Issue 184

November 2019

The veteran heavyweight and former NFL defensive tackle looks back at five of his most significant fights, both inside and outside the octagon.

1. Derrick Lewis, UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs. Mousasi

Simply because he called me out by my name. Where I come from that's some real bullshit. You don't let that fly. So, when he called me out by name I was actually in the crowd. I stood up on my chair and told Mike Mersch to put my name on that contract and send it over. After he said my name out loud I didn't really have a choice. I told Derrick in all the interviews leading up to the fight that I was going to stand over his unconscious body for saying my name out loud. That's exactly what I did.

2. Inner Demons, Ongoing

The toughest fight of my life has been against my inner demons. That is what allowed me to be a professional in both football and fighting as well as become a good father, minus the party boy mentality and wild seed mentality that I have always had. More so than any fight I have ever had in a cage or ring or on any football field, it's been learning how to handle my own personality and knowing my limits and not pressing them all the time. 

3. Travis Browne, UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz

It was a learning experience. It was just the fact that I had never been poked in the eyes like that before. I dropped him in the first with a straight left. I knew I was going to knock him out. He was worried and I could see it in him. Obviously, it didn't go my way. That was one of my biggest lessons. Don't let your balls get too big for your brains. I needed to realize that when I couldn't see and I was telling the ref I was seeing double, when I asked for five more minutes to work my way out of it. Because I did that, now I have a shoulder that looks deformed and I have wire mesh in one of my orbital bones. It was a poor decision on my part but I am a modern day gladiator, or at least that's how I see it. 

4. Lorenzo Fertitta, Former UFC CEO

This won't be found on any list and it won't be nearly as dramatic as fighting my demons but it was my fight against Lorenzo. We went into contract negotiations. I told him what I wanted and he scoffed at it. He asked why I would ask for so much money. I told him exactly why. I went in there by myself. I didn't have a lawyer or an agent with me. I had all of my information prepared and ready. He and I went at it head to head. He offered to double my money, which was much less than what I wanted and much less than what I was worth. I said thanks but no thanks and I walked out. On another occasion I went to Lorenzo with a problem and solution [save money on fight promotion gear to boost fighters' money] and most people don't have the balls to do it. I tried. That might even be number one of my list.

5. Fedor Emelianenko, Bellator NYC

It would be remiss and completely wrong if I didn't say Fedor. I didn't grow up idolizing Fedor. I don't know him the way everybody else does. It wasn't incredibly relevant to me. If I were doing an Oklahoma drill with Barry Sanders I would probably piss all over myself. To me, Fedor is not Barry Sanders. That's just the way I came up. The way that fight went down was bananas. How many double knockdowns have there been in history, let alone in main events featuring the greatest of all time? My life and my career always seems to have that Holy Shit asterisk! My fights typically end up on national or worldwide news for whatever reason. You may not go to my social media to see it but you will see it. The world will know what I did. I understand that is a pretty arrogant perspective as well, but that is also who I am.