Derrick Lewis is currently one of the popular characters inside the octagon in UFC. However, his journey wasn’t that easy. The Black Beast was headed down a path that might have landed him a permanent residence in jail before he found the sport.
After getting engaged in a street fight the fighter ended up in prison. He says he tries to kill his opponents but once the fight stops he changes into a normal person. Unfortunately, 15 years ago there wasn’t any ref on the street to stop him from leaving his rival all bloodied.
In 2005 while Derrick was in high school, he went to jail for a probation violation for an assault charge. The fighter was drunk and ran into a member of the Ku Klux Klan, who insulted Lewis. Though the man was holding a shotgun, Lewis went on to beat him, leaving him all bloodied.
Recently in an interview with Joe Rogan at The Joe Rogan Experience, the fighter shared the aftermath of that incident.
“I have been imprisoned and stuff like that. Did three-and-a-half years in prison for aggravated assault. I ended up getting probation for that. I ended up playing that year at college, Killgore college, violating the probation because I didn’t have a job.”
“I had to pay my fines and fees and show up to my meetings which no one wanted to help me so I ended up getting violated from that… I went to prison for a five-year sentence but I got parole, three-and-a-half years,”
Nevertheless, after all these hardships he finally rose above them to become the star he is today. Derrick Lewis is widely regarded as one of the most impactful fighters today, and his stock continues to rise.
How did the jail experience help, Derrick Lewis?
The Black Beast positively views his jail experience. Derrick believes those 3.5 years helped him stay out of the streets later in his life. He even started his MMA journey just after he was out of jail when his best friend urged him to go to a local MMA gym.
He confessed, “They gave me a lot of motivation. I know how easy it is to slip up and go back into those situations because it was a street fight that ended up bad for the guy I was against and I ended up having to serve almost five years… I believe that I had to go through that situation to be the better person that I am today,”
Watch the Full Interview Here:
He certainly has the aggression to dominate his opponent inside the Octagon. Lewis is a born fighter, and his success inside the Octagon with his incredible knockout power despite his relative lack of all-around skill, is testimony why he will go down as one of the most loved fighters of all time.
