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While it wasn’t anywhere near as good as last weekend’s UFC 269, UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus still had plenty of action on tap.
With just three decisions across 13 fights, this UFC Fight Night had a number of explosive finishes, as well as impressive performances to end 2021 on a high note.
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That said, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus.
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#5. Cub Swanson uses lethal precision to take out Darren Elkins in a battle of UFC veterans
The featherweight clash between veterans Cub Swanson and Darren Elkins that opened last night’s main card was an interesting one, primarily because it was a surprise that they’d never faced off in the promotion before.
‘Killer Cub’ looked emotional and fired up during his walk-out, seemingly because his family were in attendance at the UFC Apex. He wasted absolutely no time in sniping at Elkins from distance with phenomenal precision.
An early right hand put Elkins down, but Swanson, respecting the toughness of ‘The Damage’, didn’t dive in to finish him off. Instead, he let him get to his feet. Understanding his superiority in the striking realm, Swanson continued to snipe at him with beautifully clean strikes.
Elkins ended up being dropped twice more. When he got to his feet after the third knockdown, it was clear that he was essentially done. Swanson then unleashed a slick wheel kick, scrambling Elkin's equilibrium for good.
Although ‘The Damage’ wasn’t left unconscious, referee Herb Dean quickly stepped in to stop the fight.
#4. Melissa Gatto ends Sijara Eubanks’ night with a vicious body kick
The flyweight bout between Melissa Gatto and Sijara Eubanks on last night’s preliminary card was largely flying under the radar, despite the fact that both women were coming off TKO wins.
After last night, though, it’s unlikely that Gatto will be going unnoticed again anytime soon. She looked excellent, and took out Eubanks with one of the most impressive and explosive finishes of the night.
The Brazilian took her time settling into the bout as Eubanks took her down and controlled proceedings in the first round. In the second round, Gatto began to turn the tide – outgrappling ‘Sarj’ and tiring her out.
That left her open in the third round, and Gatto took full advantage. She landed a beautiful front kick to the body in the third round that folded Eubanks, finishing her off for good.
The win not only moved Gatto to 2-0 in the UFC and 8-0-1 in her career overall, it was also enough to earn her a $50k bonus.
#3. Ricky Simon picks up the biggest win of his UFC career over Raphael Assuncao
Ricky Simon has attempted to break into the top 15 at 135 lbs on quite a few occasions before last night, but he’d never quite pulled it off, falling to both Urijah Faber and Rob Font.
After putting together a run of three straight wins, he was faced with another high-level fighter in Raphael Assuncao. Simon delivered the biggest and most impressive win of his UFC career so far.
Sure, the win should come with somewhat of a caveat, as Assuncao is 39 years old now and was without a win since 2018. Nevertheless, the Brazilian is still a wily veteran with a ton of experience.
Simon fought with poise and patience, winning the first round largely with his ground control. In the second round, he began to look more comfortable on his feet before landing a one-two that dropped Assuncao hard, effectively finishing the fight.
Simon should find himself in the UFC’s top 15 come Tuesday, which should cap off an excellent run in 2021 for the rising bantamweight.
#2. Overweight Justin Tafa surprises Harry Hunsucker with a head kick
Justin Tafa broke a UFC record at Friday night’s weigh-ins, and it wasn’t one that he would’ve wanted. Somehow, ‘Bad Man’ came into his fight with Harry Hunsucker at 267lbs, two pounds over the heavyweight limit.
This officially made the Australian the heaviest fighter in the modern history of the UFC. If fans expected to see him look out of shape and sluggish come fight time, they were greatly mistaken. Tafa looked far sharper than his opponent, tagging him early on with plenty of clean strikes and forcing him to back up.
Nobody could’ve seen the end to this fight coming, as Tafa, all 267 lbs of him, suddenly whipped his leg into the air and destroyed Hunsucker with a head kick. The shot was so powerful that it didn’t matter that Hunsucker partially blocked it.
#1. Derrick Lewis shows why he’s the UFC’s knockout king with a quick finish of Chris Daukaus
Last night’s main event between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus was never likely to go the distance, with the two heavyweights holding a total of 16 knockouts between them. Sure enough, the bout ended violently inside the first round.
Of course, it was no surprise to see that it was Lewis who came away with his hand raised, breaking the UFC’s record for the most knockouts in the promotion’s history.
‘The Black Beast’ was far more proven than Daukaus despite the latter’s meteoric rise through the division. All week, questions were asked as to whether Daukaus could cope with Lewis’ punching power.
The answer turned out to be a firm no. The two big men exchanged punches and Lewis hurt Daukaus pretty early on in the bout. Daukaus was able to recover from an early barrage, but then made the error of trying to return the favor.
This time, ‘The Black Beast’ connected with a salvo of right hands that separated Daukaus from consciousness.
Post-fight Lewis celebrated in unique fashion, removing his cup and throwing it into the crowd. While this explosive finish won’t put him back in title contention, it’ll ensure he’ll remain as popular as ever with UFC fans.
