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As he approaches his 26th appearance inside the octagon this weekend, Derrick Lewis has made the hilariously bold claim that he wishes to secure the record for the most submissions in UFC history.
'The Black Beast' is known for his outrageous takes and amusing comments whenever he is put in front of a camera, but when he steps into the cage, his inner animal emerges. With an astonishing 13 finishes in his UFC career thus far, the heavyweight holds the record for the most knockout wins in the company's history.
While speaking in an interview ahead of his fight on Saturday, Derrick Lewis announced his recent change of coaches, his new promotion to BJJ Purple Belt, and his ambitions in the sport going forward.
"I just wanted something different, [so I changed coach] to challenge myself. I had nothing against my old coach, it's just [that] I believe it's time to move on... Of course [I've been working on my grappling], I [have] just been promoted a few months ago to a purple belt. Now I believe I'm the baddest purple belt in Texas... My goals now, I'll probably try to get the most submissions in UFC history. Yeah, that's my goal right now."
Although Lewis is capable of some great things in the sport, it's going to be a tough task for him to snatch over 16 submissions to surpass the current king of grappling, Charles Oliveira.
'Do Bronx' is a man not to be messed with when the fight hits the ground. Not only has the Brazilian secured the most submission victories in UFC history, but he is also tied for the most post-fight bonuses with 18 alongside Donald Cerrone.
Check out what Derrick Lewis had to say about his improvements ahead of his upcoming fight in the video below.
Who is Derrick Lewis fighting next?
Derrick Lewis is set to compete for the third time this year when he meets the dangerous Sergey Spivak in the headliner of a UFC Fight Night card on November 19.
Having suffered back-to-back losses against Tai Tuivasa and Ciryl Gane, the 37-year-old will be hoping for a change of fortune. He may find it tough against the well-rounded heavyweight.
Throughout his 18-fight career, Spivak has collected seven knockouts and six submission victories. He will be aiming to extend his winning run inside the octagon to three straight.
