LAS VEGAS – Derrick Lewis is happy he got the win over Francis Ngannou despite being the underdog for their UFC 226 co-main event.

And that’s pretty much the only positive thing the ever-candid “Black Beast” has to say about Saturday’s heavyweight encounter.

“It was a terrible performance,” Lewis told reporters, including MMAjunkie, after the pay-per-view fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “I know I say that a lot. But it was real bad of a performance.

“I know for sure I don’t deserve a title shot. I believe it hurt me more than it helped me. Even though I got the win, I believe it sent me, probably, about two fights back.”

Lewis (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is, unfortunately, not alone in that sentiment. In what had seemed like an impossibility, the much-anticipated clash between two heavy-hitters turned into a bizarrely sleepy three-round affair. While neither man produced much, Ngannou (11-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) managed to produce even less, prompting the judges to score it unanimously on Lewis’ favor.

That didn’t stop the MMA community from voicing its opinions on the fight, which ranged from “terrible” to “worst heavyweight fight ever.” That included UFC President Dana White, who, despite offering some solace to Lewis, dubbed the match an “abomination.”

You don’t have to say any of that to Lewis, who, as usual, offered a brutally honest breakdown of the fight.

“We knew he really wanted to counter me, coming in with my right hand,” Lewis said. “Because they know I’m real vulnerable when I come in with my right hand – because I just throw it straight and I lean over whenever I throw it. I know he really wanted to catch me coming in and hit me with a uppercut left hook.

“Really, the game plan was to take his ass down, and I already told my coach I don’t know how to take down. I don’t know to do takedowns.”

Of course, there were two men involved inside that octagon, but Lewis ultimately puts the fault for the morose affair on himself. Considering he was the one who did the calling out, “The Black Beast” pondered, he should have been the one to push the pace.

At the same time, Lewis knew he had to play smart against an opponent who was dangerous on the feet. And while he’s clearly not above criticizing his own display, there was also the added factor of the back problems that have long plagued him.

“My back was killing me,” Lewis said. “All I wanted to do was just sit down and stay on that bench. … It was embarrassing. I wanted to go, but my body wouldn’t let me.”

Lewis’ back was responsible for removing Lewis from a planned UFC 216 fight with ex-champ Fabricio Werdum. His wife, Lewis said, wanted him to address the back issues before taking more fights, but “the dog” in him insisted he moved forward. “The Black Beast” has already heard from doctors, as well, that he needs to lose at least 25 pounds and stretch more than he’s been doing.

“I know I need to take it more serious,” Lewis said.

This puts Lewis in an interesting position for the future. What happened on Saturday, on paper, was that he got the biggest win of his career by beating a betting favorite in a former title challenger – one ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings – who remains one of the UFC’s heavyweight division’s top contenders.

Given how that came to be, though, Lewis, who ranked No. 12 heading into UFC 226, doesn’t see himself in a position to aspire to anything.

“My ass needs to sit down somewhere and learn some more technique or something,” Lewis said. “I don’t deserve to call anyone out. With a performance like that, I don’t care if he is the No. 1 contender; I shouldn’t be fighting no one, really, with a performance like that.”

Even the UFC’s president offered a kinder view on Lewis’ situation, saying that, given his octagon history and how the night eventually ended, he didn’t think the heavyweight’s “stock dropped at all.”

But Lewis, himself, doesn’t think his past – and the fact that he ultimately got a positive result – offer much consolation.

“No, because I wanted to knock his ass out,” Lewis said. “Goddamn, I wanted to knock him out. He’s talking all this (expletive) before the fight, and I just wanted to knock him out. He whispered in my ear, talking about how I’m going to sleep. I really wanted to knock him out, so anything besides a knockout is a disappointment.”

For complete coverage of UFC 226, check out the UFC Events section of the site.