UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis dumps on defeated opponent Travis Browne

UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis showed why he is a legitimate threat in the division by knocking out Travis Browne in the main event of UFC Fight Night 105 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, despite suffering an apparent rib injury early in the bout.

The Houston native offered a glimpse into why he can be one of the organization’s next big stars once the fight was over.

Lewis did some great work with his powerful right hand to finish Browne for his sixth consecutive win, but saved his finest material for the post-fight interview.

He began by denying he was ever injured by a kick to the midsection, despite covering up his body throughout much of the first round and even turning and retreating in the cage at one point while doing so.

“I just gotta do No. 2, that’s all,” Lewis said. “It’s not really hurt from the kick. I’ve just got to poo poo.”

The deadpanned comment set Twitter ablaze only to be replaced as a trending topic moments later when Lewis decided to take aim at Browne, who was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife and is currently dating former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

“I know I had a bigger heart than him,” Lewis said of how he was able to pull out the victory. “You know, he calls himself a man but he likes to put his hands on women. So forget that guy. I got much more heart than he has. ”

Browne was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife in 2015. He was suspended from the organization, but was never charged and was reinstated when an investigation conducted by a law firm for the UFC found a lack of credible evidence.

That didn’t stop Lewis from using it against Browne. Not much has been able to get in Lewis’s way from doing anything recently. He has five knockouts during his winning streak and believes he can be champion despite how raw he is beyond pure power striking.

“I have to work on my overall game,” he said at the post-fight news conference. “The guys in the top five now are good everywhere. Me, I’m just about almost one-dimensional. But I do believe I have the most heart in this division. My heart carried me over this six-fight win streak.”

Lewis knows he may even have to do some things he doesn’t like to do in order to reach the next level.

“I still need to get behind my punches and work behind my jab,” he said. “But I hate jabs. To me, jabs are just a waste of time. I just like to swing away. But I know guys are going to get used to that and start to try to counter it. That’s why my coach says I have to start throwing the right hand behind my jab. I just hate it.”

Lewis, 32, said he wants to take a couple months after winning his second fight in 10 weeks.

‘TUF’ CAST REVEALED

The upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which is currently filming in Las Vegas and debuts April 19 on Fox Sports 1, will feature former cast members returning to the show for a second chance and a $250,000 grand prize.

Included in the competition is even one current UFC fighter. James Krause asked for a chance to participate despite a current two-fight winning streak in the organization.

Season 25 features a tournament of 14 welterweights and Krause felt it would be good experience as he determines whether he wants to move up to 170 pounds. The cash would be a nice bonus.

He figures to be among the favorites, though there are some interesting challenges in the bracket. Ramsey Nijem, Hayder Hassan, Dhiego Lima and Jesse Taylor all made the finals. Taylor is a fascinating inclusion as he was actually pulled out of the championship match in Season 7 when his behavior at Palace Station on the night he got out of the house got out of control.

The rest of the cast members are Gilbert Smith, Julian Lane, Mehdi Baghdad, Justin Edwards, Seth Baczynski, Hector Urbina and Tom Gallicchio.

GODBEER HAS NEW OPPONENT

UFC newcomer Daniel Spitz has agreed to fight heavyweight Mark Godbeer at UFC 209 on March 4 at T-Mobile Arena.

Spitz will replace Todd Duffee, who was pulled from the event less than three weeks out for undisclosed reasons. UFC 209 features a main event welterweight title rematch between Stephen Thompson and champion Tyron Woodley.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.