Chael Sonnen pleads with Dana White to re-sign Derrick Lewis after UFC 291

Chael Sonnen would love to see Derrick Lewis remain in the UFC.

In the final fight of his contract, Lewis dispatched of Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1 MMA, 10-7 UFC) in just 33 seconds in this past Saturday’s main card at UFC 291 to reclaim his top spot for most knockouts in company history. The fan favorite heavyweight followed that up with a memorable post-fight celebration in which he took his shorts off, which sent the fans at Delta Center in Salt Lake City into a frenzy.

Lewis (27-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC) said he’d like to remain with the UFC, and Sonnen urged UFC president Dana White to keep him on the roster. Considering that Lewis was originally scheduled to compete on the prelims, Sonnen says we almost missed out on an incredible show from “The Black Beast.”

“Think about where he was supposed to be (on the card),” Sonnen said on the ESPN post-show. “He was supposed to be on earlier in the night – the building’s still filling up. You probably don’t get the interview with Joe Rogan. I’m just sharing for you, it’s a little bit different (if he’d have fought on the prelims as originally scheduled).

“Look, Dana, I’ve asked you for things before – but not in a while. I feel like I’m owed one. Please re-sign this guy. I’m not done with Derrick. I want to see more Derrick Lewis. I’ll leave it at that.”

With the win, the two-time title challenger snapped a three-fight skid, and said he still has another title run in him.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.