Derrick Lewis has revealed that he’s been battling with a serious health issue.
Lewis (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) picked up a win over Ilir Latifi in the main card opener of this past weekend’s UFC 247, but when asked if he’d be ready to step in should something happen in March’s UFC on ESPN 8 main event between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Lewis said he might not be able to do so.
“Yeah, I’ll be available but also, my coach wanted me to get something checked out that came up from my medicals and stuff like that,” Lewis said on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.” “It’s been hindering my training, so we’re really supposed to be keeping it on the down low, but I’ve got to get it checked out. The UFC doctors know what it is, and the doctors here in Houston already know what it is, as well, so it’s just something that’s been going on that I still got to get addressed.”
“It’s like life-or-death situation serious.”
Although Lewis did not provide much explanation regarding what the actual issue is that he’s facing, he said it’s been affecting him for more than a year. He plans on visiting the doctor either this week or the next.
“It’s something that happens to a lot of athletes that it doesn’t matter if you’re healthy or not,” Lewis said. “It’s something that still can happen to you at a drop of a hat. That’s all I can say.”
Lewis said he was actually advised not to take the fight with Latifi, but after getting a second opinion from the UFC, he got the green light.
“The doctor had actually told me that he thinks I shouldn’t have taken this last fight,” Lewis said. “He said if the situation like this that he don’t think I should fight, so I got a second opinion from the UFC doctors, and they ran over everything and they were saying it shouldn’t be a problem.”
