| Derrick Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Derrick James Lewis (1985-02-07)February 7, 1985 (age 40) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Other names | The Black Beast |
| Residence | Cypress, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 261 lb (118 kg; 18 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight (265 lbs) |
| Reach | 79 in (201 cm)[1] |
| Fighting out of | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Team | Silverback Fight Club (formerly) 4oz Fight Club |
| Rank | Purple belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3] |
| Years active | 2010–present (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 42 |
| Wins | 29 |
| By knockout | 24 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 12 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 3 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Amateur record | |
| Total | 1 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Derrick James Lewis[4] (born February 7, 1985) is an American professionalmixed martial artist. He currently competes in theHeavyweight division of theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most finishes in the Heavyweight division andmost knockouts in UFC history (16). A professional since 2010, Lewis has also competed forBellator MMA andLegacy FC, where he was the Heavyweight Champion. As of September 9, 2025, he is #8 in theUFC heavyweight rankings.[5]
Born and raised as one of seven siblings, the second oldest, by a single mother inNew Orleans,Louisiana, Lewis was troubled growing up and was often involved instreet fighting.[6] In 1998, Lewis and his family relocated toHouston,Texas. At the age of 17, Lewis began training inboxing and was preparing for his first amateur fight when the gym unexpectedly shut down.[7] Two weeks after graduating from high school, Lewis was charged with aggravated assault, and was placed on probation. Two years later, while attendingKilgore College on a full scholarship for football, Lewis violated his probation and was sentenced to five years in prison, but ended up serving three and a half.[8] A week after being released, Lewis was introduced to mixed martial arts by a friend and, while working as a tow-truck driver, continued with boxing under the tutelage ofGeorge Foreman. After dominating in his first professional mixed martial arts fight, Lewis decided to focus on mixed martial arts.[7]
Lewis began his journey in MMA in late 2009, when he made his debut as an amateur against Jay Ross at LSAMMA on October 16, 2009. He lost the fight via TKO (doctor stoppage). He then faced Tim Buchanan at the United States American Combat Association event on January 30, 2010. He won via TKO.[9]
After turning professional in 2010, Lewis would compile a fight record of 4–1 before signing withBellator MMA in May 2010.
Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut atBellator 45 on May 21, 2011, against BrazilianThiago Santos. However, the bout was canceled when Santos had to pull out due to an injury.[10]
Lewis facedTony Johnson atBellator 46 on June 25, 2011.[11] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[12]
Lewis compiled a record of 6–0 with one no-contest after leaving Bellator, most notably winning and successfully defending theLegacy FC Heavyweight Championship. He was then signed to theUFC.
Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Nandor Guelmino atUFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 on August 28, 2013.[13] However, the bout was canceled as Lewis had to pull out due to an injury.[14]
Lewis instead made his debut atUFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne on April 19, 2014, against Jack May.[15] He won via TKO in the first round.[16]
In his second fight for the promotion, Lewis facedGuto Inocente atThe Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on July 6, 2014.[17] He won the fight via KO in the first round.[18]
Lewis facedMatt Mitrione on September 5, 2014, atUFC Fight Night 50.[19] Mitrione quickly defeated Lewis via first-round knockout.[20]
Lewis facedRuan Potts on February 28, 2015, atUFC 184.[21] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[22]
Lewis next had a rematch withShawn Jordan on June 6, 2015, atUFC Fight Night 68.[23] In their first encounter on the regional circuit in 2010, Lewis lost by unanimous decision.[24] Lewis lost the fight via TKO.[25]
Lewis was expected to faceAnthony Hamilton on October 3, 2015, atUFC 192.[26] However, Hamilton was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced byViktor Pešta.[27] Lewis won the fight via TKO in the third round.[28]
Lewis facedDamian Grabowski on February 6, 2016, atUFC Fight Night 82.[29] Lewis dominated the fight, winning via TKO in the first round.[30]
Lewis next facedGabriel Gonzaga on April 10, 2016, atUFC Fight Night 86.[31] He won via KO in the first round.[32] Subsequently, Lewis earned his firstPerformance of the Night bonus.[33]
Lewis facedRoy Nelson on July 7, 2016, atUFC Fight Night 90. He won the fight via split decision.[34]
Lewis was expected to faceMarcin Tybura on October 15, 2016, atUFC Fight Night 97.[35] However, the promotion announced on October 6 that they had canceled the event entirely.[36][37]
Lewis facedShamil Abdurakhimov on December 9, 2016, in the main event atUFC Fight Night 102.[38] After losing the first three rounds, he won the fight via TKO in the fourth round.[39]
Lewis facedTravis Browne on February 19, 2017, in the main event atUFC Fight Night 105.[40] He won the fight via knockout in the second round.[41] Both participants were awardedFight of the Night for their performance.[42]
Lewis facedMark Hunt on June 11, 2017, in the main event atUFC Fight Night 110. He lost the fight via TKO in the fourth round.[43] Despite the loss, the win earned Lewis his second consecutiveFight of the Night bonus award.[44] After the loss, during his post-fight interview, Lewis announced that he was likely retiring from mixed martial arts.[45] Later in the month, Lewis revealed that he ultimately decided to continue fighting.[46]
Lewis was expected to faceFabrício Werdum on October 7, 2017, atUFC 216.[47] On the day of the fight, Lewis was forced out of the bout due to a back injury.[48]
Lewis facedMarcin Tybura on February 18, 2018, atUFC Fight Night 126.[49] He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.[50] This win earned him thePerformance of the Night bonus.[51]
Lewis facedFrancis Ngannou on July 7, 2018, atUFC 226.[52] He won the fight via unanimous decision, but the fight itself was heavily criticized for the lack of action in both fighters with Lewis only landing 20 strikes, and Ngannou landing 11.
Lewis facedAlexander Volkov on October 6, 2018, atUFC 229.[53] After being behind on the judges' scorecards and visibly hurt multiple times, Lewis won the fight via knockout in the closing seconds of the third round.[54] This win earned him thePerformance of the Night award.[55]
Lewis facedDaniel Cormier for theUFC Heavyweight Championship on November 3, 2018, atUFC 230. He lost the fight by rear-naked choke in the second round, marking the first submission loss of his professional MMA career.[56]
Lewis signed a new contract with the UFC after the title shot.[57] As the first fight of his new contract, Lewis facedJunior dos Santos in the main event ofUFC Fight Night 146 on March 9, 2019.[58] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[59] This fight earned him theFight of the Night award.[60]
Lewis facedBlagoy Ivanov on November 2, 2019, atUFC 244.[61] He won the fight via split decision.[62]
Lewis facedIlir Latifi on February 8, 2020, atUFC 247.[63] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[64]
Lewis facedAleksei Oleinik on August 8, 2020, atUFC Fight Night 174.[65] He won the bout via TKO early in round two. Lewis also set the record for most knockouts by a heavyweight in UFC history.[66]
Lewis was scheduled to faceCurtis Blaydes on November 28, 2020, atUFC on ESPN 18. However, the day before the fight, Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19 and the bout was scrapped from the card.[67] The pair faced off atUFC Fight Night 185 on February 20, 2021.[68] Lewis won the fight via knockout in the second round.[69] This win earned him thePerformance of the Night award.[70]
Lewis facedCiryl Gane on August 7, 2021, atUFC 265 for theInterim UFC Heavyweight Championship.[71] Lewis lost the fight via technical knockout in round three.[72]
Lewis facedChris Daukaus on December 18, 2021, atUFC Fight Night 199.[73] Lewis won the fight via knockout in the first round.[74] With his knockout win over Daukaus, Lewis earned the record for the most knockouts inUFC history regardless of weight division, with 13 altogether. When asked byMichael Bisping in hisUFC Fight Night 199 Octagon interview, how he felt about achieving the record, Lewis replied "I’m feeling good, and I’m also happy that I’m the first fighter, clean fighter, to be number one in knockouts".[75]
Lewis facedTai Tuivasa on February 12, 2022, atUFC 271 in Houston, Texas.[76] Lewis lost the fight via knockout in the second round.[77]
Lewis facedSergei Pavlovich on July 30, 2022, atUFC 277.[78] He lost the fight via TKO, just 55 seconds into the first round, however there was controversy as the stoppage by refereeDan Miragliotta was considered premature by fighters and fans alike.[79][80][81][82] Lewis received theCrypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" award paid inbitcoin of US$10,000 for third place.[83]
Lewis was next expected to faceSerghei Spivac atUFC Fight Night 215 on November 19, 2022.[84] However, Lewis was forced to pull out of the event due to non-COVID, non-weight cutting illness and the bout was canceled.[85] The pair was rescheduled forUFC Fight Night 218 on February 4, 2023.[86] Lewis lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke in round one, and he did not land a single strike during the fight.[87][88]
Lewis facedMarcos Rogério de Lima on July 29, 2023, atUFC 291.[89] He won the fight via technical knockout after a flying knee 33 seconds into round one, thus extending his UFC record of most knockouts to fourteen.[90] The win also earned Lewis thePerformance of the Night bonus award.[91]
Lewis facedJailton Almeida, replacingCurtis Blaydes, on November 4, 2023, atUFC Fight Night 231.[92] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[93]
Lewis facedRodrigo Nascimento on May 11, 2024, atUFC on ESPN 56.[94] After landing a knockdown, he won the fight via technical knockout from ground punches in the third round.[95]
Lewis was originally scheduled to faceAlexander Romanov on November 2, 2024 atUFC Fight Night 246.[96] However, opponents were changed for unknown reasons and Lewis was going to faceJhonata Diniz instead.[97] After the weigh-ins, Lewis was forced to withdraw from the fight due to non-weight cut related medical issues causing the bout between Lewis and Diniz to be scrapped.[98]
Lewis facedTallison Teixeira on July 12, 2025 atUFC on ESPN 70.[99] He won the fight by technical knockout 35 seconds into the first round.[100]
Lewis has been characterized as a 'classic heavyweight' owing to his knockout power and physique. Former welterweight title contender and analystDan Hardy described him as a "wrecking ball", adding "Every time we've spoken about Derrick Lewis before, regardless of whether he's fighting Daniel Cormier, or whether he's fighting Volkov, or whether he's fighting Ciryl Gane, the same thing is always present. If he lands that right hand, it's game over."[101]
Lewis greatly prefersstand-up fighting, which he refers to as "swangin' and banging",[102] and has been noted by fans and commentators for his surprising ability to seemingly shrug off the grappling/wrestling offense of his opponents while in the bottom position, and simply 'stand up'.[103] However, analysts have noted that when facing fighters with a background infolkstyle wrestling, such asDaniel Cormier, Lewis finds it more difficult to escape the bottom position. Nonetheless, Lewis appeared to simply 'stand up' when threatened with acrucifix position byRoy Nelson, a fighter with a jiu-jitsu pedigree.[104][105]
Lewis married his long-time girlfriend inHonolulu,Hawaii, on June 17, 2017. They have two sons and one daughter.[6]
During the flooding caused byHurricane Harvey in 2017, Lewis pulled an estimated 100 people from the flood waters inHouston,Texas, via his lifted truck.[106]
On May 18, 2021, Lewis was returning to his car after a workout when he discovered a man allegedly trying to open the door of his vehicle. Lewis reportedly struck the alleged thief and pinned him to the ground until the police arrived.[107]
| 42 matches | 29 wins | 12 losses |
| By knockout | 24 | 7 |
| By submission | 1 | 2 |
| By decision | 4 | 3 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 29–12 (1) | Tallison Teixeira | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira | July 12, 2025 | 1 | 0:35 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Extended the UFC record for most knockout wins (16). |
| Win | 28–12 (1) | Rodrigo Nascimento | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento | May 11, 2024 | 3 | 0:49 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
| Loss | 27–12 (1) | Jailton Almeida | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis | November 4, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 27–11 (1) | Marcos Rogério de Lima | TKO (punches) | UFC 291 | July 29, 2023 | 1 | 0:33 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | Performance of the Night. Broke the UFC record for most knockout wins (14). |
| Loss | 26–11 (1) | Serghei Spivac | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac | February 4, 2023 | 1 | 3:05 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 26–10 (1) | Sergei Pavlovich | TKO (punches) | UFC 277 | July 30, 2022 | 1 | 0:55 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 26–9 (1) | Tai Tuivasa | KO (elbow) | UFC 271 | February 12, 2022 | 2 | 1:40 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 26–8 (1) | Chris Daukaus | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus | December 18, 2021 | 1 | 3:36 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 25–8 (1) | Ciryl Gane | TKO (punches) | UFC 265 | August 7, 2021 | 3 | 4:11 | Houston, Texas, United States | For the interimUFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 25–7 (1) | Curtis Blaydes | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis | February 20, 2021 | 2 | 1:26 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 24–7 (1) | Aleksei Oleinik | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik | August 8, 2020 | 2 | 0:21 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 23–7 (1) | Ilir Latifi | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 247 | February 8, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 22–7 (1) | Blagoy Ivanov | Decision (split) | UFC 244 | November 2, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 21–7 (1) | Junior dos Santos | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos | March 9, 2019 | 2 | 1:58 | Wichita, Kansas, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 21–6 (1) | Daniel Cormier | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 230 | November 3, 2018 | 2 | 2:14 | New York City, New York, United States | For theUFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 21–5 (1) | Alexander Volkov | KO (punches) | UFC 229 | October 6, 2018 | 3 | 4:49 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | UFC heavyweight title eliminator. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 20–5 (1) | Francis Ngannou | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 226 | July 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 19–5 (1) | Marcin Tybura | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros | February 18, 2018 | 3 | 2:48 | Austin, Texas, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 18–5 (1) | Mark Hunt | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt | June 11, 2017 | 4 | 3:51 | Auckland, New Zealand | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 18–4 (1) | Travis Browne | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne | February 19, 2017 | 2 | 3:12 | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–4 (1) | Shamil Abdurakhimov | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov | December 9, 2016 | 4 | 3:42 | Albany, New York, United States | |
| Win | 16–4 (1) | Roy Nelson | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez | July 7, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–4 (1) | Gabriel Gonzaga | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos | April 10, 2016 | 1 | 4:48 | Zagreb, Croatia | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–4 (1) | Damian Grabowski | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson | February 6, 2016 | 1 | 2:17 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–4 (1) | Viktor Pešta | TKO (punches) | UFC 192 | October 3, 2015 | 3 | 1:15 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 12–4 (1) | Shawn Jordan | TKO (hook kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson | June 6, 2015 | 2 | 0:48 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 12–3 (1) | Ruan Potts | TKO (punches) | UFC 184 | February 28, 2015 | 2 | 3:18 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Loss | 11–3 (1) | Matt Mitrione | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Mousasi | September 5, 2014 | 1 | 0:41 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 (1) | Guto Inocente | KO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn Finale | July 6, 2014 | 1 | 3:30 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 (1) | Jack May | TKO (punches) | UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne | April 19, 2014 | 1 | 4:23 | Orlando, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 (1) | Ricky Shivers | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 18 | March 1, 2013 | 3 | 4:22 | Houston, Texas, United States | Defended the Legacy FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–2 (1) | Jared Rosholt | KO (punches) | Legacy FC 13 | August 17, 2012 | 2 | 4:41 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Won the Legacy FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 (1) | Justin Frazier | TKO (knee to the body and punches) | RFA 2 | March 30, 2012 | 1 | 2:37 | Kearney, Nebraska, United States | |
| NC | 6–2 (1) | Jeremiah Constant | NC (accidental strikes to back of Constant's head) | FTW: Paramount Prize Fighting 2012 | January 27, 2012 | 1 | 0:48 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 6–2 | Rakim Cleveland | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 9 | December 16, 2011 | 3 | 3:12 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 5–2 | Jay Peche | TKO (punches) | Immortal Kombat 1 | September 3, 2011 | 1 | 0:46 | Spring, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Tony Johnson | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 46 | June 25, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Taylor Herbert | TKO (punches) | IXFA 6 | February 26, 2011 | 1 | 2:14 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Rakim Cleveland | Submission (armbar) | Worldwide Gladiator 2 | November 12, 2010 | 2 | 1:33 | Pasadena, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Ryan Martinez | TKO (punches) | FTW / KOC: Worlds Collide | July 24, 2010 | 2 | 1:03 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Shawn Jordan | Decision (unanimous) | GFA: Full Force | June 25, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Lafayette, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Nick Mitchell | TKO (punches) | Worldwide Gladiator 1 | April 9, 2010 | 2 | 1:33 | Pasadena, Texas, United States |
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 230 | Cormier vs. Lewis | November 3, 2018 | Madison Square Garden | New York City, New York, United States | 250,000[122] |
| 2. | UFC 265 | Lewis vs. Gane | August 7, 2021 | Toyota Center | Houston, Texas, United States | 300,000[123] |
Updated to 28 October 2025 |
