Derrick Lewis is ‘doing fine’ following his withdrawal from UFC Edmonton.
‘The Black Beast’ was supposed to take on 8-0 prospect Jhonata Diniz in an eagerly anticipated heavyweight clash at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada on Saturday night.
Derrick Lewis came in at the 266lb heavyweight limit on Friday morning before skipping the ceremonial weigh-in and being pulled from the event at the last minute.
It was later confirmed by the UFC that Lewis had been removed from the card due to a medical issue that was “non-weight-cut related” – but updates have been scarce since then.
- READ MORE: Jhonata Diniz gets Top 10 heavyweight at UFC 309 after Derrick Lewis pulls out of UFC Edmonton bout
Derrick Lewis coach provides health update
On Saturday, coach Bob Perez shared an update about the UFC fan favorite on his Instagram story.
Perez stopped short of revealing exactly what medical issues Lewis is dealing with, but he did assure worried fans that the UFC KO record holder is doing well.
He wrote: “As you know, Derrick was not medically cleared to fight tonight.
“It is a medical issue unrelated to weight cut. He’s doing fine.
“Thank you for reaching out to check on him.”
The man himself hasn’t provided an update personally, and although his health issue remains a mystery, fans are glad to hear that he’s doing okay after his shock withdrawal from UFC Edmonton.
UFC exec remains coy on Derrick Lewis
The intrigue around Lewis and his pull-out continued after UFC Edmonton.
Executive Vice President, Head of International and Content Dave Shaw was quizzed about Lewis when he stood in for Dana White at the post-fight press conference.
He said about Lewis: “There’s really no update beyond what the official release was, which was a non-fight-related medical issue and not a weight cut-related medical issue.
“It was all happening in real time. So, we didn’t have enough answers at the point of the ceremonial weigh-in yesterday.
“You know, he weighed in yesterday morning, he had to cut a bit but that’s not uncommon for him. Over the course of the afternoon, he started to get medical treatment, and we just didn’t have any answers.
“At that point, it made more sense for us to proceed with the weigh-ins with Diniz and try to figure out what was going on before making any decisions.
“There’s no substitute for taking the safe road when it comes to fighter health and safety, so it was the right decision for him not to compete.”