UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis once again made headlines at UFC Nashville, not just for his first-round finish but for his post-bout antics that have become signature moments in his career.
During the press conference after the match, Lewis was directly asked about his now-famous tradition of announcing his intentions to “make love” to his wife after victories.
When questioned about how his wife feels about these public declarations, Lewis simply turned to his wife in the audience and asked, “How you feel, babe?” Her response was a clear thumbs up, showing she’s fully supportive of her husband’s unfiltered personality.
The more intriguing story emerged regarding his conversation with President Trump immediately after the match. Lewis revealed he had been requesting this call for weeks.
Derrick stated, “I’ve been telling Dana a couple of weeks now. I need to talk to him about something.” When pressed about the nature of their discussion, Lewis remained mysteriously tight-lipped, describing it as “classified” and involving “serious stuff” related to “t**rorists and stuff like that.”
Lewis playfully suggested he and Trump share a distrust of the FBI, joking, “We don’t like the FBI right now, me and Trump. They’re trying to get that list out of us.”
The heavyweight contender emphasized that their business discussion was far from over, telling the president during their call, “wait till I get to the White House so we can really talk.” This has sparked speculation about potential future meetings between the fighter and former president.
When ranking his celebrations, Lewis placed this one at number one specifically because of the presidential phone call. He stated, “I’m probably number one just because the president called me.”
President Trump did reach out to congratulate Lewis after his spectacular finish over Jhonata Diniz. The impromptu phone call Lewis refers to came courtesy of UFC CEO Dana White, who facilitated the conversation between the president and the fighter.
“Derek came over and said, ‘Where’s the president?’ I said, ‘He’s not here tonight.’ I said, ‘But he’s watching and I got him on the phone and put him on the phone with him,'” White explained during the post-fight press conference. The UFC boss revealed that Trump had been following the action from afar and was eager to speak with Lewis following his impressive performance.
White admitted he had no insight into the specifics of their conversation, telling reporters, “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask him. I don’t know what they talked about.”
However, White couldn’t resist joking about Lewis’s potential motivation for the call, suggesting, “Maybe he’s trying to book himself a fight on the White House. That’s what everybody’s trying to do right now.”
The timing of the call was particularly significant given the UFC’s upcoming plans for a historic White House card, scheduled for approximately one year from now. The event is set to take place on the south lawn of the White House.
Lewis, who has previously expressed interest in competing at the White House venue, may have been working on more than just congratulations during his conversation with Trump. “Well, it sounds like he was working on that relationship this evening,” White quipped when asked about Lewis’s White House ambitions and potential need for a pardon.
The president’s engagement with the UFC event extended beyond just the post-fight call. White revealed that Trump had texted both him and Kid Rock earlier in the evening to let them know he was watching the matches unfold in Nashville.
