Derrick Lewis praises UFC prescription medication as gamechanger

While he may not be aware of exactly what he’s taking, Derrick Lewis is feeling the difference after taking some of the UFC’s prescribed medications. Lewis recently revealed that he is in the best shape of his life mentally and physically. “The Black Beast” credits the peptides the UFC gave him for the change he felt.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m in the best shape of my life right now,” Lewis said in “The Beast and the Cowboy” pocast. “Mentally and physically everything is going great right now. The UFC has given me some great peptides, and I’m taking it every day, and I can feel the difference.” It is unclear whether Lewis is trolling or unaware of the substance he received from the promotion, as peptides are banned under the UFC’s anti-doping policy. According to UFC senior vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky, Lewis received injectable third-party compounds that are permitted at any time.

Like a video game

Lewis’ coach, Bob Perez, is also impressed with the results of the compounds, although he also called them peptides. Perez believes Lewis is mentally focused and adapts to his instructions like a video game. Perez also says the medication has significantly improved Lewis’ recovery.”I was so proud of Derek today, dude. He was a video game great yesterday,” Perez said. “Mental clarity was there. So I would call or make an adjustment. He would do it immediately. His recovery was stupid… And I was really amazed at how quickly the peptides took effect. It will be a game changer for him.”

Lewis (29-12) will fight Waldo Cortes-Acosta (16-2) on Saturday in Las Vegas at UFC 324. Lewis is 3-2 in his last five outings with consecutive knockout victories. Meanwhile, Cortes-Acosta fought five times in 2025 and went 4-1.