Derrick Lewis: Miocic vs. Cormier was the right fight to make
The heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions will be put on hold due to UFC matching champions Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier for the main event of UFC 226, but Derrick Lewis doesn’t seem to care.
“The Black Beast” believes the UFC made the right decision to book the champion vs. champion bout due to lack of consistency among the current heavyweight contenders.
“It’s good that it’s happening because nobody else in the heavyweight division has been consistent,” he told Ariel Helwani on the latest episode of The MMA Hour. “Whenever it’s the fight before they fight for the belt, they end up losing, like myself.
“I believe it’s a smart move to do it because everybody in the top 10 and the top five, [Miocic] already fought them and he beat them already. By him fighting Cormier, I believe that’s the bang for your buck for pay-per-view sales.”
Lewis thinks the matchup will make for a highly competitive contest, but thinks Cormier will probably win.
“I don’t know, man. It will be a fight to watch,” Lewis said when asked for his pick. “Probably Cormier, he might come in and get it. I don’t know, we’ll see, it’ll be a tough fight to pick a winner.”
Cormier winning the title could potentially lead to fewer title shots being available at heavyweight, as the AKA fighter would have to balance championship responsibilities between two divisions.
Lewis insisted that he doesn’t care who wins the fight because doesn’t care if he ever fights for the heavyweight title.
“I don’t care. I don’t care if I never fight for the belt,” he said. “As long as they pay me good, that’s all I care about.”