Black bird: Derrick Lewis fires back at Travis Browne, Francis Ngannou following UFC Auckland put-downs

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight slugger Derrick Lewis was calling for a Mark Hunt showdown after racking up multiple knockouts and climbing the promotion’s 265-pound rankings ladder.

Be careful what you wish for.

“Black Beast” (18-5, 1 NC) was smashed by “Super Samoan” in the UFC Fight Night 110 main event last weekend in Auckland, New Zealand (see it again here), and hinted at possible retirement.

Not surprisingly, that drew criticism from some of his fellow heavyweights, like past opponent Travis Browne (read it) and red-hot up-and-comer Francis Ngannou (those comments here).

Lewis was not amused.

No translation needed for that last emoji.

Browne was stopped by Lewis at UFC Fight Night 105 while Ngannou was lukewarm on the idea of fighting “Black Beast,” instead setting his sights on opponents who are more likely to push him closer to the heavyweight title.

Like this guy.

The field is once again wide open at 265 pounds ...