually died, and I was thinking about all of the other fighters who went through that — they blacked out, came back, and couldn’t fight, they didn’t let the fighter fight."