Derrick Lewis plans to make a statement in his return at UFC Vegas 68: “People aren’t taking me serious”

Heavyweight slugger Derrick Lewis feels slightly disrespected ahead of his return to the octagon.

Ahead of his UFC Vegas 68 return on Feb. 4, Lewis is looking in the best shape of his career and is hopeful the hard work he’s put in away from the cage shows on fight night. 

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The 37-year-old remains unfazed by people’s opinions of him and feels a win over Sergey Spivac will show he’s still “that guy” in the division.

Derrick Lewis eager on making a statement at UFC Vegas 68

“I know everybody is looking at me with one eye right now,” he told UFC.com in a new interview. “Like, ‘Um, I don’t know,’ so I’m gonna go out there and show them that I’m still that guy. It’s crazy because now I feel like while I’ve been taking my training camp serious, people aren’t taking me serious.

“It’s fine if everyone is underestimating me,” Lewis continued. “It’s great — I love being underestimated. I believe I’ll get the job done, and I believe this is a perfect matchup to get the job done; to go out there and show everyone these skills that I’ve learned over the last few months.”

Lewis has often revealed he’s never taken his training seriously. When he did train, it was never for reasonable amount of time to progress his skillset. However, that’s all changed as “The Black Beast” has revamped his entire training routine and lifestyle to get the desired results.

Lewis is back enjoying practice again

“It’s a great feeling going to the gym now,” Lewis said. “I’m not getting sick of doing my training regimen. I’m real happy about even going to training now.

“Of course you’ll still see the swangin’ and bangin’ — that’s the way of my life,” he concluded. “But also, if we have to switch it up and do some wrestling, I’m down with it.”

Quotes via MMA Mania

Lewis will be seeking a slightly easier fight on Feb.4. Considering his most recent losses have come to Serghei Pavlovich, Tai Tuivasa and Giryl Gane.