Derrick Lewis discusses the role sex is playing in his preparations for UFC 230

If Derrick Lewis is going to win his short-notice UFC 230 heavyweight title fight with champ Daniel Cormier, he’s going to need to make sure his cardio is on point.

From the sounds of it, he’s very focused on getting his lungs and ticker to the level they need to be at — he’s just doing it his own way.

“Right now I’m a 2X. Usually I’m a 3X but I’m slimming down a little bit so I’m a 2X,” Lewis told The Rich Eisen Show recently (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I’ve been doing nothing but cardio. Even the sex. The sex really been helping my hips. I know Cormier is a wrestler so you really got to get them hips down on him so I’ve been working them hips really good.”

There is an old adage in the world of pugilism that suggests fighters shouldn’t have sex before battle. Derrick Lewis says he isn’t buying it. In fact, he’s proven it to be a myth himself.

“Not me,” Lewis said. “Some times, a couple of times, I had sex the same day as I fought. Just to see if that myth was right, and it wasn’t right. But I was sleepy afterwards but I still had the energy though.”

If it sounds like Derrick Lewis isn’t taking his UFC 230 scrap with Daniel Cormier seriously, think again. He guarantees that it will not be an easy night for the champion.

“I think Cormier is gonna come out and try to wrestle me, try to get me tired, and try to push the pace,” Lewis said. “I know he might not say that I’m on his level but I think I am and he thinking that I’m not, really. He’s thinking that it’s gonna be an easy fight for him, thinking that I don’t train hard like he does. Just because he’s an Olympic wrestler he’s thinking that it’s gonna be an easy fight for him.”

“Everyone else is a mixed martial artist,” he added, discussing his peers. “I’m not a mixed martial artist, I’m a brawler. Basically, I guess they just thinking I’ve been winning my fights just by luck. I just think I’ve been winning my fights on heart.”

What do you think of Derrick Lewis’ training methods for UFC 230?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/25/2018.