UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis has been calling for a fight against Francis Ngannou since he stopped Marcin Tybura last February. Apparently, this intent to make a fight happen is fueled by something deeper.

In a recent interview with MMAjunkie, “The Black Beast” revealed an encounter he had with Ngannou a couple of years ago, when they fought in the same cards twice.

“We’ve fought on the same card twice, in Croatia and then in Albany,” Lewis said. “I didn’t say anything bad about him. I was telling him, ‘Good luck.’ He came up to me saying, ‘Derrick Lewis, you’re my next opponent.’ This is before the weigh-in. He comes shaking my hand, ‘Derrick Lewis, my next opponent.’ I said, ‘OK, yeah. We can get it on.’”

“Then after he won his fight, he called everyone out but me,” he added. “I thought he wanted to fight me, so why didn’t he call me out? Then after I won, I called him out. MMAjunkie interviewed him and asked what he thinks about me.”

“He was talking sh-t about me saying I’m too slow and this and that and that he would beat me with ease. Ever since then, he’s been talking sh-t.”

Because of this encounter, Lewis has since taken things more personal with Ngannou. And he does not plan on being cordial at all, even after they finally fight it out at UFC 226.

“When the fight is over with, I’m not going to be shaking his hand and all that,” Lewis said. “To me, whenever a fighter tries to talk sh-t to me before a fight then shakes your hand afterward – Nah. I’m not going to do all that.”

“I’m still going to have that little grudge toward him. I’m not trying to be his friend after. I’m happy to get it over with. The fans, they wanted this fight for a long time. Might as well give them what they ask for.”

UFC 226 takes place on July 7th in Las Vegas. It will be headlined by two title fights: a featherweight championship bout between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega at the co-main event slot, followed by the massive super-fight between champions Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier in the main.