Dana White: Daniel Cormier, Derrick Lewis to fight for UFC heavyweight title at UFC 230

·Staff writer

October 9, 2018 at 5:05 p.m.

Last time he fought, UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier called out Brock Lesnar.

It turns out he’ll be meeting another big-time talker in the Octagon instead.

Derrick Lewis to get title shot vs. Daniel Cormier

UFC president Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on Tuesday that Derrick Lewis will challenge Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight championship. The bout will take place on Nov. 3 in New York at UFC 230.

Lewis rallied for a stunning late knockout of Alexander Volkov after looking defeated multiple times at Saturday’s UFC 229.

Lewis’ star rose at UFC 229

Lewis went on to top himself post-fight, stripping down to his underwear for an endearing, expletive-laden post-fight interview that made him a favorite of fans getting to know him for the first time in the undercard to Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor.

USA in this hoe
My balls was hot
I need to sick my black ass down and do some cardio
This is top 5 post fight interviews ever #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/sHiW9Erhwg
— The Man Who Sold The World (@LordBalvin) October 7, 2018

Cormier’s 1st heavyweight defense

Cormier earned the heavyweight belt at UFC 226 when he upset then-champion Stipe Miocic with a first-round knockout courtesy of his right hand. With the victory, Cormier picked up his second belt, already having been crowned UFC’s light heavyweight champion.

Immediately after the fight, Cormier called out former heavyweight champion Lesnar, who was in the arena.

“Listen to DC! Listen to DC!” he said, referring to himself by his nickname. “There is a guy I’ve known a long time: A wrestler, an All-American, a former UFC heavyweight champion. Brock Lesnar, get your ass in here!”

Dana White announced on Tuesday that Derrick Lewis will challenge Daniel Cormier, above, for the heavyweight championship at UFC 230. (AP)

Lesnar abided, joining Cormier in the Octagon and shoving him, seemingly setting up a fight with big pay-per-view appeal.

But Lesnar will have to wait, as Lewis’ performance against Volkov with his fists and after the fight with his mouth made him a big enough name to earn a title shot. He is ranked as UFC’s No. 2 heavyweight contender behind Miocic.

Lewis said he didn’t want title shot yet

It will be a quick turnaround for Lewis, just weeks after his UFC 229 victory.

He even said after the fight that he didn’t feel ready for a title shot.

“I really don’t think I’m ready for a title shot,” Lewis said. “That’s five rounds. I can barely go three rounds.

“I used to train 30 minutes a day when I trained. This camp, I trained for an hour. I guess I’ve got to hype up my hours more in training.”

If Lewis is truly worried about his conditioning, he won’t have much time to make the adjustment.

Shevchenko-Jedrzejczyk back on for UFC 231

The previously scheduled headliner between Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks for the vacated women’s flyweight belt has been canceled.

Instead, Shevchenko will take on Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the title at UFC 231 in Toronto, a match that was previously scheduled but canceled to make war for the Shevchenko-Eubanks fight at UFC 230, MMA Fighting reports.

Fans and fighters were unhappy with the scheduled Shevchenko-Eubanks fight, with Eubanks being a relative unknown in the sport, according to MMA Fighting.