American mixed martial artist Derrick Lewis has had a terrific career in the UFC dating back to his debut in 2014. The 36-year-old heavyweight has an MMA record of 25-8 but never quite managed to claim the UFC heavyweight title for himself.
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Lewis is now older and approaching the end of his MMA career, but he's still the No. 3-ranked heavyweight fighter in UFC. Through the years, he's made a solid amount of money from bashing skulls in the octagon.
So, just how much has Lewis pocketed throughout his career?
Derrick Lewis Personal Life
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Derrick Lewis was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, by a single mother. He had a troubled childhood, which resulted in him and his family fleeing an abusive situation and moving to Houston, Texas.
However, the troubles followed him there. Two weeks after graduating high school, Lewis was arrested for aggravated assault and sentenced to two years of probation after his victim lost sight in one eye. He received a full ride to Kilgore College to play football. He violated his probation and ended up serving nearly four years in prison.
"I carry all of that into every fight that I have ever been in," Lewis told CBS Sports. "That's what really gets me going because of my past. I think about all the tough times and the bad times that I had in my life and I bring them with me into the Octagon only because it's kind of hard to go in there and fight someone who didn't do anything to you. So you really have to find some kind of mental edge on your opponent."
However, "The Black Beast" managed to turn his life around and found his footing with a career in the UFC. Lewis is currently married to his wife, April Davis, with whom he has three children.
Derrick Lewis MMA Career
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Derrick Lewis made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in 2014 with a commanding victory against Jack May. Lewis steadily worked his way up the ranks until he earned his first headlining fight in 2016, when he fought and beat Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC Fight Night.
He followed things up with a win over Travis Browne in 2017 with a performance that earned him the Fight of the Night bonus. Lewis lost his next fight against Mark Hunt but bounced back with a Performance of the Night victory over Marcin Tybura in 2018.
Lewis defeated Francis Ngannou in 2018 at UFC 226 via unanimous decision before taking down Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 just a few months later.
He had done enough to earn a title shot to become the heavyweight champion but was defeated via submission by Daniel Cormier at UFC 230, a fight which took place just over a month after his win over Volkov.
The MMA fighter never got another title shot and suffered another defeat after his loss to Cormier when he fought Junior Dos Santos in 2019. Despite the back-to-back losses, Lewis fought his way back with four consecutive victories, defeating Blagov Iganov, Ilir Latifi, Aleksei Oleinik and Curtis Blaydes.
Lewis' winning streak ended when he fell to Ciryl Gane at UFC 265 for the interim heavyweight championship. He'll have a chance to rebound against Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 199.
Before getting into the UFC, Lewis was making a name for himself in Bellator Mixed Martial Arts and winning the Legacy FC Heavyweight Championship.
Derrick Lewis Net Worth
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Lewis has been fighting professionally for over a decade, and he's fought tooth and nail for every penny he's earned.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lewis boasts an estimated net worth of $1.5 million. If Derrick Lewis gets another shot at the UFC Heavyweight title, and he wins, you can bet the net worth will steadily climb higher.
