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One of the UFC's most anticipated pay-per-views of the year, UFC 265, went down today in Houston, Texas. Although the card lost Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena, it lived up to expectations with plenty of high-profile wins and explosive finishes.
Miles Johns recorded a brutal knockout win over Anderson Dos Santos in the early prelims, where every fight ended in a finish. Alonzo Menifield brutalized UFC veteran Ed Herman's leg en route to a decision victory in the prelims, which also saw Jessica Penne pull off a surprise submission win over Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
The featured prelim between Rafael Fiziev and Bobby Green ended up as the Fight of the Night and was massively entertaining. The main card, kicked off by two promising prospects in Song Yadong and Casey Kenney, was excellent as well, even if there were a few insipid moments.
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Here are the best and worst moments from UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane.
#5 Best - Vintage Jose Aldo channels new blood at UFC 265
Jose Aldo had three losses in his last four fights ahead of UFC 265. The Brazilian had been outclassed by Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan, and edged out by Marlon Moraes, before rebounding against Marlon Vera. But in his fourth bantamweight outing, with a lot of pressure on his shoulders against a challenging fighter in Pedro Munhoz, 'Junior' rose to the occasion.
Munhoz, a fighter who has never been finished and boasts of crisp striking, was touted to defy being ranked ninth and give Aldo some serious problems. But the former UFC featherweight champion was in his element right from the first round, showcasing impeccable speed, footwork and combinations to nullify the threat of 'The Young Punisher'.
Aldo grew into the fight as it progressed and put on a clinic in the third round, throwing brutal leg kicks to clinch a comfortable unanimous-decision win. The 34-year-old still has something left in the tank, and some exciting fights against the bantamweight division's top contenders could be on the cards.
Interestingly, Aldo showed glimpses of his classic speed and movement while also displaying his newfound boxing ability. He is moving towards a traditional boxing-oriented gameplan - something that might bring him success against fighters like Rob Font and T.J. Dillashaw. Vintage Jose had a flash of new blood in him at UFC 265.
#4 Worst - Where does Angela Hill go from here?
Around six years after their initial meeting, Tecia Torres and Angela Hill crossed paths in the UFC octagon once again. And while the rematch wasn't as dull as the first fight, it certainly didn't live up to expectations.
Torres picked up a big win that will go a long way in solidifying her position as a real contender, but Hill has a lot of questions to answer. 'Overkill' was comprehensively outclassed in every striking exchange as Torres made it a point to prove that she doesn't need to keep the fight standing to dominate.
Hill has now lost three of her last four fights and isn't exactly a fan favorite either. She is among the most active fighters on the current UFC roster, but has only two wins by finish in 17 fights since May 2016 (one of which was a doctor stoppage).
At 36, Hill doesn't have much time left at the top level. And a major opportunity to impress went abegging at UFC 265, especially after all she had to say in the pre-show press conference.
#3 - Best - 'The Silent Assassin' lives up to his nickname
Vicente Luque is a real problem in the UFC's welterweight division. 'The Silent Assassin' has lost only to Leon Edwards and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson since December 2015, with wins over Tyron Woodley, Niko Price (twice), Mike Perry, Belal Muhammad and now Michael Chiesa.
The interesting clash of styles Chiesa vs Luque promised didn't disappoint at UFC 265. 'Maverick' was understandably eager to take the fight to the canvas and had Luque in all sorts of trouble for the first three minutes of the opening stanza. But the Brazilian, a jiu-jitsu black belt who simply prefers to strike, hung on.
Eventually, a split-second gap in the scramble opened up for Luque to sink in a trademark D'Arce choke, handing Chiesa his fourth submission loss in the UFC. It was the briefest opportunity for Luque to capitalize on, and he immediately did - in silent and deadly fashion - to thrust himself into the welterweight title conversation.
#2 Worst - Derrick Lewis crumbles in front of his home crowd
It's tough to be harsh on Derrick Lewis, who fought in front of a racuous home crowd in Houston in one of the biggest fights of his UFC career. But his second attempt at clinching UFC gold ended in even more embarrassing circumstances than his first.
Lewis never really looked confident, even during the walkouts. With the crowd egging him on, 'The Black Beast' turned in arguably the worst performance of his UFC career. He simply had no answer to Ciryl Gane's technical prowess and understanding of range, as he failed to close the distance and set up his famous right hand.
Lewis landed only eight strikes over the course of the fight, absorbing over a hundred and seeing his lead leg chopped up by powerful kicks from Gane. In the third round, as the leg gave out and he ran out of answers, he was done. The fight could've been stopped much earlier than it was as Lewis ate knees, elbows and punches before being put out of his misery.
Without being too critical of Lewis, who is a UFC legend and a fan favorite, we can simply say that he didn't turn up at UFC 265. Will he ever compete for a title again?
#1 Best - 'Bon Gamin' slays 'The Black Beast' to set up gargantuan UFC heavyweight showdown
With a masterful performance that assuaged all doubts regarding his fighting style, Ciryl Gane set up a gargantuan heavyweight title showdown against Francis Ngannou - both literally and figuratively.
Gane was near-flawless in front of a hostile crowd in Houston. He walked out to Still Tippin', absorbed no damage and secured an explosive finish to quieten those who had labeled him 'boring'. He overcame a low blow and an eye poke to make Lewis look amateur.
The Frenchman clinched UFC gold just two years after making his debut in the promotion and just 10 fights into his professional career, winning several new fans with his display of class in the octagon interview.
For a man who's 6'5" and almost 250 pounds, Gane moves with unparalleled grace and bounce. Irrespective of whether 'Bon Gamin' gets the job done against Ngannou, he is the future of the UFC heavyweight division.
