Derrick Lewis is one of the most successful heavyweight contenders in the UFC. And most of the credit for his success goes to his durability and the ability to end the fight at any moment with one punch. Derrick Lewis is one of the most loved fighters in UFC for his entertaining fighting style and humor during the press conferences.
But there is more to Derrick Lewis than just funny comments. Lewis has overcome many obstacles in his life to become one of the biggest names in the UFC heavyweight division. And the tattoos on his body certainly tell a fascinating tale about The Black Beast. So let’s check out all the tattoos on the body of The Black Beast.
Derrick also has a suggestion for the people who are getting tattooed for the first time: “My advice to anyone that’s wanting to get their first tattoo, don’t go to Vegas and get it whenever you’re drunk or high off of bars and stuff like that. I don’t know, take bars and nothing like that, I do drink though.”
Lewis has a total of 11 tattoos on his body each of which has its own meaning. Let’s take a look at what each of them signifies.
Derrick Lewis explained the purpose and importance behind each tattoo in an interview with GQ Sports.
Derrick Lewis breaks down and explains the meaning behind his tattoos
Knock out king tattoo
Derrick Lewis (25-7) is a knock-out artist inside the UFC Octagon. Out of his 25 wins, he has knocked 20 people out. So, he inked the tattoo which reads ” knock-out king” back in 2018 on the top of his chest.
‘Crown and Gloves’ Tattoo
Though he didn’t explain the exact meaning of this tattoo it might be the symbol of victory and the gloves are what represents his profession. It represents his love for boxing.
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‘Hard Times’ Tattoo
While explaining about this tattoo he says ” This one ever I had a six-pack so I put hard times because you know six-packs are hard” he further adds ” that’s all I have been through my whole life, from hard times and I guess you could say that I finally got over all of the hard times when I became a UFC fighter“.
‘LORD KNOWS’ Tattoo
while explaining about this tattoo lewis said: “Lord knows, of course just something religious but um, Lord knows what I would do to you with these hands, ya know. That’s basically what I’m saying.” Rightly so, he barely spares any of his opponents inside the octagon.
“Loyalty and Respect” Tattoo
Derrick wants to show that if some respects him he will get the same from him with loyalty, he further states: “This is what I want to live by. I want everyone to treat me with respect and just to know that I’m a loyal guy.”
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Owl tattoo on Neck
The “Owl” is actually a cover-up to his previous tattoo which used to be a black beast. As he believes it portrays him as more of a wise man than he was before. Owl is a symbolic representation of knowledge and wisdom.
“Texan City” tattoo
Derrick was born in Louisiana, the United States. However, he grew up in Houston. He says he loves everything about the places as a memory hence he inked Texan city on the inner side of his right arm. Lewis states: “I was born in New Orleans, but I lived in Houston since 1998. I’m a big Houston fan. I love everything Houston. This is the Texan tattoo. This is the last tattoo I got.
“Gorilla” tattoo
Lewis has inked himself with a gorilla tattoo on his right and left upper arms. This is another cover-up to a previous tattoo of a ‘cross’ with his mom’s name.
“got it covered up, and got my gorilla on this side, and a gorilla on this side as well. I train at a gym called Silver Back. Gorilla is one of my favorite animals so I wanted to always be a gorilla, that’s the reason why I pound on my chest, slam on the ground. Stuff like that” Lewis states.
Derrick certainly loves gorillas a lot. As he pounds on his chest after he wins just like a gorilla.
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