“I’m Doing This as a Job” – Derrick Lewis Says He Isn’t a Fan of the Sport

In a time when fighters establish their presence not just inside the Octagon but also on the mic, Derrick Lewis is an anomaly. The UFC heavyweight never holds his thoughts back in front of the media. Ahead of his fight with Aleksei Oleinik, Lewis revealed that fighting is merely a job for him right now.

A veteran in the organization, ‘The Black Beast’ has been a perennial contender in the among the UFC’s big boys. He even went to challenge Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight belt at Madison Square Garden. Despite having seen highs that many fighters can only dream of, Lewis doesn’t keep an eye out for every little movement of the division.

Lewis appeared in front of the media ahead of his fight with Oleinik. A reporter asked him about his take on everything that is going on in the division. Lewis brushed off the question in his typical fashion.

“I’m not a fan of the sport. I’m not a fan of the division either. I’m doing this as a job. I don’t really care who wins. I don’t care who’s coming up to fight who, and who wanna fight me. I don’t care. I’ll fight anyone. It doesn’t matter who,” Lewis said.

In a time when more and more fighters purposely look to hype themselves up, Lewis is slightly different. Even if he does talks trash, it comes naturally to him.

Derrick Lewis puts Alistair Overeem and Curtis Blaydes on blast

While Derrick Lewis doesn’t pick apart his opponents on the mic a lot, the buzz around him invites attention. In an interview earlier this month, Curtis Blaydes claimed that the UFC is protecting Derrick Lewis from him. He added that he would ‘destroy’ Lewis inside the Octagon.

Another feud that has been simmering for some time is between Lewis and Alistair Overeem. ‘The Black Beast’ addressed both Overeem and Blaydes ahead of his fight with Oleinik.

“I don’t understand what he’s talking about,” he said during virtual media day. “This will be my twentieth UFC fight and I have fought all of the tough guys in the Octagon and he’s now just coming up on the radar. I don’t even know how many fights he’s had in the UFC for him to talk like he could take me.”

“I already fought just about everybody in the Top 10. The only guys I haven’t fought are Overeem and him. I’ve been asking to fight Curtis and Overeem. Overeem turned me down like three times in this past month before Oleinik popped up,” he added.

Both Overeem and Blaydes provide a good opportunity for Lewis’ next match-up. With a win over Oleinik followed by either of them, Lewis can cement himself into the title equation fairly quickly.

Source | MMAFighting on Twitter