Derrick Lewis, the UFC's No. 6-ranked heavyweight told ESPN's SportsCenter on Wednesday that he believes has helped rescue "over 100 people" in Houston in harm's way because of Hurricane Harvey.
"Me and my wife were watching the news and we heard that the officers are not going to be going out," Lewis told ESPN. "The only way they were going to go out is because of a life-or-death situation. I really didn't like that, so I went out and tried to help as many people as I can."
Lewis said yesterday he began helping those affected by the hurricane around 8 a.m. and did not stop until 10 p.m. The 6-foot-3, 264-pound fighter drove around the flooded areas in his Chevy truck to pick people up.
"My wife was mad at me because I didn't eat, but I didn't care," he said. "The time went by so fast."
Lewis, who has won six of his last seven fights, competes next on Oct. 7 against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 216 in Las Vegas. Any training, however, will be put on hold as he continues his efforts to save members of the Houston community.
"Last night we heard that Beaumont (Texas) got hit pretty bad too, and they are a few miles away from Houston," Lewis said. "A couple of buddies of mine, we're cooking and barbecuing and preparing to head out that way."