Derrick Lewis finished the job a little earlier than expected against Rodrigo Nascimento in the UFC main event of ESPN 56.
After catching his Brazilian opponent in the clinch in the first two rounds, “The Black Beast” changed gears in the third stanza, flooring Nascimento with an overhand right and racking up follow-up strikes until the bout was stopped at 49 seconds. I hit him with a punch. mark.
“I was really waiting for him to explode in the fifth round, but the opportunity was there,” Ruiz said in the post-fight press conference. “He wouldn’t let me catch my breath, so I had to finish him off. I was trying to catch my breath and wait until it was over.”
In the aftermath of his recent victory, Lewis took off his fight shorts and threw the cup at the press box. He also gave a brief shout-out to the crowd at St. Louis’ Enterprise Center. For the popular heavyweight, it’s all part of his day’s work, but there was a playful message behind the cup toss.
“Because you’re all talking stupid stuff all the time,” Ruiz said, referring to the MMA media. “Sometimes I have to throw you guys under the bus, just like you guys. ‘Oh, Derrick, it just doesn’t make sense anymore!’ Blah, blah, blah! ‘ Yeah. Hmm. ”
Although Lewis remains under contract with the UFC, the Houston native is interested in crossing over into the sports entertainment realm as the promotion operates under the same ownership umbrella as World Wrestling Entertainment. ing.
“That’s probably what we should do in the next few weeks. We’ll go to Orlando and check it out. [WWE] The facility is gone,” Lewis said.
“I don’t plan on staying here in the UFC, but I would like to try WWE a little bit.”
If Lewis is serious about his pursuit, UFC CEO Dana White won’t stand in his way.
“I didn’t know that, but I would do anything for Derrick Lewis,” White said. “I love Derrick Lewis. Some of the fighters here always dream of a WWE match or whatever it is. Yes, I have no problem with that.”
