Skip to main content

Chael Sonnen pleads with Dana White to re-sign Derrick Lewis after UFC 291

Chael Sonnen would love to see Derrick Lewis remain in the UFC.

In the final fight of his contract, Lewis dispatched of Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1 MMA, 10-7 UFC) in just 33 seconds in this past Saturday’s main card at UFC 291 to reclaim his top spot for most knockouts in company history. The fan favorite heavyweight followed that up with a memorable post-fight celebration in which he took his shorts off, which sent the fans at Delta Center in Salt Lake City into a frenzy.

Lewis (27-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC) said he’d like to remain with the UFC, and Sonnen urged UFC president Dana White to keep him on the roster. Considering that Lewis was originally scheduled to compete on the prelims, Sonnen says we almost missed out on an incredible show from “The Black Beast.”

“Think about where he was supposed to be (on the card),” Sonnen said on the ESPN post-show. “He was supposed to be on earlier in the night – the building’s still filling up. You probably don’t get the interview with Joe Rogan. I’m just sharing for you, it’s a little bit different (if he’d have fought on the prelims as originally scheduled).

“Look, Dana, I’ve asked you for things before – but not in a while. I feel like I’m owed one. Please re-sign this guy. I’m not done with Derrick. I want to see more Derrick Lewis. I’ll leave it at that.”

With the win, the two-time title challenger snapped a three-fight skid, and said he still has another title run in him.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.



from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/tdhjX43
via IFTTT

Popular posts from this blog

Sean Strickland: Israel Adesanya title fight '100 percent should be in the cards' with win over Abus Magomedov

Sean Strickland thinks a fight with Israel Adesanya is imminent if he can get past Abus Magomedov . Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) meets Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) July 1 at a UFC Fight Night main event at the UFC Apex. Strickland is one of the few top-ranked contenders to never face middleweight champion Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC), so he sees title implications with a win. “If this fight goes my way, it 100 percent should be in the cards,” Strickland told My MMA News . “I f*cking had a close decision with f*cking – what the f*ck was that guy’s name? Jared Cannonier, you knocked some brain cells out of me. Solid guy. Thought I won on the scorecards, but it is what it is. I truly believe I should be the one fighting Izzy, but I lost fair and square. I’ll pay my tenants. I’ll get some Ws, but yeah, that one needs to happen.” Strickland being matched up with Magomedov came as a surprise, considering Magomedov has only one octagon win. Strickland admits it’s not the fight he...

Max Griffin offended by booking against Michael Morales: 'They're sending a guy that they think can beat me'

LAS VEGAS – Max Griffin is not exactly happy with his matchup against Michael Morales . The 37-year-old welterweight veteran is set to take on Michael Morales on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex. This booking made Griffin (19-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) feel like he’s been set up to be a stepping stone for Morales (14-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who’s unbeaten and just 24 years old – and that has Griffin fuming. “I have a thing for these new guys: I get offended,” Griffin told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “So it’s another guy, 14-0, fought Trevin Giles. That was a terrible fight from Trevin Giles. He beat him in the beginning but burned his arms out, getting sloppy, and got knocked out. … He (Morales) ain’t fought nobody. It’s not even about who y’all fought, but I am me. I am him. I’m not the guy you want to fight when you’re that raw, that new.” Although there’s something to be said about Morales’s promise and rise, Griffin is not getting caught in a ba...

UFC free fight: Amir Albazi clamps on rear-naked choke to tap Francisco Figueiredo in first

Amir Albazi showed off his finishing prowress at one of the biggest pay-per-view cards of 2022. At UFC 278 last August, Albazi made quick work of Francisco Figueiredo, winning the fight in the first round with a rear-naked choke submission. The victory was his third of three fights in the UFC, and his second first-round finish. You can watch Albazi’s fantastic performance against Figueiredo in the video above. Related UFC on ESPN 45 pre-event facts: Jim Miller can add to octagon wins record, be first to 25 Albazi returns to action Saturday for his first main event under the UFC banner at UFC on ESPN 45 . He takes on Kai Kara-France in a flyweight matchup. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and airs live on ESPN and ESPN+. Albazi (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to extend his current win streak to six straight. He enters Saturday’s main even on the heels of a third-round finish of Alessandro Costa in December. Kara-France (24-10 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will look to retur...