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Derrick Lewis has claimed that he isn't a fan of trash talking being a part of the fight game.
Reflecting on his latest knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes, The Black Beast stated that it felt really good to KO his trash-talking opponent.
During his appearance on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Derrick Lewis elaborated on why he enjoyed knocking Blaydes, the #3 ranked heavyweight in the world, out:
"It felt real good to knock him out because he was talking a lot of trash before the fight. Even whenever I'm doing good though, he been talking at least three years. I'm not in there trying to sell tickets, I take everything personal."
Derrick Lewis added that he goes into every fight with a "life or death" mentality, entering a very dark place every time he steps inside the octagon. Much like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Lewis doesn't consider the trash-talking aspect of the sport as just business:
"I go in it, to every fight like life or death and I enter a deep dark place every time I step inside the octagon, so it's not business for me."
Derrick Lewis is on the hunt for another shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship
With a huge win over Curtis Blaydes in his last fight, Derrick Lewis now seems to be in a prime position to challenge for the UFC heavyweight title after Jon Jones gets his shot. With Stipe Miocic set to defend his belt against Francis Ngannou in the main event of UFC 260, Lewis could challenge any of Miocic, Ngannou, or Jones in the near future.
Derrick Lewis is currently on a four-fight winning streak. Having beaten the likes of Blagoy Ivanov, Ilir Latifi, and Aleksei Oleinik over the past two years, 'The Black Beast' could certainly be on the verge of his second shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Derrick Lewis' previous title shot came against then-champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 230 on November 3, 2018. Having suffered a dominant defeat at the hands of Cormier, Lewis will be looking to give a much stronger performance if he gets another shot.
