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UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus was not as big a year-ending show as last weekend’s UFC 269. However, it was still a fabulous event. This UFC Fight Night had several explosive finishes, excellent performances, and fighters climbing up the card with victories.
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With a total of ten fighters picking up finishes on this card, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus.
#5. Mateusz Gamrot – defeated Diego Ferreira in a UFC lightweight bout
The lightweight bout between Mateusz Gamrot and Diego Ferreira was probably last night’s most under-the-radar fight. Despite losing two in a row, Ferreira was still ranked in the top 15, while Gamrot was on a two-fight winning streak, and impressed hugely in his most recent bout.
Sure enough, the fight delivered plenty of fireworks. The two men went back-and-forth both on the ground and the feet, so the clash could have gone either way. In the second round, though, Gamrot tackled Ferreira to the ground, and then took his back.
From there, he landed a knee to the body. That seemed to be enough to end the fight, as Ferreira verbally submitted, forcing referee Jason Herzog to step in.
The finish to this one was definitely odd. The strike that ended the clash didn’t seem too clean. That means it's likely Ferreira broke a rib or two, but it definitely wasn’t the kind of knockout ‘Gamer’ would’ve wanted.
Nevertheless, the win should move him into the upper echelon of the lightweight division. He’s now 3-1 in the UFC, looks highly skilled in all areas, and could provide problems for the fighters ranked above him.
Who will he fight next? In such a deep division, it’s difficult to say. However, whoever he faces next will likely be in for a tough night, based on this showing. That makes 'Gamer' one of the event’s biggest winners.
#4. Cub Swanson – defeated Darren Elkins in a UFC featherweight bout
The battle of UFC veterans, Cub Swanson and Darren Elkins, was always going to be a fascinating one. However, few people could’ve predicted the way it went.
Rather than looking like a battle of two past-their-prime fighters, Swanson rolled back the clock and looked genuinely phenomenal. He sniped at Elkins with phenomenal precision before putting him away with a wheel kick just minutes into the opening round.
Incredibly, despite being 38, this was probably the best Swanson has looked in years – at least since his victory over Doo Ho Choi, which came five years ago.
More to the point, this felt like a huge personal victory for Swanson. His family was in attendance, and when he won, he was able to celebrate with his wife and children, making for a memorable moment.
In an ideal world, Swanson would have hung up his gloves after this victory. However good he looked last night, it’s unlikely it’ll get any better for him from here, assuming he fights a young up-and-comer next. Of course, that isn’t the way things work in the UFC and MMA, so Swanson could be back.
Even if he loses his next outing, he’ll always have this win – and he may well call it the best of his UFC tenure.
#3. Ricky Simon – defeated Raphael Assuncao in a UFC bantamweight bout
Bantamweight prospect Ricky Simon had already had a strong 2021 before last night. He had beaten two opponents to move himself back into the cusp of title contention following a failed attempt to get there a few years ago.
Last night, he signed off the year in the most impressive way possible. Simon took out a top 15-ranked contender, Raphael Assuncao, to move up the ladder, probably putting him in line for another big fight in 2022.
Simon looked genuinely excellent last night. He first outworked Assuncao on the mat before showing wonderful patience and timing to take him out on the feet in the second round. It was comfortably the best performance of his UFC career.
Naturally, there are still some question marks over Simon – most notably because this win came over a 39-year old who is far past his prime at this point. However, the UFC has always been built on younger fighters beating older ones, so this bout was no exception.
If nothing else, this win should give Simon the confidence he needs to believe in himself against higher-level opposition. That is significant after he dropped fights to Rob Font and Urijah Faber in 2019. Simon should, undoubtedly, be considered one of last night’s biggest winners.
#2. Belal Muhammad – defeated Stephen Thompson in a UFC welterweight bout
The UFC fighter who was able to move up the ladder the most last night was undoubtedly Belal Muhammad. He produced the performance of his career to thoroughly dominate perennial contender Stephen Thompson. Muhammad should now be considered a genuine contender for the UFC welterweight title.
Despite some high points for ‘Wonderboy’ early on in the fight, once Muhammad began to take him down, it was clear this clash was only going one way.
Sure enough, ‘Remember The Name’ nearly finished Thompson with ground-and-pound late in the first round. He continued to batter Thompson for the remainder of the fight, closing the distance, consistently dragging the kickboxer down and punishing him on the ground.
It’s arguable that Thompson might be past his prime now. He lost to Gilbert Burns in the same way earlier in 2021. So that might put a caveat next to Muhammad’s win for some. However, the truth is that we’re only a year removed from ‘Wonderboy’ smacking Geoff Neal around.
Simply put, Muhammad should be considered at least a top-five fighter in the 170 lb division now. A big fight with someone like Burns or Colby Covington should now beckon. Who knows? If he can beat one of them - a fight with Kamaru Usman could lie in wait for him in the near future.
#1. Derrick Lewis – defeated Chris Daukaus in a UFC heavyweight bout
The biggest winner at last night’s event was undoubtedly Derrick Lewis, who turned the lights out on Chris Daukaus in the headline bout.
Does the win move Lewis back into contention for the UFC heavyweight title? The truth is, probably not. ‘The Black Beast’ was thoroughly dominated by interim champion Ciryl Gane in his last bout. It’s unlikely he’d provide a true test to the Frenchman or Francis Ngannou should they meet again.
However, Lewis had to win here to ensure that his status as the division’s most dangerous gatekeeper would remain intact. He did just that, taking out a tricky foe in impressive fashion.
Daukaus had reeled off four wins in a row in the UFC by TKO before this fight. However, he simply looked out of his depth the moment he attempted to trade punches with Lewis.
‘The Black Beast’ naturally obliged, turning Daukaus’ lights out inside the first round with a truly brutal combination. In the process, he broke a UFC record for the most knockouts in the promotion’s history.
Quite where Lewis goes from here is anyone’s guess, as he’s already fought most of the division’s top talent. However, fights with Tom Aspinall or Tai Tuivasa could be fun, and would definitely make for fireworks.
Overall, Lewis is undoubtedly one of the UFC’s cult favorites, and he was the big winner last night.
