Derrick Lewis blames chronic back problems for UFC 324 stoppage loss to Cortes-Acosta

Derrick Lewis has disclosed that a chronic back condition undermined his performance in his second-round stoppage loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324 this past January, with the heavyweight admitting a dramatic post-weigh-in weight gain directly aggravated the injury. Lewis weighed in at 263.5 pounds but ballooned to 296 pounds by fight night — a 32.5-pound rebound that he says set off the persistent back problems that have dogged him throughout his career.

“One of my downfalls I’ve had my whole career is always my back,” Lewis said. “My last fight I cut a lot of weight. I didn’t walk around to where I usually fight at. Right after I made weight, I went all the way back up to 296 [pounds]. I gained way too much weight way too fast, so it hurt me in my last fight. I had back issues the whole time.”

The stoppage itself came after Lewis slipped to the canvas and Cortes-Acosta followed up with a barrage of ground strikes, prompting the referee to intervene. In hindsight, Lewis suggests the back complaint had already compromised his ability to perform before that moment arrived.

The revelation also sheds light on a pattern that has frustrated Lewis’s career. The 29-13 veteran has pulled out of UFC bouts on a day’s notice on three separate occasions, and he now confirms the back condition was the underlying cause each time — a consequence, he explains, of regaining weight too quickly after making the heavyweight limit.

Lewis is scheduled to return on June 14 at UFC White House: Freedom 250, where he faces undefeated prospect Josh Hokit (9-0). Hokit is coming off a decision win over Curtis Blaydes — the first time in his career he has been taken the full distance — and enters the bout with a perfect professional record.