HOUSTON – Fighting in this city comes with its own share of distractions for Derrick Lewis, but the former UFC heavyweight title challenger’s issues in previous fights at home were not because of the location.
For a moment, after suffering a loss to Ciryl Gane for the vacant interim title at UFC 265, Lewis (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) entertained the idea of no longer fighting in his hometown in order to limit distractions and take some pressure off himself.
As he prepares to step inside the Toyota Center for the second time in six months, Lewis recalled the real reason he wasn’t at his best when he attempted to claim a piece of heavyweight gold.
“The reason why the pressure was so tough for that fight right there was because it was the same day, exact day, that I got out of prison,” Lewis explained Wednesday at UFC 271 media day. “So, it’s like I put a lot of pressure on myself, and it was just like a crazy, crazy thing that I wanted for my legacy or whatever. Being all the way at the bottom of my life then being the champion of the world would have just meant a lot at that time.”
Lewis served three-and-a-half years in a Texas prison after being convicted of aggravated assault and a probation violation. Climbing from the darkness of a prison cell to being under the bright lights with a UFC title was a story that was almost completed.
Although he has said in the past that the title didn’t mean much to him, the reality of potentially becoming a champion and accomplishing the feat in his own backyard became too real, too quickly. As a result, he believes the pressure he put on himself led to the-third round stoppage loss. Instead of wallowing in defeat, Lewis got right back on the horse and rode into Las Vegas just over four months later and knocked out Chris Daukaus in the first round.
Just days away from facing Tai Tuivasa in the co-main event of UFC 271 on Saturday, Lewis said he has no issues fighting in Houston this time around. It’s the type of fight that makes Lewis excited because Tuivasa (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is a new challenge. In fact, Lewis doesn’t care who he fights going forward, but he would prefer new names.
Tuivasa, who is well known for drinking beer from random shoes in celebration after his fights, admitted he signed up to fight against Lewis while he was not sober. Lewis, who will not be partaking in a shoey, said he is familiar with making poor decisions in the past and thinks his opponent may have made one here.
“I did a lot of things whenever I wasn’t sober, agreed to and did, and regretted it later,” Lewis said. “It is what it is. … I did a lot of stupid stuff in my life, and I continued doing what I’m trying to learn from.”
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