LAS VEGAS – Derrick Lewis won in emphatic fashion at UFC Fight Night 185, but that won’t change his intentions for his next fight.
Even though Alistair Overeem is coming off a recent TKO loss and Lewis (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) just finished a top contender in Curtis Blaydes on Saturday, “The Black Beast” is still gunning to “clap them cheeks.”
“I want Overeem next,” Lewis told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a post-fight news conference after he knocked Blaydes stiff in Round 2 of their main event. “Like I said earlier, I’m already greased and oiled up for him, so we’re ready.”
Two weeks ago, Overeem (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) was battered and finished by Alexander Volkov. While a matchup might not make sense in traditional divisional flow, Lewis still wants the grudge match – and he thinks Overeem might, too.
“He might take it,” Lewis said. “He’s been hit in the head a couple of times, so he might forget all about what happened tonight, so he’ll probably take it. … Yes, I’m going to clap them cheeks. No homo. He’ll probably take it. He’s from (the) Netherlands. You never know. Those guys out there, they stay high.”
If he does get the matchup he wants, Lewis asks it not be a five-round fight. He’s sick of main events and the wear-and-tear that comes with preparing for 25 minutes.
“(I want Overeem) soon as possible,” Lewis said. “As soon as he passes concussion protocol or whatever his suspension (is) – whatever he’s got, as soon as possible. But I would like a three-round fight just because. I don’t want five rounds. … I don’t need no main event. I don’t deserve no main event. … I don’t want to go five rounds. I hate five rounds.”
UFC Fight Night 185 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.
