Heavyweight knockout machine Derrick Lewis is gearing up to fight fellow Top 5 contender Ciryl Gane for the promotion’s interim strap, courtesy of the UFC 265 pay-per-view (PPV) main event next month in Houston, Texas.
Just don’t expect “The Black Beast” to fall victim to “little fancy kicks.”
“I don’t care who it was,” Lewis told MMA Junkie. “Ciryl Gane, he’s a good opponent, he’s dangerous. He’s boring most of the time, but he’s smart. He’s a smart fighter, so it’s still gonna be a fun fight with me. It doesn’t matter if he’s gonna try and stay away and do all these little fancy kicks and stuff like that, but I’m still gonna have my moment in the fight.”
Lewis may or may not be training “harder than a hoe.”
The 36 year-old “Black Beast” was expected to fight reigning 265-pound titleholder Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight strap; however, promotion president Dana White has no love for “The Predator” and got tired of waiting for the champ to return.
Ngannou will likely meet the winner of Lewis vs. Gane later this year.