Lewis: 'I need to be cut' if Ngannou fight goes the distance

If Derrick Lewis' date with Francis Ngannou doesn't go as expected, the UFC should part ways with him.

Lewis himself said as much on the latest edition of the "UFC Unfiltered" podcast, vowing the long-awaited July clash of heavyweight bangers wouldn't see the scorecards, and that he'd take his talents elsewhere if it did.

"Nah, it can’t go bell-to-bell," Lewis said. "There ain’t no way. If it goes bell-to-bell, I need to be cut."

Both Lewis and Ngannou have cemented themselves as knockout artists over their respective promotional stints. The Houston transplant promised Ngannou wouldn't have to fret over the threat of takedowns as he did in his failed bid to dethrone Stipe Miocic when the cage door shuts, and expects he won't either.

"Yes, I feel like I match up well," Lewis said. "He ain’t gonna have to worry about no takedowns and there ain’t no telling that he ain’t gonna try to take me down.

"I just know that we’re going to swing it out and it’s going to be a good fight."

The pair of behemoths have exchanged barbs over the past several months, with Lewis questioning whether Ngannou is in fact 31 years of age as advertised, and the fan favorite seized the opportunity to cast further aspersions on his foe this week.

"I don’t think he even speak English or understand English that good for me to even remotely get close to getting under his skin," Lewis said. "The trash talking on the internet, I believe that's his manager or his coaches or somebody.

"They are the ones saying all that s--- because I don’t know how he can barely speak English and type better than me."

Lewis and Ngannou will square off July 7 at UFC 226 in Las Vegas.

- With h/t to MMANytt