On January 24, UFC fans will get a reason to cheer as fan favorite Derrick Lewis returns to the Octagon. At UFC 324, ‘The Black Beast’ will face Waldo Cortes Acosta in a highly anticipated heavyweight bout, and he looks more than ready. With renewed strength and recovery, the 265-pound juggernaut is hunting another knockout, and he made sure to thank the UFC’s medical magic boost.

Ahead of every UFC event, doctors regularly check a fighter’s health and run routine evaluations to make sure everything is in place before they step into the cage. In Lewis’ case, the promotion also provided him with peptides that helped speed up his recovery and movement as he prepares to face the Dominican Republic fighter at the first Paramount+ CBS event.

Derrick Lewis opens up on UFC’s peptide-based recovery ahead of UFC 324 fight

“S—t, I’m not gonna even lie to you, I’m in the best shape of my life right now. Mentally, physically, everything is going great right now. I’m perfect. The UFC provided me with some great peptides, and I’ve been taking them every day, and I’m feeling a little difference,” the Houston native said on The Beast and the Cowboy podcast.

While Lewis confirmed using a UFC-approved peptide before his bout, he did not reveal the exact substance. That detail matters because under the promotion’s rules, most peptides are considered prohibited. Recently, Kamaru Usman’s brother, Mohammed, tested positive for the BPC-157 peptide, which helps muscle healing and recovery during intense training. For using the banned substance, the heavyweight received 30 months’ punishment. 

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As ‘The Black Beast’ stays quiet about the specific substance, no other fighter has opened up about the UFC providing peptides for recovery either. However, his head coach has been quick to point out just how dominant Lewis has looked in training.

“His recovery was stupid. We did his three fives, and you know, generally on Fridays, the lightest days, he’d go to strength and conditioning. But he wanted to do some heavy bag work after, and I was like, please. Let’s go. And I was really mind-blown by how quickly the peptides took effect. It’s gonna be a game changer for him,” Lewis’ head coach, Bob Perez, added on the podcast.

Perez’s comments line up with what fans recently saw in a Full Send uploaded video, where Lewis looked sharp while running. With all the hard work paying off, the 40-year-old now sounds confident about knocking out his opponent.

‘The Black Beast’ sends a chilling message to his opponent

Although the UFC 324 card has taken a few big hits with major cancellations, fights like Derrick Lewis vs Waldo Cortes Acosta have kept the violence alive. Because of that, fans are still expected to flock in for a wild showdown. So far, the buildup between the heavyweights has flown a little under the radar compared to other matchups, but now, ‘The Black Beast’ has fired the first shot.

“For sure. 100-percent (someone is getting knocked out). And I believe it’s going to be the first exchange. I’m going to knock him out in the first exchange,” the former title challenger told TNT Sports in an interview.

Derrick Lewis currently holds the UFC record for most knockouts. He has flattened 16 opponents in his career, which remains the promotion’s all-time best. So it is only natural that the Houston slugger is hunting another finish.

“I really don’t watch too many fights, so I don’t know if he’s been on my radar or not. I can’t even tell you because I really haven’t watched none of his fights,” Lewis added.

That is a classic ‘Black Beast’ response. Still, while the fan-favorite heavyweight looks locked in, his opponent, Cortes Acosta, also had a strong 2025, going 4-1 in five fights.

With this clash now getting closer, what is your prediction? Does a fully recovered and motivated Derrick Lewis get the knockout? Or does Waldo Cortes Acosta continue his impressive run? Let us know in the comments section below.