Derrick Lewis is one of the best heavyweight fighters in the current UFC roster. Widely regarded as one of the most dominant and dangerous fighters in the UFC, owing to his devastating knockout power and his ability to put the lights out of his opponent at any moment of the fight.
The Black Beast has 20 knockouts to his name out of his 25 wins in his MMA career. Additionally, he tops the UFC charts for the most knockouts/TKO in the promotion with 12 KO/TKO. Therefore he is widely respected by his rivals and fight fans all across the world. Moving on, let’s take a look at how did Derrick Lewis get the moniker “The Black Beast?”
The announcer started to call Derrick Lewis from this nickname The Black Beast ever since the beginning of his MMA journey. The first known instance where an announcer called him by this moniker was when he defeated Nick Mitchell via stoppage in the first round at the WGC event in 2010.
As a consequence, Derrick Lewis has always been recognized as The Black Beast by fans around the world. there have been no changes to his alias even after he got into UFC. Fight fans have given him this name because of his aggressive fighting style and overwhelming punching power.
Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier has complimented Derrick Lewis as he believes that the Black Beast is the hardest puncher he has ever faced. Therefore this nickname does great justice to the UFC fighter as he fights like a beast inside the octagon.
When did Derrick Lewis break out of the Gorilla celebration?
Derrick’s victory celebration is an action that resembles his moniker The Black Beast. Derrick Lewis revealed the reason for his celebration after a fight on UFC’s YouTube channel. “They call me the Black Beast, so basically, that’s why I beat on my chest like a gorilla and I do a little stare or whatever, like a gorilla pose, a beast staring at a prey, and I slit my throat.”
The Black Beast started this celebration even before he made his debut in UFC. He started doing his trademark beating on the chest since his MMA debut in 2010 in the Worldwide Gladiator event. However, he modified his celebration later by doing the gorilla pose and slitting the throat in his debut fight against Jack May at UFC on Fox 11.
He won the fight against Jack via TKO in the first round and did his trademark gorilla pose. Ever since that moment he has been celebrating in this unique style after winning his fights in the promotion. Moreover, he has embraced this name and with the celebration, has made it his own.
In the end, it is needless to say, Derrick Lewis is rightly called The Black Beast because his achievements and knockouts in the octagon are enough to demonstrate his brute strength and power which is similar to a gorilla.
Also Read: Everything You Need to Know About Derrick Lewis and His Wife