Derrick Lewis didn’t get paid after last-minute UFC 216 injury withdrawal

The most recent UFC pay-per-view on the calendar was UFC 216, which went down on October 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the card ultimately went down as a very fun one, it was unfortunately rattled by a last minute loss to its main card, as heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis was forced out of his planned scrap with former champion Fabricio Werdum.

The catalyst for Lewis’ withdrawal was a back injury. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Lewis revealed that this injury was so painful that it left him in tears, and unfortunately, he didn’t even receive a payday to help him swallow this unfortunate blow. Though his back injury and resulting withdrawal from UFC 216 was certainly beyond his control, Lewis was not compensated at all by the UFC.

Revealed on #TheMMAHour Derrick Lewis didn’t get paid anything after having to pull out with his back at UFC 216.

— Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) October 16, 2017

Also on The MMA Hour, Lewis revealed that there was an attempt to get his fight with Werdum rebooked for the UFC’s upcoming Fight Night in Sydney, Australia. Regrettably, he’s still having too much trouble with his back to return to the cage just yet.

Lewis says they wanted to rebook the Werdum fight in Australia on Nov. 19, but he’s still dealing with his back problems #TheMMAHour

— Alexander K Lee (@AlexanderKLee) October 16, 2017

Derrick Lewis holds an 18-5-1 professional mixed martial arts record, and last fought Mark Hunt back in June, losing by TKO in the fourth round. In the wake of this loss to Hunt, Lewis briefly considered retirement.

Prior to his bout with Hunt, Lewis was on a roll in the UFC heavyweight division, riding high on a six-fight winning streak including triumphs over Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson, and most recently, Travis Browne.

Do you think the UFC should have paid Derrick Lewis, despite his withdrawal from UFC 216? Join the conversation in the comments section.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/16/2017.