Derrick Lewis wants referee Dan Miragliotta to stay away from his fights from now on.
Ahead of his return against Serghei Spivac at UFC Vegas 68 on Saturday, the ‘Black Beast’ voiced concern over having Miragliotta as the third man in the Octagon, especially after the way he reffed his past two fights. He suffered back-to-back (T)KOs to Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich, the latter of which Lewis protested immediately.
Given his past experiences with Miragliotta, Lewis told reporters at media day on Wednesday that he would prefer another referee to oversee the action between him and Spivac.
“They act like they didn’t see that last fight,” said Lewis. “They’re going to stop the fight all early and this and that, and be like, ‘Oh man, I don’t know if Derrick still has it.’ Come on, man. Dan Miragliotta, or whatever his name is, he’s got a conspiracy out on me, man.
“The last two fights I lost, he’s been the ref,” continued Lewis. “And if he’s the ref on this fight, I’m going to be like, ‘Nah, I don’t want him’ and if they’re still going to try to put him into cage. When he says, ‘Fighter, are you ready? Fighter, are you ready?,’ I’m going to say no. We’re going to need Herb Dean or somebody up in there. He ain’t reffing none of my fights. No offense to him. He’s a great guy, I’m pretty sure, but I don’t want him reffing none of my fights.”
Though on a two-fight losing streak, Lewis says he can still be in the top five of the heavyweight division. Right now, the 37-year-old is ranked No. 7, so perhaps a win over a rising contender like Spivac could give him a boost in the rankings.
UFC Vegas 68 goes down on Sat., February 4, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)
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