Dwayne Lewis and the Hunt for Respect

In the fluid and ever-changing world of MMA, the one constant may be Respect. Once you‘ve earned it, it never really goes away. Just ask Wanderlei Silva, or Randy Couture.

The quest for that respect, that acknowledgement by peers and fans alike, might be the biggest motivating factor in any combat sport. It is the reason fighters get out of bed an hour early and sprint that last mile or gut out the last 5 minutes of a hard sparring session - because they know that respect doesn’t come without hard work.

Just ask MFC Light-Heavyweight Dwayne Lewis.

When he steps into the cage this Friday at MFC 25: Vindication, he’ll be riding on a seven fight win streak. All of those fights ended by TKO or Submission due to strikes. None made it past the second round.

Yet respect is still an illusive commodity for the Fort McMurray, Alberta native.

“I don’t feel I get the respect I deserve, for sure. With this fight though, I plan to open some eyes.”

The irony, of course, is that he‘ll seek to open eyes outside the cage by closing eyes inside it. His last five fights have all ended by TKO, and his list of KO victims includes former UFC fighter and respected vet Marvin “The Beastman” Eastman.

When Quinton “Rampage” Jackson curled “The Beastman”s toes at UFC 67, he was rewarded with fame, fortune, and a shot at Chuck Liddell’s title. But when Lewis accomplished the same feat (in arguably more impressive fashion) at MFC 23 last year, all he heard were the familiar cries of “lucky punch”.

“I think (this fight) will be more significant for me, because there were people saying the Eastman KO was a lucky punch or something,” Lewis explains “But after this, everyone will know I’m for real.”

In many ways, this fight is just another day in the office. Still training out of Bowman’s MMA, Lewis has kept to a similar camp as his previous MFC fights - if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Against Emmanuel Newton, however, he faces a strong, controlling wrestler with the potential to force him out of his comfort zone. Lewis, however, is confident in the adjustments he’s made to his normal training camp.

“For this fight, we brought in Michael Ciesnolevicz (17-4), who’s one of Pat Miletich's top 205’ers. He’s been up here for a few months now. Aside from that, I’ve been drilling my ground game, takedowns takedown defence, my clinch work. I’ll be ready for anything.”

“Most of the wrestling I’ve been working on, it’s been about stopping the takedown, or working back to my feet. I’m not going play the wrestling game with this guy. I’m going look to keep it standing, and if it goes to the ground I’m confident I can handle him there.”

And once he’s done that? Like any smart fighter, Lewis isn’t looking past this fight, but the talk has begun regardless. With a win here, all eyes would turn to the Ryan Jimmo vs. Wilson Gouveia bout - and talk of a possible “Battle of Canada” rematch with the surging Jimmo, who decisioned Lewis at MFC 3 in 2007.

So who’s he picking in that one?

“I have trouble picking a winner, to be honest,” Lewis laughs “I kind of want Jimmo to win, because I really want that rematch.

But at the same time, it’s Wilson Gouveia. Why wouldn’t want to fight him?”

A statement like that one captures Lewis’s drive, his approach to fighting. A 4 year veteran of the fight game with 15 professional fights, he still hunts for respect, every time he steps into the cage. A win on Friday might finally represent the end of that search.

Then again, there’s always Ryan Jimmo, or Wilson Gouveia, or anyone else who wants to get in his way. Respect doesn’t come easy, but if Dwayne Lewis can connect clean on Friday night, it could come quickly.

MFC 25: Validation goes down Friday, May 7th at the Edmonton Expo Center in Edmonton, Alberta.