5 biggest winners from UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane

#2 Vicente Luque – defeated Michael Chiesa

Vincente Luque's win over Michael Chiesa should make him a genuine title contender at welterweight

With Kamaru Usman disposing of top contenders quickly and easily in recent years, the fight between Vicente Luque and Michael Chiesa definitely had implications for the UFC welterweight title picture.

The two men had put together a combined run of seven wins in a row, and if the winner last night could pull it off in impressive fashion, then a title shot didn’t seem too far away. In the end, it was Luque who came away with his hand raised – and to say he did it impressively would be a huge understatement.

‘The Silent Assassin’ escaped a couple of tight spots on the mat with ‘Maverick’ clamped to his back before somehow submitting Chiesa with a D’Arce choke, all inside four minutes.

Locks in his 4th D'Arce choke in UFC 🔒 🇧🇷 @VicenteLuqueMMA just did that. #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/JcUZM0fqcW

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021

So how dangerous is Luque, exactly? His record speaks for itself. While he’ll never be known for his trash talking, his UFC ledger now stands at 14-3, complete with an insane 13 wins via some kind of finish.

Essentially, ‘The Silent Assassin’ can put an opponent away at any point in the fight from seemingly any area.

Colby Covington, Leon Edwards and Islam Makhachev might have their own claims to being the top contender for Usman’s UFC welterweight title right now. But it’s arguable that the most exciting title fight that could be made in the division would involve Luque – making him one of UFC 265’s biggest winners.

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#1 Ciryl Gane – defeated Derrick Lewis to win the interim UFC heavyweight title

Ciryl Gane's win over Derrick Lewis marks him out as one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world

Naturally, the biggest winner from UFC 265 was Ciryl Gane.

Sure, plenty of fans felt that his interim UFC heavyweight title fight with Derrick Lewis was a bit bogus given undisputed champion Francis Ngannou isn’t injured or suspended, but when it came down to it, the fight still felt like a big deal.

In the end, there was only one winner, as ‘Bon Gamin’ ignored a pro-Lewis crowd to thoroughly outclass ‘The Black Beast’. Lewis’ vaunted punching power was completely nullified when it came down to it, as he simply couldn’t catch Gane to land anything significant.

Gane fought patiently, using a masterful grasp of range and timing in the first two rounds. Once he had Lewis hurt with leg kicks in the third, he closed in in ruthless fashion and finished ‘The Black Beast’ to claim UFC gold for the first time.

The new interim HW champ @Ciryl_Gane has something to say 🏆🗣#UFC265 pic.twitter.com/VZFP92uA1B

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021

Attentions should naturally now turn to a possible fight between Gane and Ngannou for the undisputed title. Given Ngannou’s record and Gane’s own undefeated run, it’s arguable that such a fight will be the biggest and best UFC heavyweight title bout since Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos in 2011.

So who will win the fight, assuming the UFC can come to terms with Ngannou in the near future? It’s hard to say. ‘The Predator’ has insane punching power, but so did Lewis – and he was outclassed by Gane’s technique and poise.

Either way, it’s clear that outside of Ngannou, ‘Bon Gamin’ is the best heavyweight fighter on the planet right now – and that’s enough to make him UFC 265’s biggest winner.