27 July 2023 , 16:19
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UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis feared he had died after passing out while finishing a brutal weight cut ahead of his most recent fight this February.
Lewis has been on a difficult three-fight losing streak, which he looks to snap on Saturday night at UFC 291 against Marcos Rogerio de Lima in Salt Lake City. He has been stopped within two rounds in all three of those defeats, with the last two coming inside of a round against Serghei Spivac and Sergei Pavlovich.
And the hard-hitting heavyweight, who is a massive fan favourite for his action-packed fights in the cage and wacky antics outside of it, has been changing things up ahead of his return. He has detailed a near-death experience he suffered while trying to get down to 266lb with a near two-stone cut within three days.
“The last fight, I actually passed out just before weigh-ins,” Lewis told media in Utah yesterday. “I blacked out, my coaches had to carry me, make sure I stayed conscious, and I just didn’t have any energy the rest of the week. I cut like 25lb in three days, not eating, just drinking water, well probably just a little something to eat.
"It was a big eye-opener and it was in the back of my head during the fight. I felt like I actually died, and I was thinking about all of the other fighters who went through that; they blacked out, came back, and couldn’t fight, they didn’t let the fighter fight. Good thing it happened at the [UFC Performance Institute] and they gave me everything I needed to get up and walk out of there. It was a very scary moment.”
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He has since changed his approach to making the upper weight limit, and insisted to media that he was already on weight for the fight this weekend. He will tip the scales tomorrow morning in the city which has caused controversy for its elevation, which has hindered fighters due to the altitude in previous bouts.
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And he is keen to get back in the win column after an heart-breaking string of results, adding: “It really sucks, I know I should’ve beaten that guy. I had a lot to prove that fight and I just felt like - man, I just let myself down. I just really wanted that back, and right now, I’ve got this perfect opportunity to fight this guy.
"I don’t remember his name, but I’m sure I’ll remember his name on Saturday. I think another problem is feeling like I’ve had something to prove. I’m excited to go in there and just fight. Don’t worry about what anyone says about me, or anything like that, just go out there and have fun.
“I really believe that on Saturday, I’m going to really have fun out there and you’re going to see something different in me, because I’ve been feeling good. I actually stuck to my diet. We’ve been training for 10, 11 weeks now, and I actually stuck to my diet for like one day, and I feel good.”