Daniel Cormier: There Will Be No Hail Mary For Derrick Lewis At UFC 230

Daniel Cormier says there will be no last-second knockout for Derrick Lewis at UFC 230.

Cormier will defend his UFC heavyweight title against Lewis in the main event of UFC 230. The heavyweight tilt came to fruition seemingly at the 11th hour as the UFC was scrambling to find a suitable main event after fans bashed the planned Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks bout. Cormer vs. Lewis will be held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 3.

Cormier recently spoke to reporters during a media scrum. He said that while Lewis’ comeback win over Alexander Volkov shows just how tough “The Black Beast” is, “DC” doesn’t plan to be the next victim:

“To watch Derrick do what he’s done, because his story is well-documented; the guy had a tough start to his adult life. To become what he’s become: A millionaire, a successful black man. It’s something to truly appreciate. So when I saw what happened in the Volkov fight, it’s not surprising. … This guy’s a warrior, he’s a fighter and he fought at life, so that makes it easy to fight in the octagon. It was very impressive but not unexpected because I respect what he’s had to accomplish to get to where he is today. But, again, I won’t let him off the hook. There’s no Hail Mary’s when you’re fighting someone like me. He’s going to have to set up that strike more than he’s every had to set up that strike in his career. I’m not just going to hang my chin out there for him to hit.”

This will be Cormier’s first heavyweight title defense and Lewis’ first opportunity at UFC gold. It’ll also be Lewis’ first pay-per-view as a headliner. Stick with MMA News for all the UFC 230 goodness.