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Derrick Lewis isn't bothered by Josh Hockett's antics; he's solely focused on making Donald Trump proud.
This weekend, Lewis is set to face Hockett in a preliminary bout at the UFC White House event. The fight was a late addition to the card, reportedly at the explicit request of US President Donald Trump, a known fan of Lewis. Despite being the final fight added, Hockett and Lewis have already garnered significant attention, largely due to Hockett's eccentric behavior during the press conference. However, as a seasoned veteran in combat sports, Lewis remains unfazed.
"I don't really care," Lewis stated regarding Hockett's outbursts at the press conference. "I believe guys do stuff like that just because they don't have anything else to grab onto. He doesn't know me, I don't know him."
"So I believe he's just talking and doing stuff like that to get under someone's skin that he doesn't know. We're going to be punching each other in a couple of weeks, so you've got to find some type of motivation," the fighter added.
"I'm not interested in all that talk," Lewis continued. "I've been in this sport long enough to know that guys can say whatever they want. Say what you want, it doesn't matter. They ask us these questions all the time, so sometimes fighters don't know what to say and they just say whatever comes to mind. That's what I do."
What truly excites Lewis is his performance this weekend. He had a dreadful last outing, losing by technical knockout to Waldo Cortes-Acosta in January at UFC 324. Lewis attributed his poor showing to a back injury, which he claims is now fully healed. He enters this fight eager to prove himself.
"It's all about how I'm going to knock this guy out. I believe I can," Lewis said. "He takes a lot of shots. I believe he can't take what I'm willing to give him. It's cliché, I don't want to sound cliché, but this is truly the best shape I've been in. Conditioning, everything. I really want to perform well."
"It's especially important that I don't want to let the President down. I want to go out there and perform. To show everyone why I'm one of his favorite fighters."
Lewis currently holds the record for the most knockouts in UFC history with 16. He also holds the unofficial record for the most pants-dropping celebrations in the Octagon, a signature move after a victory. But while he intends to extend his knockout record, "The Black Beast" stated that the nature of the White House event means his unofficial record won't be improved this weekend.
"I'm going to be more professional, so I'll just throw my cup into the crowd," Lewis said.
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