Derrick Lewis feels he is ready to prove he is capable of competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title.
After knocking out Travis Browne this past Sunday night (Feb. 19) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, “The Black Beast” turned his attention to Mark Hunt. The “Super Samoan” sits at the 8th spot on the heavyweight rankings, which is one number below Lewis.
Lewis explained to MMAJunkie Radio why it’s a fight that makes sense for him:
“I just wanted one more tough fight before I get to the champ. You know, I just want people to notice that I got what it takes to be a champion. I believe that Mark Hunt is one of the toughest guys out there. I’m not picking Mark Hunt out because I believe he’s the weakest fighter out of the top five or top 10 guys in the same way I picked Travis. I believed that Travis was one of the top heavyweights because he moves around like he’s a 205’er, 185’er. He doesn’t move like he’s a heavyweight. So I remember I was gonna have problems against Travis, but I still wanted to test myself against him. It’s the same way I want to test myself against Mark Hunt because I know he’s tough and I know he’s gonna come to fight.”
Hunt is scheduled to take on Alistair Overeem at UFC 209 on March 4 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A win over the 3rd ranked Overeem would surely boost Hunt’s position. A loss may see Lewis instead face “The Reem” down the line.
Lewis is currently riding a six-fight winning streak. In that span, he has knocked out five of his opponents. He only went the distance with Roy Nelson, taking a split decision victory back in July 2016 as part of “International Fight Week.”
