UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier asserts Derrick Lewis is the hardest puncher he’s ever faced.
Lewis, 40, returns to action this weekend at UFC Nashville where he will be hoping to display the firepower in his hands once again.
‘The Black Beast’ holds the record for the most knockout wins in UFC historyGettyThe No. 9 ranked UFC heavyweight takes on Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus Tallison Teixeira, who is undefeated (8-0) in professional MMA but will no doubt understand the tough task at hand.
One man who certainly knows how it feels to stand toe-to-toe with ‘The Black Beast’ is former two-division UFC champion Cormier, who recently named Lewis as the hardest-hitting puncher he’s ever faced in the UFC.
“I’ve only been knocked out one time, so probably the guy that kicked me on the head,” Cormier said in February, stating that the now-retired Jon Jones delivered the hardest hit he had ever received during his 11-year pro career.
However, in terms of punches, Lewis was the first name that came to Cormier’s head.
“But honestly, the hardest puncher was probably Derick Lewis, or one of those heavyweights,” ‘DC’ added.
“Those guys were big…”
Lewis made his UFC debut back in 2014, winning nine of his first 11 bouts in the promotion.
After suffering his third UFC defeat to Mark Hunt in 2017, ‘The Black Beast’ embarked on a three-fight win streak that included a victory over heavyweight great Francis Ngannou to secure his first title shot.
The Louisiana native was submitted by none other than Cormier in a heavyweight title bout in November 2018 before also tasting defeat to Junior Dos Santos.
He has since scored several epic knockouts over the likes of Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus. but lost the chance to become the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion against Ciryl Gane in the summer of 2021.
Cormier traded leather with ‘The Black Beast’ seven years ago in New York He submitted Lewis with a read naked choke in the second roundGETTYHe takes on Brazil’s Teixeira, who is 15 years Lewis’ junior, in the main event of a relatively well-shaped UFC Fight Night card in Tennessee.
Both men headline the Nashville event that also features Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson squaring off with Gabriel Bonfim at welterweight in the co-main event.
Meanwhile, top featherweights like Calvin Kattar and Morgan Charriere feature as well as London-born light heavyweight Tuco Tokkos.
Cormier is likely to be on commentary for the event, with Lewis returning on the back of a 14-month layoff – his last fight coming in May 2024 when he knocked out Rodrigo Nascimento.
“I know he’s Brazilian, and he’s a tall guy,” Lewis told MMA Junkie, speaking on his opponent come Saturday night.
“He’s a heavyweight, so [I’m] pretty sure he’s got knockout power.
Cormier held both UFC titles after beating Lewis at UFC 230 in November 2018GETTY“I haven’t watched any of his fights yet, nothing like that, but my coach told me he’s got a lot of first-round knockouts…
“I’ve been training for like four months now, non-stop really, down to every day, and I never did that before.
“I’m coming into this fight, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in great shape. My six pack will be back.”
Cormier reached the pinnacle of his career in 2018 after becoming the third fighter in UFC history, after Conor McGregor and Amanda Nunes, to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.
He achieved this feat after knocking out Stipe Miocic to become the UFC heavyweight champion in July 2018 when he also ruled the light heavyweight division, largely due to the absence of a suspended Jon Jones.
‘DC’ went toe-to-toe with Jones twice in his career, losing both bouts, although the second fight was ruled a no-contest after ‘Bones’ failed drug tests.
Lewis remains one of the most popular fighters in the UFCGetty - ContributorCormier’s fights with Jones were the only two defeats of his seven-year 15-fight UFC career, until he rematched Miocic.
He dropped the heavyweight belt to the Croatian in 2019 before suffering another defeat in their trilogy one year later, which marked his final fight in Dana White’s promotion.
His last victory in the promotion came at UFC 230 when he submitted Lewis in the second round to retain the heavyweight title.
Cormier was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in May 2022.
UFC CEO Dana White had a glowing review of the heavyweight great when discussing his career.
“Daniel Cormier is one of the most badass competitors of all time,” White said.
“DC faced the greatest athletes in the world on every level of wrestling and MMA.
“He is also the ultimate professional. As an active fighter, he always took time for the media, which led him to become one of the best TV analysts in all of sports.
“DC is one of the greatest ambassadors UFC has ever had, and it’s going to be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
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