Derrick James Lewis, one of the seven siblings being born to a single mother, is a famous American professional mixed martial artist. He has often talked about his involvement in street fighting during his childhood. Derrick began his professional from in the year 2010 and has the record journey of competing for Bellator MMA and Legacy FC. Just like other martial artists, Derrick has got few interesting body arts that adorn his upper body. Let us see what they are!
“My advice to anyone that’s wanting to get their first tattoo, don’t go to Vegas and get it whenever you’re drunk or high off of bars and stuff like that. I don’t know, take bars and nothing like that, I do drink though.”
1. ‘Crown and Gloves’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Across his chest, there is a big crown inked followed by a pair of gloves under it.
Meaning: Crown is the symbol of victory, self-control, and triumph. Boxing Gloves on the other hand is the way of Derrick’s representation of his love for boxing and show that he is always motivated to defeat his competitors and win the game.
2. ‘Knock Out King’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the top of his chest, derrick has got writing inked that says, ‘Knock Out King’.
Meaning: Derrick has been given the title of ‘Knock Out King’ because of his multiple victories and his way of knocking out his opponents. Derrick was speculated to have a bad childhood but, the way he envisioned his future even before actually living it is what the tattoo is about. Derrick is a total fighter when it comes to fighting the game inside the ring. He got this tattoo inked in 2018.
3. ‘Hard Time’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Hard time’ is inked right above his navel.
5. ‘LORD KNOWS’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Across the outer side of his both forearms, Derrick has got the tattoo of the words, ‘LORD KNOWS’.
Meaning: Derrick got this tattoo to remember that God is above us and he is watching each action of ours. He knows about our intentions, our will, and our heart. Lord knows what our actions will be at every next moment.
“Lord knows, of course just something religiousbut um, Lord knows what I would do to youwith these hands, ya know. That’s basically what I’m saying.”
6. ‘LOYALTY’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘LOYALTY’ is inked on his left inner bicep.
“I want everyone to treat me with respect and just to know that I’m a loyalty guy.
7. Owl on Neck
Tattoo: Ther is an owl inked on the left side of derrick’s neck. This tattoo is a cover-up to his previous tattoo which used to be a black beast.
Meaning: In real life, an owl is symbolized as ‘bad luck’ However, as the tattoo people believe it to be the token of wisdom and knowledge. Also, a symbol of spiritual references as per ancient times and associated with afterlives.
I got one on my neck. It used to be a black beast right here, I got it covered up, and put the owl there. Cause I’m more of a wise man than I was before.
8. ‘RESPECT’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘RESPECT’ is inked on Derrick’s right inner bicep.
Meaning: Derrick says that he believes in give and take. He gives respect to each and every person he comes across in life an expects the same respect in return.
9. ‘Skateboarder’ Tattoo
Tattoo: His right arm is covered with a skateboarder tattoo.
“And it points to home, isn’t that sweet? You know what I mean? This little skateboarder here, I used to like to skateboard a little bit when I was younger, so I thought, I think maybe I’ve seen this on Google, I was like, yeah, right, I’ll start with that. And then I just got this really ugly line underneath it. And I remember, before I had a lot of tattoos there, it looked pretty gross, that. That’s the skateboarding man.”
10. ‘Gorilla’ Tattoos
Tattoo: On his right and left upper arm, Derrick has got a tattoo of a gorilla inked, on each arm.
Meaning: The Gorilla tattoo on his left arm is a cover-up to his previous tattoo which was a ‘cross’ with his mom’s name. Whereas, there is another gorilla inked on his right upper arm. Derrick said that his favorite animal is a gorilla that is why he has two gorilla tattoos on his body. He likes to pound on his chest just like a gorilla does when he is happy or about to win.
“got it covered up, and got my gorilla on this side, and a gorilla on this side as well. I train at a gym called Silver Back. Gorilla is one of my favorite animals so I wanted to always be a gorilla, that’s the reason why I pound on my chest, slam on the ground. Stuff like that”
11. ‘Texan’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the inner side of his right arm, Derrick has got the tattoo of Texan city inked.
Meaning: Derrick was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States however he lived in Houston. He says he loves everything about the place and also the tattoo.
“I was born in New Orleans, but I lived in Houston since 1998. I’m a big Houston fan. I love everything Houston. This is the Texan tattoo. This is the last tattoo I got.
12. ‘Penguin’ Tattoo
I’ve got a really comical penguin on my ass, which I won’t be showing you. Just at times, I’m not going to lie, I can’t help but be a bit of a show-off, that was one of the moments, just to be funny, watch this, and then I have to live with it.