Derrick Lewis’ last few Octagon performances have been hindered by issues with his back.
“The Black Beast” comes off a victory over renowned knockout artist Francis Ngannou at UFC 226. The fight was poorly received by the mixed marital arts (MMA) community, despite Lewis’ victory.
Lewis and Ngannou engaged in a lackluster affair that saw little to no action transpire in the 15 minutes they shared inside the Octagon. In the end, the judges awarded Lewis the unanimous decision victory for playing the role of aggressor somewhat. Now “The Black Beast” prepares to make his return on October 6th.
He’ll challenge fellow top-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov in the co-main event of UFC 229 on pay-per-view (PPV). Lewis had been complaining about issues with his back for the past several months.
The issue seemed to be a re-occurring pain that would come and go throughout the course of his fight camps. The Houstonian would receive injections prior to fights in order to deal with the pain during the bouts.
Lewis Is Feeling Better
After a recent visit to a doctor who treated the likes of golfing legend Tiger Woods and former NBA star Tracy McGrady, Lewis feels “brand new.” He told MMA Junkie Radio that, after being injected “like 20 times,” he is feeling much better:
“I was 100 percent yesterday,” Lewis said. “I was taking it slow the last week, but I really turned it up yesterday, and it was feeling real good.”
Lewis also said had he done this treatment a few years ago, he feels as though he’d already be UFC heavyweight champion. Now Lewis hopes to show fans his true potential inside the cage. A scary thought considering what he has already accomplished while apparently not at 100 percent:
“I feel like if I had done this a couple of years ago, I would have been champion,” Lewis said.
“I believe I would have dominated a lot of my fights. To say I’ve been winning with the type of injury I’ve been dealing with, it’s been a blessing. Now, hopefully the fans really see my potential.”
Lewis also detailed how the treatment has prolonged his ability to train without his back flaring up on him:
“Before, I had to train for a little bit, then rest, because my back would flare up,” he said. “Now, I don’t have to worry about that any more. I can go 15 minutes, or 25 minutes, without it hurting.”
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