Canadian Dwayne Lewis was one of the hottest fighters on the Edmonton mixed martial arts scene earlier this year, and a shot at the MFC light-heavyweight belt was in his sights. The native of Labrador who now lives in Fort McMurray was on a seven-fight win streak, including four in a row with his new “home” promotion.
Unfortunately, his run was abruptly halted with a three-round decision loss to Emanuel Newton at MFC 25 in May. Yet at 35, Lewis, who takes on Mike Nickels Friday night at MFC 26: Retribution, hopes it isn’t too late to start a new streak and get right back on that path to the 205-pound crown. The Newfoundlander-turned-Albertan spoke to sportsnet.ca about his opportunity.
SN.ca: How do you feel coming off a loss for the first time in a while?
Dwayne Lewis: I’m feeling awesome for this fight. I think Mike Nickels and I are awesome for each other stylistically. He likes to stand up and brawl, and that kind of plays into my gameplan. He’ll take it to the ground if he has to which is my thing as well. I think all around we’re pretty much the same.
SN.ca: How did you feel about your last fight?
DL: It was frustrating. I had a lot of issues going into that fight, but bottom line I was outworked by a better wrestler. Is Emanuel Newton a better fighter than I am? I don’t think so. Is he a better wrestler? For sure he is. My gameplan didn’t really work that well. I tried to do the Marvin Eastman thing and tie him up and let the referee stand us up and go for strikes, but he kept busy on the ground and when we did get stood up again, he did a great job putting me back down on my back. It was a frustrating loss, but those are the ones you build from, the ones you learn from and they make you a better fighter.
SN.ca: What kind of issues did you have?
DL: I had bronchitis going into the fight, so I was on antibiotics and painkillers early in the week. So I was sleep-deprived, sick, had breathing issues, my manager was out of the country, and my sponsors were in limbo. It was total chaos actually.
SN.ca: No issues this time?
DL: For the first time in three fights I’m actually healthy. I’m not sick and I’m feeling great. Everything’s come together nicely for this one. The training camp was great too.
SN.ca: Where do you train and is fighting a full-time thing for you?
DL: I train at Bowman’s MMA in Fort McMurray, which is also an affiliate with Miletich Fighting Systems. I don’t have the advantage of being a full-time fighter. I have a full-time job, wife and three kids that kind of takes priority over my fighting career. This is kind of more of a hobby for me!
SN.ca: Would you like it to be full-time?
DL: There was a time that I did but that’s so far-fetched right now. It’s so out of reach that I’m just going to go with what I have. I don’t have any long-life dreams of being the UFC light-heavyweight champion anytime soon. I keep telling my wife I’m just building memories right now and I’m having a great time doing them, so that’s all it is for me.
I’ll dedicate myself as much as I can to getting the MFC belt, but like I said there are other priorities right now. I got a full-time job that I’ll probably spend the rest of my life at until I retire. It’s a great job, I make great money. I work as a team lead and dispatcher for Shell Canada in the oil fields. I’ve been doing it for a few years now. It’s a very secure job.
SN.ca: How do you like the “home” fans?
DL: I’ve been pretty fortunate that the Edmonton people pretty much treat me like the hometown boy and plus I’ve got probably a couple hundred people coming down from Fort McMurray. It’s always nice to get a bunch of people cheering for you rather than booing you.
I was born in Labrador and raised in Newfoundland, where I lived until I graduated from high school. Then I moved to Ontario and spent six or seven years there then moved here and lived here for 10 years.
SN.ca: Would you like to see MMA come to Newfoundland & Labrador?
DL: A couple years ago there was a guy who tried to start an orgnization in St. John’s but nothing came of it. I’d love to go back and fight in St. John’s but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. Not enough people there.
SN.ca: Are you looking to come out fast in this fight?
DL: I’m just going to take my time on this one. I’ll try to work the angles. Mike Nickels is a big guy, he’s got a lot of reach. I finally got to look at him in the eyes (at the press conference Tuesday) and he’s quite a bit taller than me. But I’m looking for a brawl.
