UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis has more motivation than usual when it comes to fighting Travis Browne.
“I have a couple things that motivate me in this fight,” Lewis said on the SFLC Podcast. “He’s a wife beater. I spent my whole childhood life watching my mom get beat by my stepdad. For me, fighting a guy like this is motivation too. Growing up, not being able to do anything, feeling helpless to help fight off my stepdad.”
Lewis was originally scheduled to fight Browne at UFC 208 on Feb. 11 in Brooklyn, New York. However, the fight has since been pushed back to Feb. 19 and will headline a UFC Fight Night event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Lewis says he is happy the fight got moved to a later date.
“I’m happy to get the eight days because I’ve had the flu the last week,” Lewis said. “I’m still kind of sick right now but I’m finally getting my energy back, so I’m happy I got eight more days.”
Lewis is on a five-fight win streak in the UFC. He is coming off a TKO win over Shamil Abdurakhimov in December. In July, Lewis scored the biggest win of his MMA career when he won a split decision over Roy Nelson. Lewis’ win streak also includes TKO wins over Gabriel Gonzaga, Damian Grabowski, and Viktor Pesta.
Browne is on a two-fight losing streak. He is coming off a decision loss to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum in September. In July, Browne lost to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez by TKO.
