Derrick Lewis expects “Balls blazing” performance in UFC on ESPN+ 32 headliner
Derrick Lewis promises to go “Balls blazing” in his UFC on ESPN+ 32 headliner with Alexey Oleinik on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Famous for his “Because my balls were hot,” saying during his UFC 229 post-fight interview back in October 2018, Lewis is at it again.
During the event’s media day, Lewis promised to not hold back after back-to-back decision wins. He is bringing a different approach into his fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I think you’ll see something you haven’t seen from me in a long time inside the octagon,” Lewis said.
“I’m going to come out blazing.”
Derrick Lewis finished all three rounds in both of his last performances. He most recently picked a unanimous-decision nod against Ilir Latifi at UFC 247 last February.
He previously defeated Blagoy Ivanov via split decision at UFC 244 in November 2019. With 19 of his 23 professional wins coming by finish, Lewis has a reputation for not going the distance.
It took the “The Black Beast” nine UFC fights to finally go the distance. With only two losses in his first 10 UFC appearances, Lewis finished seven of his opponents.
The 35-year-old said he tried feeling out his new skill set during his last two outings. With Oleinik coming off back-to-back wins of his own, Lewis is looking to come out aggressive from the gate.
He plans to not hold back on Saturday night.
“I’ve been trigger shy. It was like I was a new creature, different type of body coming into the octagon, feeling a different fighter, feeling faster and just wanted to test it out,” Lewis said. “Now that I’ve tested it out full force and gone all three rounds in my last two fights, I feel like I’m more comfortable to really let loose in the first round and not gas out. That’s what I plan to do Saturday.”
