Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis believes that he has been fighting with a torn ACL for the past four years. Lewis comes off a second-round TKO loss to Junior dos Santos in Wichita, Kansas. Lewis revealed to ESPN that, prior to the fight, it was revealed that he had a torn ACL in his left leg.

However, after consulting with doctors, it was determined he could still go on with the fight. “The Black Beast” claims his leg gave out on him in the second round of his fight with “JDS.” In the process, he also tore his MCL and meniscus. He’ll have his knee surgically repaired next Tuesday and hopes to be sidelined for approximately six months.

The report includes that doctors believe Lewis initially tore the ACL during his 2015 fight against Ruan Potts. It’s believed the tear occurred when Potts went for a kneebar attempt. However, Lewis was able to win the fight via TKO in the second round. With that being said, Lewis will now be sidelined for a significant period of time after fighting four times in 2018, and once this year.

It will be interesting to see who he shares the Octagon with upon his eventual return. He’s currently on a two-fight losing streak after his defeat to dos Santos. His previous loss came in his UFC 230 heavyweight title fight against Daniel Cormier.