Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He currently competes in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), where he currently holds the record for most finishes in the Heavyweight division and most knockouts in UFC history (16). A professional since 2010, Lewis has also competed for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

and Legacy FC, where he was the Heavyweight Champion. As of June 24, 2025, he is #9 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Background

Born and raised as one of seven siblings, the second oldest, by a single mother in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, Lewis was troubled growing up and was often involved in

street fighting Street fighting or street combat is hand-to-hand combat in public places between individuals or groups of people. The venue is usually a public place (e.g., a street), and the fight sometimes results in serious injury or even death. Some street ...

. In 1998, Lewis and his family relocated to

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. At the age of 17, Lewis began training in

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

and was preparing for his first amateur fight when the gym unexpectedly shut down. Two weeks after graduating from high school, Lewis was charged with aggravated assault, and was placed on probation. Two years later, while attending

Kilgore College Kilgore College (KC) is a public community college in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment in excess of 5,000 students and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate ...

on a full scholarship for football, Lewis violated his probation and was sentenced to five years in prison, but ended up serving three and a half. A week after being released, Lewis was introduced to mixed martial arts by a friend and, while working as a tow-truck driver, continued with boxing under the tutelage of

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...

. After dominating in his first professional mixed martial arts fight, Lewis decided to focus on mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Lewis began his journey in MMA in late 2009, when he made his debut as an amateur against Jay Ross at LSAMMA on October 16, 2009. He lost the fight via TKO (doctor stoppage). He then faced Tim Buchanan at the United States American Combat Association event on January 30, 2010. He won via TKO. After turning professional in 2010, Lewis would compile a fight record of 4–1 before signing with

in May 2010.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut at

Bellator 45 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

on May 21, 2011, against Brazilian

Thiago Santos Thiago de Lima Santos (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Santos competed in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and in the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

. However, the bout was canceled when Santos had to pull out due to an injury. Lewis faced Tony Johnson at

Bellator 46 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

on June 25, 2011. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Lewis compiled a record of 6–0 with one no-contest after leaving Bellator, most notably winning and successfully defending the Legacy FC Heavyweight Championship. He was then signed to the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Nandor Guelmino at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 on August 28, 2013. However, the bout was canceled as Lewis had to pull out due to an injury. Lewis instead made his debut at UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne on April 19, 2014, against Jack May. He won via TKO in the first round. In his second fight for the promotion, Lewis faced

Guto Inocente Carlos Augusto "Guto" Inocente Filho (born May 29, 1986) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Inocente formerly competed for the UFC and Strikeforce in MMA. He signed with Glo ...

The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 19'') is the nineteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The ...

on July 6, 2014. He won the fight via KO in the first round. Lewis faced

Matt Mitrione Matt Mitrione (born July 15, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former American football player, who competed for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and most recently for Bellator MMA. Prior to embarking on an MMA c ...

on September 5, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 50 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. Mitrione quickly defeated Lewis via first-round knockout. Lewis faced

Ruan Potts Ruan Potts (born 24 August 1977) is a South African professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor from 2011 to 2018, Potts formerly competed for the UFC. Mixed martial arts career ...

on February 28, 2015, at

UFC 184 ''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Lewis next had a rematch with

Shawn Jordan Shawn Martin Jordan (born October 24, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed in the Professional Fighters League's Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 200 ...

on June 6, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 68 ''UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 68'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 6, 2015, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Background The event was expected to be headlined by a l ...

. In their first encounter on the regional circuit in 2010, Lewis lost by unanimous decision. Lewis lost the fight via TKO. Lewis was expected to face Anthony Hamilton on October 3, 2015, at

UFC 192 ''UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 3, 2015, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Background The event was the fourth that the promotion has hosted in Houston, and the first since UFC 166 in 2013 ...

. However, Hamilton was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by

Viktor Pešta Viktor Pešta (; born July 15, 1990) is a Czech Republic, Czech mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #6 in the Konfrontacja ...

. Lewis won the fight via TKO in the third round. Lewis faced

Damian Grabowski Damian Grabowski (born May 12, 1980) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist who last competed in 2019. A professional since 2007, he has fought in the UFC, Bellator, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), Fight Exclusive Night and M-1 Global. ...

on February 6, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 82 ''UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 82'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 6, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was originally billed as ''UFC 19 ...

. Lewis dominated the fight, winning via TKO in the first round. Lewis next faced

Gabriel Gonzaga Gabriel Gonzaga Santos Nogueira (; born 18 May 1979) is a Brazilian former professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Submission grappling, submission grappler and 5th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) Brazilian jiu-jitsu ranking syst ...

on April 10, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 86 ''UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 86'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 10, 2016, at the Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted ...

. He won via KO in the first round. Subsequently, Lewis earned his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Lewis faced Roy Nelson on July 7, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 90 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 90'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 7, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was the first of three events in as man ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Lewis was expected to face

Marcin Tybura Marcin Tybura (born November 9, 1985) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Tybura previously fought for ...

on October 15, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 97 ''UFC Fight Night: Lamas vs. Penn'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 97'') was a planned mixed martial arts event that was set to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 15, 2016, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. ...

. However, the promotion announced on October 6 that they had canceled the event entirely. Lewis faced

Shamil Abdurakhimov Shamil Gentovich Abdurakhimov (born September 2, 1981) is a Russian former mixed martial artist, who competed in the heavyweight division. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Abdurakhimov was born on S ...

on December 9, 2016, in the main event at

UFC Fight Night 102 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 102'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 9, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, New York Background This event wa ...

. After losing the first three rounds, he won the fight via TKO in the fourth round. Lewis faced

Travis Browne Travis Kuualiialoha Browne (born July 17, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed as a heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Browne was born in ...

on February 19, 2017, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 105. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' for their performance. Lewis faced

Mark Hunt Mark Hunt (born 23 March 1974) is a New Zealand former professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. As a mixed martial artist, Hunt competed in Pride Fighting Championships (Pride FC) from 2004 until 2006, and the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

on June 11, 2017, in the main event at

UFC Fight Night 110 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 110'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on 11 June 2017 at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Background The event was ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the fourth round. Despite the loss, the win earned Lewis his second consecutive ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. After the loss, during his post-fight interview, Lewis announced that he was likely retiring from mixed martial arts. Later in the month, Lewis revealed that he ultimately decided to continue fighting. Lewis was expected to face

Fabrício Werdum Fabrício Werdum (; born 30 July 1977) is a Spanish-Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is also a 4-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, a two-time Abu Dhabi Comba ...

on October 7, 2017, at

UFC 216 ''UFC 216: Ferguson vs. Lee'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on October 7, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Background A UFC Heavyweight Ch ...

. On the day of the fight, Lewis was forced out of the bout due to a back injury. Lewis faced

on February 18, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 126 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 126'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 18, 2018, at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, United State ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

bonus. Lewis faced

Francis Ngannou Francis Zavier Ngannou (born 5 September 1986) is a Cameroonian and French professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the in ...

on July 7, 2018, at

UFC 226 ''UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 7, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background The event took pl ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision, but the fight itself was heavily criticized for the lack of action in both fighters with Lewis only landing 20 strikes, and Ngannou landing 11. Lewis faced Alexander Volkov on October 6, 2018, at

UFC 229 ''UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor ''was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Stat ...

. After being behind on the judges' scorecards and visibly hurt multiple times, Lewis won the fight via knockout in the closing seconds of the third round. This win earned him the

award. Lewis faced

Daniel Cormier Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, freestyle wrestler, and current color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweig ...

for the

UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...

on November 3, 2018, at

UFC 230 ''UFC 230: Cormier vs. Lewis'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 3, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship bou ...

. He lost the fight by rear-naked choke in the second round, marking the first submission loss of his professional MMA career. Lewis signed a new contract with the UFC after the title shot. As the first fight of his new contract, Lewis faced

Junior dos Santos Junior dos Santos (; born 30 January 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former professional wrestler who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA Heavyweigh ...

in the main event of

UFC Fight Night 146 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 146'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, ...

on March 9, 2019. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. This fight earned him the ''Fight of the Night'' award. Lewis faced

Blagoy Ivanov Blagoy Ivanov (; born October 9, 1986) is a Bulgarian mixed martial artist and Sambo practitioner who is currently signed to the PFL, but on suspension due to testing positive to anabolic steroids. He previously competed for the Ultimate Fighti ...

on November 2, 2019, at

UFC 244 ''UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 2, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. It was the UFC's 5 ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Lewis faced

Ilir Latifi Ilir Latifi (born July 28, 1983) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who fights in the Heavyweight division, most recently in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A two-time national wrestling champion and a professional MMA competitor since 2008, ...

on February 8, 2020, at

UFC 247 ''UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 8, 2020, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championshi ...

. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Lewis faced

Aleksei Oleinik Aleksei Alexeyevich Oleinik (born June 25, 1977, as Oleksíy Oleksíyovych Olíynyk) is a Russian mixed martial artist and combat sambo fighter who fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, competing in their heavyweight division. He beg ...

on August 8, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 174 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 174'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 32'' and ''UFC Vegas 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in En ...

. He won the bout via TKO early in round two. Lewis also set the record for most knockouts by a heavyweight in UFC history. Lewis was scheduled to face

Curtis Blaydes Curtis Lionell Blaydes (born February 18, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, Blaydes formerly competed ...

on November 28, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 18. However, the day before the fight, Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19 and the bout was scrapped from the card. The pair faced off at

UFC Fight Night 185 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 185'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 43'' and ''UFC Vegas 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 20, 2021 at the UFC ...

on February 20, 2021. Lewis won the fight via knockout in the second round. This win earned him the ''

'' award. Lewis faced

Ciryl Gane Ciryl Romain Jacky Gane (born April 12, 1990) is a French professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interi ...

on August 7, 2021, at

UFC 265 ''UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 7, 2021, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background An interim UFC Heavyweight Championshi ...

for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. Lewis lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. Lewis faced

Chris Daukaus Christopher Paul Daukaus ( ; born September 25, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of Cage Fury Fighting Championships. He previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the ...

on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 199. Lewis won the fight via knockout in the first round. With his knockout win over Daukaus, Lewis earned the record for the most knockouts in

history regardless of weight division, with 13 altogether. When asked by

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

in his UFC Fight Night 199 Octagon interview, how he felt about achieving the record, Lewis replied "I’m feeling good, and I’m also happy that I’m the first fighter, clean fighter, to be number one in knockouts". Lewis faced

Tai Tuivasa Tai Anthony Tuivasa (born 16 March 1993) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of June 10, 2025, he is #11 in the UFC heavyweight r ...

on February 12, 2022, at

UFC 271 ''UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2022 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Middleweight Champio ...

in Houston, Texas. Lewis lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Lewis faced

Sergei Pavlovich Sergei Vladimirovich Pavlovich (; born 13 May 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. Pavlovich currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A one-time champion of Russia in Combat Ku ...

on July 30, 2022, at

UFC 277 ''UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Women's Bantamweight Cha ...

. He lost the fight via TKO, just 55 seconds into the first round, however there was controversy as the stoppage by referee

Dan Miragliotta Dan Miragliotta (born August 30, 1963) is a professional mixed martial arts referee, judge and former actor from the United States best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), dating back to UFC ...

was considered premature by fighters and fans alike. Lewis received the

Crypto.com Crypto.com is a cryptocurrency exchange company based in Singapore that offers various financial services, including an app, exchange, and noncustodial DeFi wallet, NFT marketplace, and direct payment service in cryptocurrency. As of June 2023, ...

"Fan Bonus of the Night" award paid in bitcoin of US$10,000 for third place. Lewis was next expected to face Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night 215 on November 19, 2022. However, Lewis was forced to pull out of the event due to non-COVID, non-weight cutting illness and the bout was canceled. The pair was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 218 on February 4, 2023. Lewis lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke in round one, and he did not land a single strike during the fight. Lewis faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on July 29, 2023, at UFC 291. He won the fight via technical knockout after a flying knee 33 seconds into round one, thus extending his UFC record of most knockouts to fourteen. The win also earned Lewis the ''

'' bonus award. Lewis faced Jailton Almeida, replacing

, on November 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Lewis faced Rodrigo Nascimento on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56. After landing a knockdown, he won the fight via technical knockout from ground punches in the third round. Lewis was originally scheduled to face Alexander Romanov (fighter), Alexander Romanov on November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246. However, opponents were changed for unknown reasons and Lewis was going to face Jhonata Diniz instead. After the weigh-ins, Lewis was forced to withdraw from the fight due to non-weight cut related medical issues causing the bout between Lewis and Diniz to be scrapped. Lewis faced Tallison Teixeira on July 12, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 70. He won the fight by technical knockout 35 seconds into the first round.

Fighting style

Lewis has been characterized as a 'classic heavyweight' owing to his knockout power and physique. Former welterweight title contender and analyst Dan Hardy described him as a "wrecking ball", adding "Every time we've spoken about Derrick Lewis before, regardless of whether he's fighting Daniel Cormier, or whether he's fighting Volkov, or whether he's fighting Ciryl Gane, the same thing is always present. If he lands that right hand, it's game over." Lewis greatly prefers stand-up fighting, which he refers to as "swangin' and banging", and has been noted by fans and commentators for his surprising ability to seemingly shrug off the grappling/wrestling offense of his opponents while in the bottom position, and simply 'stand up'. However, analysts have noted that when facing fighters with a background in folkstyle wrestling, such as

, Lewis finds it more difficult to escape the bottom position. Nonetheless, Lewis appeared to simply 'stand up' when threatened with a crucifix position by Roy Nelson, a fighter with a jiu-jitsu pedigree.

Personal life

Lewis married his long-time girlfriend in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 17, 2017. They have two sons and one daughter. During the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Lewis pulled an estimated 100 people from the flood waters in

, via his lifted truck. On May 18, 2021, Lewis was returning to his car after a workout when he discovered a man allegedly trying to open the door of his vehicle. Lewis reportedly struck the alleged thief and pinned him to the ground until the police arrived.

Championships and accomplishments

(Five times) **List of UFC bonus award recipients, Fight of the Night (Three times) vs.

, and

***Tied (Stefan Struve) for second most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Heavyweight division history (8) **List of UFC records#Most knockouts - All fighters, Most knockouts in UFC history (16) ***List of UFC records#Most knockouts - By division, Most knockouts in UFC Heavyweight division history (16) **List of UFC records#Most Finishes - By division, Most finishes in UFC Heavyweight division history (16) ***Tied (Donald Cerrone) for List of UFC records#Most finishes - All fighters, third most finishes in UFC history (16) **Second most wins in UFC Heavyweight division history (20) **Second most bouts in UFC Heavyweight division history (30) **Second most knockdowns landed in UFC Heavyweight division history (11) **Second most total fight time in UFC Heavyweight division history (4:25:45) **Latest comeback finish by striking deficit in a finished fight (-82) vs Alexander Volkov **Most knockouts stemming from ground strikes in UFC history (9) **UFC.com Awards ***2016: 2016 in UFC#2016 UFC.com awards, Ranked #10 Fighter of the Year ***2018: 2018 in UFC#2018 UFC.com awards, Ranked #10 Knockout of the Year *** 2021: 2021 in UFC#2021 UFC.com awards, Ranked #9 Knockout of the Year *Legacy Fighting Championship **Legacy FC Heavyweight Championship (One time) ***One successful title defense *MMAJunkie.com **2018 Comeback of the Year vs. Alexander Volkov *MMADNA.nl **2018 Comeback of the Year.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 29–12 (1) , Tallison Teixeira , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 , Nashville, Tennessee, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–12 (1) , Rodrigo Nascimento , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:49 , St. Louis, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–12 (1) , Jailton Almeida , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , São Paulo, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 27–11 (1) , Marcos Rogério de Lima , TKO (punches) , UFC 291 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–11 (1) , Serghei Spivac , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 , Dallas, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–9 (1) ,

, KO (elbow) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:40 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–8 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–8 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:11 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–7 (1) ,

, KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:26 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–7 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:21 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–7 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 (1) ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , New York City, New York, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:58 , Wichita, Kansas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–6 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:14 , New York City, New York, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–5 (1) , Alexander Volkov , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:49 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:48 , Austin, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:51 , Auckland, New Zealand , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:12 , Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:42 , Albany, New York, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 (1) , Roy Nelson , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:48 , Zagreb, Croatia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:15 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 (1) ,

, TKO (hook kick and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 , New Orleans, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:18 , Los Angeles, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 , Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn#The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 (1) , Jack May , TKO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:23 , Orlando, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 (1) , Ricky Shivers , TKO (punches) , Legacy FC 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:22 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 (1) , Jared Rosholt , KO (punches) , Legacy FC 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:41 , Dallas, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 (1) , Justin Frazier , TKO (knee to the body and punches) , RFA 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 , Kearney, Nebraska, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 6–2 (1) , Jeremiah Constant , NC (accidental strikes to back of Constant's head) , FTW: Paramount Prize Fighting 2012 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 , Denver, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Rakim Cleveland , TKO (punches) , Legacy FC 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:12 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Jay Peche , TKO (punches) , Immortal Kombat 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 , Spring, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Tony Johnson , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Taylor Herbert , TKO (punches) , IXFA 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Rakim Cleveland , Submission (armbar) , Worldwide Gladiator 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:33 , Pasadena, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Ryan Martinez , TKO (punches) , FTW / KOC: Worlds Collide , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:03 , Denver, Colorado, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , GFA: Full Force , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lafayette, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Nick Mitchell , TKO (punches) , Worldwide Gladiator 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:33 , Pasadena, Texas, United States ,

Pay-per-view bouts

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Derrick Living people American male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Louisiana Sportspeople from New Orleans Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1985 births

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Bellator Fighting Championships

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Fighting style

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Pay-per-view bouts

See also

References

External links