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It’s been close to nine years since Derrick Lewis made his UFC debut by defeating Jack May via TKO in the first round of their bout in 2014. Since then, the New Orleans native has made quite a name for himself while establishing himself as one of the more entertaining personalities MMA has to offer.
Lewis is a consummate heavyweight who largely relies on his raw power to dispatch opponents in The Octagon. The man who currently boasts a 26-10 record as a professional fighter has secured the vast majority of those victories via knockout, and he’s gained quite a reputation for his hilariously candid post-fight interviews after a win.
“The Black Beast” crudely shot his shot at Ronda Rousey after defeating her now-husband Thomas Browne in 2017, and he was at the center of an instantly iconic exchange with Joe Rogan following a win at UFC 229 where he admitted he was dealing with an uncomfortable amount of heat impacting a certain part of the male anatomy.
Recent history would suggest Lewis is entering the twilight of his career. The fighter lost both of the matches he took part in over the course of 2022, and his scheduled main event with Sergey Spivak at UFC Vegas 65 was called off after he was rushed to the hospital on the day of the showdown.
Lewis and Spivak are currently slated to meet again at UFC Fight Night on February 4th. Both men are expected to compete as heavyweights—which makes a recent picture of an impressively trimmed-down Lewis especially shocking.
Last week, Lewis’ strength and conditioning coach Chris Hernandez gave himself some of the best publicity someone in that line of work can ask for when he posted a photo that showed off the traditionally hefty fighter’s new and improved physique.
Lewis (who has previously employed some, um, unconventional strategies to try to improve his notoriously lackluster cardio) weighed in at 263 pounds prior to the aborted showdown in November, and it’s hard to imagine he’s even close to that number based on how comparatively trim he looked in that picture.
He still has plenty of time to bulk up over the next few weeks, and it’s safe to assume he’ll have a bit more gas in the tank than he normally does the next time he steps onto the mat.