UFC heavyweight fan favorite Derrick Lewis says that he weighed 296 lbs when he fought Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324 earlier this year.
Lewis returns to the Octagon next Sunday at UFC Freedom 250 when he takes on Josh Hokit in an exciting heavyweight bout.
For Lewis, it’s a huge opportunity to get back into the win column after he was finished against Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324. Lewis was labeled as a quitter for his performance in that fight by Hokit, and Lewis himself admits that he wasn’t in his optimal shape heading into that bout.
Derrick Lewis Reveals Massive Weight Gain Against Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Speaking to UFC commentator Jon Anik of Paramount+ ahead of UFC Freedom 250, Lewis looked back on his last fight against Cortes-Acosta. According to Lewis, he has been dealing with back issues his entire career, but the weight cut at UFC 324 made them even worse, as he gained 32.5 lbs in 24 hours following the weigh-ins before stepping into the Octagon after a crash weight cut.
“One of my downfalls I had for almost my whole career is my back. I’ve been having back issues. I believe I really got it dialed down now, because the last fight, I had cut a lot of weight. I didn’t really walk around to where I usually fight at. It’s supposed to be 265 lbs. So right after I made weight (at 263.5 lbs), I went all the way back up to 296 lbs. So I gained way too much weight way too fast, so it hurt me in my last fight, and I had back issues the whole time. It’s also the reason I pulled out of a lot of my fights before the day of the fight is because I gained that weight back, and it ended up hurting my back,” Lewis said.
Derrick Lewis is a Huge Underdog Against Josh Hokit
According to the latest betting odds, Lewis is a +280 underdog against Hokit, who is a -340 favorite.
At 41, Lewis is one of the oldest fighters in the UFC, but he still packs a powerful punch. He is the UFC’s record holder with 16 knockout wins, and he’s not done just yet. So, although he’s a big underdog in this fight against the 28-year-old Hokit, you can’t completely write off Lewis from potentially pulling off the upset because he has a true puncher’s chance.
If Lewis can upset the No. 5-ranked Hokit, it would shoot him way up the UFC heavyweight rankings after the loss to Cortes-Acosta dropped him down to No. 9. So this is a massive opportunity for “The Black Beast” to get back on track after a disappointing loss in his last fight.
With the interim UFC heavyweight title on the line in the co-main event between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, all eyes will be on the heavyweight division next Sunday at UFC Freedom 250. Lewis is United States President Donald Trump’s favorite fighter, so let’s see if he can catch Hokit on the chin and knock him out to extend his UFC record for most knockout wins.
Derrick Lewis Says He Weighed 296 lbs vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta