Derrick Lewis has arrived.
Despite an arrest by traffic police last month in Houston, thanks to a fast and furious joyride in his red Lamborghini, “The Black Beast” touched down in Sao Paulo, Brazil, earlier this week for his heavyweight headliner opposite Jailton Almeida on ESPN+.
First order of business? Face off with “Malhadinho” at the UFC Sao Paulo media day.
“Derrick Lewis is a very strong individual. For him to be able to have Gabriel Gonzaga or Roy Nelson on his back and just kind of stand up and shake them off like a wet coat, he’s most likely going to be able to do it to Jailton Almeida,” former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy said during his fight breakdown (transcribed by MMA News). “But he’s not gonna be able to keep doing it over and over again, round after round. There is going to be a point where that finite style of escaping is going to start to work against him. He will get tired, Jailton Almeida will keep trying to take him down, and will keep working to top position to work to a neck attack.
“That’s somewhere we’ve got to see Derrick Lewis adapt. If he is taken down, he’s got to be a little bit more patient and maybe a little bit more energy efficient when he’s getting up,” Hardy continued. “Especially because when he’s getting up, he looks like a toddler. He turns over to his knees and puts his ass in the air first. It’s an easy position to break somebody back down from, especially if they’re starting to get tired and not moving as quickly as they normally do.”
UFC Sao Paulo takes place on Sat., Nov. 4, 2023 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Brazil.
Lewis (27-11, 1 NC) recently snapped a three-fight losing streak by smashing Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 291 back in July. The 38 year-old slugger holds the UFC record for most knockouts at 14 and will no doubt look to add to that total at this weekend’s event.
Almeida (19-2) has terrorized the heavyweight division since making his Octagon debut back in early 2022. A product of Dana White’s “Contender Series,” the 32 year-old “Malhadinho” is undefeated in UFC with five wins and five finishes, four in the first frame.
To see the rest of the UFC Sao Paulo fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.