Derrick Lewis is all set to make his Octagon return at UFC 324. His opponent? Dominican Republic’s own Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who made headlines for fighting five times in 2025. Both are spectacular power punchers who like to slug it out in the cage, which is why fans became highly excited to see these two giants clash on January 24th. However, it appears the UFC had another compelling option in mind for ‘The Black Beast’s return.

The Texas native holds the record for the most knockouts in UFC history, finishing 16 opponents inside the cage. Moreover, Lewis has fought for the title twice, so he definitely carries a strong reputation behind his name. Keeping that in mind, ‘The Black Beast’ revealed that the UFC’s initial plan was to match him up against 10-year undefeated Rico Verhoeven for the first Paramount+ CBS card. But, unfortunately, the fight failed to materialize after the former GLORY kickboxing champion turned down the clash.

UFC Matchmaking Took a Very Unexpected Turn

“First, it was supposed to be some dude from Glory kickboxing, the champion, Rico. It was supposed to be against him. Then he turned the fight down, and then we were trying to get that Russian dude back, Sergei. Then he said no. Then the Dominican dude accepted the fight, so I say, ‘Okay, let’s get it.’” Lewis revealed on his new podcast, The Beast and Cowboy.    

Rico Verhoeven recently became a free agent, marking the end of his decade-long reign as the GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight champion. After that, many fans wanted to see ‘The Prince of Kickboxing’ perform under Dana White’s banner. The Dutch steamroller is also Tom Aspinall’s teammate and helped the 265 lbs champ during his campaign against Ciryl Gane, which is another reason many became curious about what he could do in MMA.

Beyond that, it was also surprising that the promotion explored a Lewis vs. Pavlovich rematch. The Russian knocked out ‘The Black Beast’ at UFC 277 in just 55 seconds before going on to challenge Aspinall for the interim heavyweight championship. However, while Lewis explained why the Verhoeven fight didn’t materialize, he didn’t reveal the reason behind the cancellation against Pavlovich.  

Now, as the situation stands, Derrick Lewis is all set to fight Waldo Cortes-Acosta at the first-ever Paramount+ CBS card, which is just a month away. Both heavyweights are expected to put on a show for the audience to enjoy, but before they step into the Octagon in January, the Texas powerhouse has finally revealed why he took this fight.

The Black Beast’s difference of opinion with Acosta

Last month, Waldo Cortes-Acosta posted on social media about his racial identity. According to ‘Salsa Boy’, he’s a citizen of the Dominican Republic, but he doesn’t represent himself as African American. His explanation appeared to stem from questions he received online, which he later clarified on X.

“I’m Dominican, I’m not Black. Love you, even the haters,” Cortes-Acosta wrote on X.

After the post started gaining traction, his UFC 324 opponent Derrick Lewis took notice. Contrary to Acosta’s comments, ‘The Black Beast’ shared a completely opposing point of view and revealed that it also played a role in why he wanted to take this fight.

“I heard he is Dominican and he don’t represent that he is Black. So that’s another reason why I wanted to fight him also… It ain’t no difference [between Dominican and Black people]. I know it ain’t no difference. Most of the people in Dominican, no offense or anything like that, most of them they don’t like their black skin,” Lewis told Full Send MMA. 

Well, mentioning nationality and racial differences in a UFC buildup is nothing new. For instance, Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis’ rivalry also turned sour because of similar comments directed at each other. So, with Lewis already sparking a heated exchange, do you think these two heavyweights’ interactions could turn ugly as we move closer to the UFC 324 matchup? Let us know in the comments section below.