UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis is coming off a win over Marcin Tybura, and won a performance bonus in his last three fights in a row. ‘The Black Beast’ has an effective way of making himself heard. And what he wants, at last, is a fight vs. fellow monster striker Francis Ngannou, who is coming off a failed title shot vs. Stipe Miocic.

Yeah hopefully we can get something done this year man, said Lewis during a recent appearance on the Slip n’ Dip podcast, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. Hopefully we can get something before he turns 50 on us.

Usually after every fight I tell [the UFC], ‘I would like to fight this guy. I try to pick the toughest guys out there. I don’t try to pick anybody that’s behind me, I try to pick everybody that’s ahead of me in the rankings. So it’s the top five, top six. I try to pick one of those guys that’s available. I told them Francis, I told them Overeem, even a rematch with Mark. Blaydes. Fabricio.

I would like to fight hopefully in May or June.”

There’s nothing I really want to accomplish. I already set my family up pretty good right now. I don’t care if I ever fight for the belt or get the belt. It’s a job to me, basically. I’m not trying to be the best fighter in the world or nothing like that. I don’t come in trying to think I am the best fighter. I don’t care about none of that. It’s just a job to me.

Here is the UFC top 10:
Champion Stipe Miocic
1 Francis Ngannou
2 Alistair Overeem
3 Fabricio Werdum
4 Cain Velasquez
5 Curtis Blaydes
6 Derrick Lewis
6 Mark Hunt
8 Alexander Volkov
9 Marcin Tybura
10 Andrei Arlovski

Blaydes and Overeem are fighting at UFC 225 on June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. A rematch with Hunt is premature given that it has been less than a year and one fight since the definitive TKO loss. Velasquez hasn’t fought since UFC 200 on July 9, 2016. Werdum fights Volkov at UFC Fight Night 127 in London and the winner might be available. And of course, there’s Francis Ngannou.