Derrick Lewis is an American professional mixed martial artist known for his knockout power. He currently competes in the UFC Heavyweight division, holding the record for most knockouts in the organization's history. Lewis has also fought in Bellator MMA and Legacy FC, where he was the Heavyweight Champion. Despite his impressive record, he is currently ranked #10 in the UFC heavyweight rankings as of May 14, 2024.
February 7, 1985: Derrick Lewis' Birth
Derrick Lewis was born on this day in New Orleans, Louisiana.
October 16, 2009: Amateur MMA Debut
Derrick Lewis made his amateur MMA debut against Jay Ross at LSAMMA, losing the fight via TKO (doctor stoppage).
January 30, 2010: First Amateur MMA Win
Derrick Lewis faced Tim Buchanan at the United States American Combat Association event, winning via TKO.
May 2010: Signing with Bellator MMA
After achieving a 4-1 fight record, Derrick Lewis signed with Bellator MMA.
2010: Professional MMA Debut
Derrick Lewis began his professional mixed martial arts career.
2010: First Fight against Shawn Jordan
Derrick Lewis lost his first fight against Shawn Jordan via unanimous decision.
May 21, 2011: Cancelled Bellator Debut
Derrick Lewis's scheduled debut against Thiago Santos at Bellator 45 was cancelled due to Santos' injury.
June 25, 2011: First Bellator Fight
Derrick Lewis fought Tony Johnson at Bellator 46, losing via unanimous decision.
August 28, 2013: Cancelled UFC Debut
Derrick Lewis was scheduled to face Nandor Guelmino at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2, but had to pull out due to an injury.
April 19, 2014: UFC Debut
Derrick Lewis made his UFC debut at UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne, defeating Jack May via TKO in the first round.
July 6, 2014: Victory against Guto Inocente
Derrick Lewis fought Guto Inocente at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, winning via KO in the first round.
September 5, 2014: Loss against Matt Mitrione
Derrick Lewis faced Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 50 and was quickly defeated via first-round knockout.
February 28, 2015: Victory against Ruan Potts
Derrick Lewis won his fight against Ruan Potts at UFC 184 via TKO in the second round.
June 6, 2015: Rematch against Shawn Jordan
Derrick Lewis had a rematch against Shawn Jordan at UFC Fight Night 68, losing via TKO. Their first encounter in 2010 had resulted in a unanimous decision loss for Lewis.
October 3, 2015: Victory against Viktor Pešta
Derrick Lewis was initially scheduled to face Anthony Hamilton at UFC 192, but Hamilton withdrew due to injury. Lewis instead faced Viktor Pešta, winning the fight via TKO in the third round.
February 6, 2016: Dominating Victory against Damian Grabowski
Derrick Lewis dominated his fight against Damian Grabowski at UFC Fight Night 82, winning via TKO in the first round.
April 10, 2016: First Performance of the Night Bonus
Derrick Lewis won his fight against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC Fight Night 86 via KO in the first round, earning his first Performance of the Night bonus.
July 7, 2016: Victory against Roy Nelson
Derrick Lewis fought Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 90, winning via split decision.
October 15, 2016: Cancelled UFC Fight Night 97
Derrick Lewis was scheduled to fight Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 97, but the event was cancelled entirely.
December 9, 2016: Comeback Victory against Shamil Abdurakhimov
Derrick Lewis faced Shamil Abdurakhimov in the main event at UFC Fight Night 102, winning via TKO in the fourth round after losing the first three rounds.
February 19, 2017: Fight of the Night Award
Derrick Lewis fought Travis Browne in the main event at UFC Fight Night 105, winning via knockout in the second round. Both fighters were awarded Fight of the Night for their performance.
June 11, 2017: Loss against Mark Hunt and Consecutive Fight of the Night Bonus
Derrick Lewis lost to Mark Hunt via TKO in the fourth round in the main event at UFC Fight Night 110. Despite the loss, he earned his second consecutive Fight of the Night bonus. After the fight, Lewis announced his potential retirement from MMA but later revealed his decision to continue fighting.
June 17, 2017: Marriage
Derrick Lewis married his long-time girlfriend in Honolulu, Hawaii. They have two sons and one daughter together.
October 7, 2017: Withdrawal from UFC 216
Derrick Lewis was scheduled to fight Fabrício Werdum at UFC 216, but was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.
February 18, 2018: Victory over Marcin Tybura
Derrick Lewis defeated Marcin Tybura via technical knockout in the third round at UFC Fight Night 126.
July 7, 2018: UFC 226 Win Over Francis Ngannou
Derrick Lewis won a unanimous decision victory against Francis Ngannou at UFC 226. Despite the win, the fight was widely criticized for its lack of action.
October 6, 2018: Comeback Victory over Alexander Volkov
Derrick Lewis secured a knockout victory against Alexander Volkov in the final seconds of the third round at UFC 229, despite trailing on the scorecards and enduring significant damage throughout the fight.
November 3, 2018: UFC Heavyweight Championship Loss
Derrick Lewis challenged Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 230. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round, marking his first submission defeat in his professional MMA career.
March 9, 2019: TKO Loss to Junior dos Santos
Derrick Lewis, in his first fight under a new UFC contract, faced Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC Fight Night 146. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
November 2, 2019: Split Decision Victory over Blagoy Ivanov
Derrick Lewis won a split decision victory against Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 244.
February 8, 2020: Unanimous Decision Victory over Ilir Latifi
Derrick Lewis won a unanimous decision victory against Ilir Latifi at UFC 247.
August 8, 2020: Record-breaking TKO Victory over Aleksei Oleinik
Derrick Lewis defeated Aleksei Oleinik via TKO early in the second round at UFC Fight Night 174. With this victory, he set the record for most knockouts by a heavyweight in UFC history.
November 28, 2020: Fight Cancellation
Derrick Lewis was scheduled to fight Curtis Blaydes at UFC on ESPN 18, but the fight was cancelled due to Blaydes testing positive for COVID-19.
February 20, 2021: Knockout Victory over Curtis Blaydes
Derrick Lewis defeated Curtis Blaydes via knockout in the second round at UFC Fight Night 185.
May 18, 2021: Citizen's Arrest
Derrick Lewis reportedly apprehended a man allegedly attempting to break into his car after a workout. He reportedly struck the individual and held him down until law enforcement arrived.
August 7, 2021: Interim Heavyweight Championship Loss
Derrick Lewis faced Ciryl Gane for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 265. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the third round.
December 18, 2021: Record-breaking Knockout Victory over Chris Daukaus
Derrick Lewis defeated Chris Daukaus via knockout in the first round at UFC Fight Night 199. With this win, Lewis set the record for the most knockouts in UFC history across all weight divisions, accumulating 13 knockouts.
February 12, 2022: Knockout Loss to Tai Tuivasa
Derrick Lewis lost to Tai Tuivasa via knockout in the second round at UFC 271 in his hometown of Houston, Texas.
July 30, 2022: Controversial TKO Loss to Sergei Pavlovich
Derrick Lewis lost to Sergei Pavlovich via TKO just 55 seconds into the first round at UFC 277. The stoppage by referee Dan Miragliotta was considered premature by many, sparking controversy.
November 19, 2022: Fight Cancellation due to Illness
Derrick Lewis was scheduled to face Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night 215, but had to withdraw due to an unspecified illness.
February 4, 2023: Submission Loss to Serghei Spivac
Derrick Lewis lost to Serghei Spivac via an arm-triangle choke in the first round at UFC Fight Night 218. He was unable to land a single strike during the fight.
July 29, 2023: Record-extending TKO Victory over Marcos Rogério de Lima
Derrick Lewis defeated Marcos Rogério de Lima via technical knockout with a flying knee 33 seconds into the first round at UFC 291, extending his UFC record for most knockouts to fourteen.
November 4, 2023: Unanimous Decision Loss to Jailton Almeida
Derrick Lewis, stepping in for Curtis Blaydes, lost to Jailton Almeida via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 231.
May 11, 2024: TKO Victory and Celebration at UFC on ESPN 56
Derrick Lewis defeated Rodrigo Nascimento via technical knockout from ground punches in the third round at UFC on ESPN 56, following a knockdown. He celebrated his victory by removing his fighting pants and mooning the crowd.
May 14, 2024: UFC Heavyweight Ranking
As of this date, Derrick Lewis was ranked #10 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.