Derrick Lewis is convinced his potential rematch with Francis Ngannou will be better than their first fight.
Lewis is set to take on the newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou in the summer according to the UFC president Dana White. This will be the second time they face each other after their first bout ended in a unanimous decision win for Lewis back in July 2018 at UFC 226.
In what was universally known to the whole MMA community as one of the most boring fight in UFC history in their first encounter, Lewis assures everyone that the rematch has to and will be better, believing both him and Ngannou have improved.
“It can’t be any worse than it was,” said Lewis backstage at UFC 262 press conference. “So it (has) to be, even if it’s one punch extra than the last fight. It gotta be better than it was. And I believe it is because we both improved in a lot of areas than we was in the last fight we had.”
Their first encounter was recognised by most people as a complete dud of a fight as both Ngannou and Lewis were not as active as many thought they would be. Both were reluctant to engage each other which made the fight one of the most boring UFC fights in history. Lewis eeked out a decision win in what was a very forgettable fight for both fighters.
Lewis was last seen in action at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis back in February when he viciously knocked out Curtis Blaydes with a brutal right uppercut. Currently riding a 4 fight win streak and ranked #2 contender in the heavyweight division, Lewis is the rightful next challenger for Ngannou’s belt.
This will be his second time challenging for UFC gold after the first time he failed to defeat the then heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier back in November 2018 at UFC 230.
Surely the rematch will be better than their first fight? Do you think it’ll be fireworks when they meet in the Octagon?
