Derrick Lewis is set to compete in a huge match this weekend. He will be fighting No. 9-ranked Jailton Almeida at UFC Fight Night 231. ‘The Black Beast’ will be replacing Curtis Blaydes as he takes on the Brazilian on his home turf. However, it looks like Derrick is not a big fan of competing in Brazil.
‘The Black Beast’ is known for his knockout power and his amazing sense of humor. The Houston native even got a commercial because of his infamous funny line. However, while discussing his upcoming match at the UFC Fight Night 231, he did not want to fight in Brazil.
Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis!
Your heavyweight main event checking in for #UFCSaoPaulo fight week! pic.twitter.com/Tc4Ng0ej5E
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 1, 2023
According to Derrick, his manager called him to discuss the fight, and he straight-up accepted it. “I accepted it and he said only one thing, it’s Brazil and I said damn,” said Lewis. Furthermore, he said that he told his manager that he never wanted to fight in Brazil.
“I said you already know I never wanna fight over there but he said it’s the only chance that we’re gonna get to fight this year,” said Lewis. Furthermore, ‘The Black Beast’ said that this was the only season he accepted to fight in Sao Paulo.
Derrick also said that he is not worried about the Brazilian crowd as he doesn’t speak Portuguese. He also admitted that he needs to beat a top 5 opponent after beating Almeida to get close to the UFC heavyweight title.
Why Derrick Lewis doesn’t like fighting in Brazil?
‘The Black Beast’ believes that he was tricked into taking this fight in Brazil, as he had already accepted the fight before knowing about the location. Derrick Lewis has given two strong reasons for his dislike of Brazil.
In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Lewis opened up about his stance on not fighting in Brazil. “I’d always said to my manager, I would never fight in Brazil because of the taxes being so bad,” said Lewis. Furthermore, he said that taxes are so bad that he is basically fighting for the Brazilian government.
Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis. 🔥
Le premier face-à-face. #UFCSaoPaulo 🇧🇷pic.twitter.com/dP9h0iY2Fm
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) November 1, 2023
According to Lewis, he will be making no money once he pays his coaches. “I’m not getting out of it…And that’s if I don’t get pickpocketed here,” said ‘The Black Beast’. Furthermore, he is having difficulties finding a good meal in Sao Paulo.
Derrick said that he cannot trust the Brazilian food as he believes that it will make him sick. Furthermore, he admitted that he couldn’t wait to go back home. This is just the fourth time that Lewis has traveled outside the USA for a UFC fight.