Derrick Lewis believes Francis Ngannou deserved next title shot over Daniel Cormier

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis believes there is no need for a trilogy fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.

Miocic knocked out Cormier in the fourth round of their back-and-forth UFC 241 rematch in August to reclaim the heavyweight title. Many felt “DC” would call it a day afterward.

However, he would later confirm that he would be facing Miocic one more time in what would be the last professional fight of his career. While nothing is official yet, that seems to be the plan according to UFC president Dana White.

That leaves Francis Ngannou in limbo. “The Predator” is on a three-fight winning streak which includes impressive first-round knockouts over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, and Junior dos Santos. He also recently expressed his frustration at not getting a fight.

And for Lewis, Ngannou should be the one facing Miocic next:

“Not at all,” Lewis said in an interview with The Schmo after being asked if he was a fan of the trilogy fight. “I think it should have been over with after the second. I believe Francis should have got the shot. But I guess, whatever sells.”

There is some plan for Ngannou, however. With France legalizing mixed martial arts in January 2020, White has been planning a debut event to take place in Paris.

Ngannou is the natural candidate to headline the show and Lewis would be open to facing him in a rematch after what was a drab first affair between the two last year.

“Yeah, if that’s the fight that they want, then that’s fine,” he added.

But first, Lewis needs to get a win over Blagoy Ivanov who he faces at UFC 244 this Saturday at Madison Square Garden. “The Black Beast” will also be looking to end a two-fight losing skid following losses to Cormier and Dos Santos.

UFC 244 takes place this Saturday, November 2, and airs exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States.