Biography(references)Born and raised as one of seven siblings, the second oldest, by a single mother in New Orleans, Louisiana, Lewis was troubled growing up and was often involved in street fighting. At the age of 17, Lewis began training in boxing and was preparing for his first amateur fight when the gym unexpectedly shut down. Two weeks after graduating from high school, Lewis was charged with aggravated assault, and was placed on probation. Two years later, while attending Kilgore College on a full scholarship for football, Lewis violated his probation and was sentenced to five years in prison, but ended up serving three and a half. A week after being released, Lewis was introduced to mixed martial arts by a friend and, while working as a tow-truck driver, continued with boxing under the tutelage of George Foreman.
Combat ApproachLewis greatly prefers stand-up fighting, which he refers to as "swangin' and banging", and has been noted by fans and commentators for his surprising ability to seemingly shrug off the grappling/wrestling offense of his opponents while in the bottom position, and simply 'stand up'. However, analysts have noted that when facing fighters with a background in folkstyle wrestling, such as Daniel Cormier, Lewis finds it more difficult to escape the bottom position. Nonetheless, Lewis appeared to simply 'standup' when threatened with a crucifix position by Roy Nelson, a fighter with a wrestling pedigree.
Fighter Trivia(references)During the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Lewis pulled an estimated 100 people from the flood waters in Houston, Texas via his lifted truck. On May 18, 2021, Lewis was returning to his car after a workout when he discovered a man allegedly trying to open the door of his vehicle. Lewis reportedly struck the alleged thief and pinned him to the ground until the police arrived.
Awards & Accolades
UFC: Most knockouts in UFC history (13)
UFC: Most knockouts in UFC Heavyweight history (13)
UFC: Tied for most finishes in UFC Heavyweight division history (13) (tied with Frank Mir)
UFC: Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes
UFC: Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Travis Browne, Mark Hunt, and Junior dos Santos
Legacy Fighting Championship: Legacy FC Heavyweight Championship (One time). One successful title defense
Legacy Fighting Championship: One successful title defense
Legacy Fighting Championship: One successful title defense
MMAJunkie.com: 2018 Comeback of the Year vs. Alexander Volkov
This radar shows the proficiencies of the fighter compared to the rest of the fighter's main division. Shows the % of others this fighter is better than in that category. Striking % refers to striking accuracy and Takedown % refers to takedown accuracy More area is better.
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This graph shows high-profile fighters and how they are connected to each other. The lines are fights that connect the fighter avatars with the color of the line representing the outcome for the fighter. Click on the fighters and the lines for relevant info!
