UFC heavyweight fighter Derrick Lewis revealed he is in talks with WWE for a potential professional wrestling debut. With WWE and UFC now merged under the banner of TKO, fans wonder if they’ll see any crossover. It appears that UFC fighter Derrick Lewis could be the first fighter to jump from UFC to WWE.
Derrick Lewis last competed in the octagon back in November 2023, where he suffered a loss against Jailton Almeida by unanimous decision. Following the match, during his post-fight interview, Lewis announced that he was likely retiring from mixed martial arts. Later in the month, Lewis revealed that he chose to keep fighting. However, he recently revealed that he has been in talks with WWE for months.
During an interview at the UFC on ESPN press conference, Derrick Lewis discussed the merger between WWE and UFC to form TKO, revealing that he has been in talks with WWE. He stated, “We [WWE and Lewis] are actually in talks right now. We’ve been talking for a few months. I was supposed to go down there in February to check everything out.”
Furthermore, he discussed his finishing move, suggesting it could be similar to WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi’s. He stated, “It’d have to be something like Rikishi. You might see it. I like taking down my shorts. You might see something like that.”
It will be interesting to see if Derrick Lewis considers a move to WWE. Over the years, fans have witnessed MMA fighters transition to WWE, including Ken Shamrock, Ronda Rousey, and Shayna Baszler.
A potential scenario: Derrick Lewis’ debut opponent could be a former WWE Universal champion
UFC Heavyweight fighter Derrick Lewis, who has discussed the possibility of moving to WWE, could confront former WWE Universal champion Braun Strowman in his debut. Strowman, who recently returned to WWE after neck surgery, has faced challenges from outsiders in the professional wrestling industry.
In 2019, Strowman had a match with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia. Recently, on WWE RAW, Strowman also encountered NFL star Patrick Mahomes. With WWE showing trust in Strowman to handle challenges from outsiders, Derrick Lewis could be a perfect opponent for him in his WWE debut, given Strowman’s extensive experience in the professional wrestling world spanning nearly a decade.
