Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Derrick Lewis

How Derrick Lewis built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Derrick Lewis is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in the UFC's Heavyweight division. Known for his knockout power, he holds the UFC record for the most knockouts. Lewis has been a professional fighter since 2010, previously competing in Bellator MMA and Legacy FC, where he held the Heavyweight Championship. As of February 2025, he is ranked #9 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

October 16, 2009: Amateur MMA Debut

On October 16, 2009, Derrick Lewis made his amateur MMA debut against Jay Ross at LSAMMA and lost the fight via TKO due to doctor stoppage.

January 30, 2010: Amateur MMA Win

On January 30, 2010, Derrick Lewis faced Tim Buchanan at the United States American Combat Association event and won via TKO.

May 2010: Signing with Bellator MMA

In May 2010, after compiling a fight record of 4-1 as a professional, Derrick Lewis signed with Bellator MMA.

May 21, 2011: Bellator 45 Bout Canceled

On May 21, 2011, Derrick Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut at Bellator 45 against Thiago Santos, but the bout was canceled due to an injury Santos sustained.

June 25, 2011: Loss at Bellator 46

On June 25, 2011, Derrick Lewis faced Tony Johnson at Bellator 46 and lost the bout via unanimous decision.

August 28, 2013: UFC Fight Night Bout Canceled

On August 28, 2013, Derrick Lewis was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Nandor Guelmino at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2, but the bout was canceled because Lewis had to pull out due to an injury.

April 19, 2014: UFC Debut Win

On April 19, 2014, Derrick Lewis made his UFC debut at UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne against Jack May and won via TKO in the first round.

July 6, 2014: Victory at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale

On July 6, 2014, Derrick Lewis faced Guto Inocente at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale and won the fight via KO in the first round.

September 5, 2014: Loss at UFC Fight Night 50

On September 5, 2014, Derrick Lewis faced Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 50 and was defeated via first-round knockout.

February 28, 2015: Victory at UFC 184

On February 28, 2015, Derrick Lewis faced Ruan Potts at UFC 184 and won the fight via TKO in the second round.

June 6, 2015: Loss at UFC Fight Night 68

On June 6, 2015, Derrick Lewis had a rematch with Shawn Jordan at UFC Fight Night 68 and lost the fight via TKO.

October 3, 2015: Victory against Viktor Pešta at UFC 192

On October 3, 2015, Derrick Lewis was expected to face Anthony Hamilton at UFC 192, but Hamilton was forced out and was replaced by Viktor Pešta, whom Lewis defeated via TKO in the third round.

February 6, 2016: Victory against Damian Grabowski at UFC Fight Night 82

On February 6, 2016, Derrick Lewis faced Damian Grabowski at UFC Fight Night 82 and won via TKO in the first round.

April 10, 2016: Victory at UFC Fight Night 86 and Performance of the Night Bonus

On April 10, 2016, Derrick Lewis faced Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC Fight Night 86 and won via KO in the first round, earning his first Performance of the Night bonus.

July 7, 2016: Victory against Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 90

On July 7, 2016, Derrick Lewis faced Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 90 and won the fight via split decision.

October 15, 2016: UFC Fight Night 97 Canceled

On October 15, 2016, Derrick Lewis was expected to face Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 97. However, the promotion announced on October 6 that they had canceled the event entirely.

December 9, 2016: Victory against Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC Fight Night 102

On December 9, 2016, Derrick Lewis faced Shamil Abdurakhimov in the main event at UFC Fight Night 102. After losing the first three rounds, he won the fight via TKO in the fourth round.

February 19, 2017: Victory against Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 105

On February 19, 2017, Derrick Lewis faced Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 105 and won the fight via knockout in the second round. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night for their performance.

June 11, 2017: Loss to Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 110

On June 11, 2017, Derrick Lewis faced Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 110 and 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. He also announced his potential retirement from mixed martial arts after the fight.

October 7, 2017: UFC 216 Bout Canceled

On October 7, 2017, Derrick Lewis was expected to face Fabrício Werdum at UFC 216. However, on the day of the fight, Lewis was forced to pull out of the bout due to a back injury.

2017: Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

During the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Derrick Lewis pulled an estimated 100 people from the flood waters in Houston, Texas, via his lifted truck.

February 18, 2018: Victory against Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 126

On February 18, 2018, Derrick Lewis faced Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 126 and won the fight via technical knockout in the third round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.

July 7, 2018: Victory against Francis Ngannou at UFC 226

On July 7, 2018, Derrick Lewis faced Francis Ngannou at UFC 226 and won the fight via unanimous decision. The fight was heavily criticized for the lack of action.

October 6, 2018: Victory against Alexander Volkov at UFC 229

On October 6, 2018, Derrick Lewis faced Alexander Volkov at UFC 229. After being behind on the judges' scorecards, Lewis won the fight via knockout in the closing seconds of the third round, earning him the Performance of the Night award.

November 3, 2018: Loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 230

On November 3, 2018, Derrick Lewis faced Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 230 and lost the fight by rear-naked choke in the second round, marking the first submission loss of his professional MMA career.

March 9, 2019: Loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 146

On March 9, 2019, Derrick Lewis faced Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC Fight Night 146. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

November 2, 2019: Victory against Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 244

On November 2, 2019, Derrick Lewis faced Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 244 and won the fight via split decision.

February 8, 2020: Victory against Ilir Latifi at UFC 247

On February 8, 2020, Derrick Lewis faced Ilir Latifi at UFC 247 and won the bout via unanimous decision.

August 8, 2020: Victory against Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Fight Night 174

On August 8, 2020, Derrick Lewis faced Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Fight Night 174 and won the bout via TKO early in round two. Lewis also set the record for most knockouts by a heavyweight in UFC history.

November 28, 2020: UFC on ESPN 18 Bout Scrapped

On November 28, 2020, Derrick Lewis was scheduled to face Curtis Blaydes 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.

February 20, 2021: Victory against Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 185

On February 20, 2021, Derrick Lewis faced Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 185 and won the fight via knockout in the second round, earning him the Performance of the Night award.

August 7, 2021: Loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC 265

On August 7, 2021, Derrick Lewis faced Ciryl Gane at UFC 265 for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. Lewis lost the fight via technical knockout in round three.

December 18, 2021: Victory against Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 199

On December 18, 2021, Derrick Lewis faced Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 199 and won the fight via knockout in the first round, earning the record for the most knockouts in UFC history.

February 12, 2022: Loss to Tai Tuivasa at UFC 271

On February 12, 2022, Derrick Lewis faced Tai Tuivasa at UFC 271 in Houston, Texas and lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

July 30, 2022: Loss to Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 277

On July 30, 2022, Derrick Lewis faced Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 277. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round, and received the Crypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" award.

November 19, 2022: UFC Fight Night 215 Bout Canceled

On November 19, 2022, Derrick Lewis was expected to face Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night 215. However, Lewis was forced to pull out of the event due to a non-COVID illness and the bout was canceled.

February 4, 2023: Loss to Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night 218

On February 4, 2023, Derrick Lewis faced Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night 218 and lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke in round one.

July 29, 2023: Victory against Marcos Rogério de Lima at UFC 291

On July 29, 2023, Derrick Lewis faced Marcos Rogério de Lima at UFC 291 and won the fight via technical knockout, extending his UFC record of most knockouts, also earned the Performance of the Night bonus award.

November 4, 2023: Loss to Jailton Almeida at UFC Fight Night 231

On November 4, 2023, Derrick Lewis faced Jailton Almeida at UFC Fight Night 231. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

May 11, 2024: Victory against Rodrigo Nascimento at UFC on ESPN 56

On May 11, 2024, Derrick Lewis faced Rodrigo Nascimento at UFC on ESPN 56. After landing a knockdown, he won the fight via technical knockout from ground punches in the third round.

November 2, 2024: Withdrawal from UFC Fight Night 246

On November 2, 2024, Derrick Lewis was forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Jhonata Diniz at UFC Fight Night 246 due to non-weight cut related medical issues.