Derrick Lewis has been putting in strong work in the UFC heavyweight division for the past several years. He’ll be closer to the title than ever if he can beat Francis Ngannou at UFC 226, but he said he won’t mind if he’s skipped over in the queue by the returning Brock Lesnar.

The possibility of Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) making another UFC run has been a hot topic in recent months. UFC President Dana White said it’s definitely happening, and even said there’s a good chance the former titleholder would be immediately inserted into a showdown with the winner of the UFC 226 title fight between Stipe Miocic (18-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and Daniel Cormier (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC).

If Lewis (19-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) was a fighter whose sole career focus was to claim UFC gold, he might be frustrated over the situation, he said. However, that’s not necessarily the approach he takes to his career, so Lesnar strutting back into the octagon to fight for the title – despite not having an official MMA win since July 2010 – is of no concern to “The Black Beast.”

“I don’t really care about some damn title,” Lewis told MMAjunkie. “They talking about having Brock Lesnar coming in and fighting the winner out of ‘DC’ and Stipe. It doesn’t piss me off one bit because I’m not in this thing to fight for the belt anyway. I’m in it to fight for the money.”

UFC 226 takes place July 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

For Lewis, padding his pocket book is a top priority. He’s aware that holding a UFC championship can lead to greater financial gains, but Lewis thinks he’s able to make up that deficit by fighting much more frequently than anyone else in the division.

The UFC 226 bout with Ngannou will mark Lewis’ 14th UFC heavyweight appearance since 2014, which is easily the most in the division. He’s usually a candidate for a “Performance of the Night” or “Fight of the Night” bonus, as well.

“I know how I can win the bonus checks,” Lewis said. “I try to make it a close fight and then I try to go ahead and turn it up towards the end. But for this fight against Francis, I know I’m going to have to come out hard and swinging and do whatever I need to do to win this fight.”

Although Lewis is largely dismissive of the UFC belt, he said he certainly wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to fight for one. He’s competing on the same card as the heavyweight championship bout between Miocic and Cormier, and if recent history has proven anything, it’s that when there’s a title fight in your weight class on the same card, it’s best to stay ready in the event something falls through.

“I’ll be on weight,” Lewis said. “I should be under championship weight because it’s going to be summertime and I’m going to be training real hard. But I guess if that does happen, will I get the pay-per-view points?”

For more on UFC 226, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.