Derrick Lewis: Forget UFC title – I just want to pay off house, then I'm done

UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis comes fists first when he faces opponents in the UFC’s octagon. But before he does that, he’s a wreck.

“Up to the fight, the guts and all that – it’s nerve-wracking,” he told MMAjunkie. “I can’t see how some people can really do it.”

And yet, he does, and he does it well. Lewis (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) stopped Ruan Potts (8-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) via second-round TKO on the preliminary card of this past Saturday’s UFC 184 event, which took place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

Lewis got back in the winner’s circle after a knockout loss to Matt Mitrione this past September and is now 3-1 in the UFC. The promotion liked his performance so much it quickly announced his next fight, a meeting with Shawn Jordan (17-6 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 68, which takes place June 6 at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center.

It’s a welcome booking for Lewis, who said he is more concerned with avenging his previous losses than picking opponents who might move him up the heavyweight ladder. Jordan defeated him via decision in his second pro fight back in 2010.

It could also shorten Lewis’ timeline for getting out of the sport, which is sooner than one might think. Unlike most UFC fighters, who talk incessantly of winning and keeping a title, Lewis has more modest aspirations for his cage career.

“I’m trying to get this house paid off, and after that, I really don’t care about fighting,” he said.

Lewis isn’t just ambivalent about fighting because it makes him nervous; he said he’s more family man than anything else when he’s not in the gym or competing in the UFC.

Lewis estimated he has three more fights until he can pay off his house.

And then? “Basically, that’s it,” he said.

Check out the above video to hear the unique Lewis’ thoughts on his career and the challenges he’s faced as a UFC fighter.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 68, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.