UFC Vegas 45 headliner Derrick Lewis did not mince words when explaining why he is rooting against Francis Ngannou in his UFC 270 heavyweight title unification bout against Ciryl Gane.
Lewis (25-8) will be competing in the main event of Saturday’s latest UFC card in Las Vegas, Nev. But he is only four months removed from fighting for the interim heavyweight title against Gane in August. It was a fight he came up short in, but it added unique insight into next month’s pay-per-view main event matchup between Gane (10-0) and Ngannou (16-3). Since he has fought both men and split those matchups. Beating “The Predator” by unanimous decision three years ago.
Having competed against both sides of the January heavyweight title fight, he was asked about the matchup at the Wednesday afternoon media scrum to promote UFC Vegas 45. Lewis did not give an in-depth breakdown of the fight, and expound on the technical aspects of the matchup. He kept it simple in explaining why he is rooting for Gane, and not for the man he considers to be “cocky and arrogant.”
Derrick Lewis rooting for Ciryl Gane to beat Francis Ngannou at UFC 270
“I would like for Gane to win. You know, he seems like a good dude. Seems like a likable guy outside of fighting, so I prefer him. Francis, it is what it is, always f*ck that guy,” Lewis told the media with a laugh.. … “I believe that [Gane] deserves it. I believe also that he’ll be more active in the division. He’s not really cocky [or] arrogant like Francis is. He’s a real likable guy. I ain’t got nothing against Gane.”
This is not the first time that Lewis has been open about his dislike for the native of Cameroon. The pair traded trash talk before their bout in 2018, and that did not sit well with “The Black Beast.” Then in April, Ngannou reportedly turned down a rematch between the two for his newly won title. That too likely riled up the Houston native.
Lewis faces Chris Daukaus at UFC Vegas 45 on Dec. 18. The event will air exclusively on ESPN+ and begins at 4 pm ET.
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