MMA came as a lifesaver for Legacy FC heavyweight champion Derrick Lewis.

The 28-year-old Texan said he was headed down a path that might have landed him a permanent residence in jail before he found the sport.

“If it wasn’t for MMA, I’d be doing a lot worse stuff than what I’ve been doing,” Lewis MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

Lewis (8-2), who defends his title on Friday against veteran Ricky Shivers (12-6-1), now channels his aggression in the cage, where years of anger and pain get taken out on opponents.

“I really, really try to kill my opponents, even though I know I can’t do it because the ref is there,” he said. “But that’s my intention every time.”

The fight headlines Legacy FC 18, which takes place at Arena Theatre in Houston. The event’s main card airs live on AXS TV.

Despite his ill intentions during competition, Lewis said he changes into a normal person when the fight stops. He’s now engaged to be married with two kids. He feels his life is finally on track.

Eight years ago, though, things were spinning out of control.

Lewis said he went to jail in 2005 for a probation violation stemming from an aggravated assault charge while he was still in high school. Drinking on a night out on the town, he said he ran into a member of the Klu Klux Klan, who insulted him. Despite the fact that the man was holding a shotgun, Lewis proceeded to beat him, causing serious bodily injury.

“The lifestyle I was living, I didn’t really care,” Lewis said.

That incident netted Lewis two years of probation, which he violated after studying one year at a junior college on full scholarship. A judge then sentenced him to five years in prison, of which he served three-and-a-half years, he said.

A few weeks after he was released, his best friend urged him to go to a local MMA gym. Although he had wanted to be a professional boxer, he quickly fell in love with MMA. His amateur debut came in January 2010, and three months later, he turned pro.

Now carrying an 8-2 record, Lewis has fought for Bellator, Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Legacy FC.

He said he now relishes the opportunity to meet a veteran such as Shivers.

“He’s been doing martial arts since he was in high school, so it will feel real good beating a guy like that,” he said.

But for Lewis, it feels good every time he fights, when he gets a chance to purge past demons.

“The only way I can let it out is the right way, inside the cage,” he said.

For the latest on Legacy FC 18, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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