Lewis Turned Down Stipe Fight Due To Exhaustion

The UFC was looking for one more ace in the hole for their debut on ESPN+ this weekend, but one of the fighters recognized he needed a break.

Just over two months removed from two fights in less than 50 days, Derrick Lewis would turn down an offer to face former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic on January 19th in Brooklyn.

On Monday, Lewis would confirm that the offer was made, but that he quickly turn it down because he earned a much needed break from the Octagon.

Derrick Lewis tells @arielhelwani that the UFC had asked him to face Stipe Miocic on this weekend’s upcoming card, but he wanted to rest up following the Cormier fight.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) January 14, 2019

Lewis, who earned a come from behind KO win at UFC 229 against Alexander Volkov, became a viral sensation and would gain a heavyweight title shot at UFC 230 against Daniel Cormier less than a month later.

The Houston native will now return in March facing former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos in the main event of March’s UFC Wichita event.