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Tag: UFC Vegas 45

  • Lewis Takes Pleasure In Legally Assaulting Ex-Police Officer Daukaus

    UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis took pleasure in getting the opportunity to legally knock out a former police officer inside the Octagon.

    Lewis put on arguably the best performance of his 2021 run in knocking out Chris Daukaus in the UFC Vegas 45 main event. Lewis looked patient on the feet before eventually overwhelming Daukaus with a barrage of right hooks to secure the finish.

    Leading up to the fight, Lewis had spoken about how he wanted to avoid getting Rodney King’d by Daukaus. King is well known as a victim of police brutality in the 1990s. During his post-fight press conference, Lewis spoke about his performance and what it was like to assault a former police officer without penalty.

    “That was for Rodney King,” Lewis said. “I’m fighting a police officer, man. Come on, man. That’s the only time you get a chance to punch a police officer in the mouth and get away with it, and then he gets up and shakes your head? Sh*t, that was a great feeling, man.”

    With the knockout over Daukaus, Lewis passed Vitor Belfort and Matt Brown to claim the top spot on the UFC’s all-time knockout list with 13 finishes. Earlier this year, he had knocked out Curtis Blaydes in a Knockout of the Year candidate.

    What stands out about Lewis isn’t just the performances he puts in the Octagon, but also his microphone work before and after events. As Lewis looks ahead to possible title contention in 2022, his following is more than likely to grow with each additional comedic gesture.

    What do you think should be next for Derrick Lewis?

  • Muhammad Reveals Racial Abuse In UFC Apex During Wonderboy Fight

    In the aftermath of his impressive co-main event victory over Stephen Thompson at UFC Vegas 45 this past weekend, Belal Muhammad revealed the racism he’d been subjected to by a member of the Apex crowd.

    After his first opportunity to break into the welterweight elite ended in disaster thanks to an inadvertent eye poke at the hands of top-five contender Leon Edwards in March, Muhammad had his second chance to do so at the final UFC event of 2021. Opposite him in the Octagon was perennial contender and two-time title challenger, “Wonderboy.”

    Following a similar blueprint to Gilbert Burns, who defeated Thompson earlier this year, Muhammad imposed his will, consistently taking the 38-year-old down and delivering damage on the ground and against the fence. After 15 minutes of control and dominance, “Remember The Name” took home a unanimous decision victory and will be ascended further up the division when the next rankings update arrives.

    While he secured the win and established himself as a real contender at 170 pounds, the night wasn’t without some disappointment for Muhammad.

    Muhammad: “It Was Some Drunk Hick”

    Since introducing small crowds at the Apex, the facility that allowed the UFC to continue hosting events throughout the pandemic, the atmosphere has increased and provided a better feeling to Fight Nights. But on Saturday, not everyone let through the door behaved appropriately.

    During his Octagon interview with Michael Bisping, Muhammad addressed someone in the audience who’d seemingly been sending abuse his way during his three-round fight with Thompson. During the post-fight press conference, the 33-year-old expanded on the racism he was subjected to from a “drunk hick” outside the Octagon.

    “He was screaming out like, it was some drunk hick or something like that, screaming out racist Arabic words and stuff like that. I was just like, ‘Wonderboy, are these your boys?’ And he’s like, ‘Nah, nah, they ain’t my boys.’ I was like, ‘Alright, cool,’ and kept punching him again. It’s a small Apex, so you hear everything, and it was just weird. I was like, ‘Alright, I can see who you are.’ So I’m about to catch him on the Strip later today.”

    There is certainly no room for racism in MMA, or any sport for that matter, not least when an athlete is putting their body on the line to entertain you. Given the size of the crowd and Muhammad’s knowledge of which individual used the terms, it shouldn’t be hard for the UFC to take action.

    Should the abusive audience member be banned from the Apex for life?

  • UFC Vegas 45 Bonuses: Four Fighters Nab Extra Cash

    The UFC Vegas 45 bonuses have been released. The event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. Headlining the card was a heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus. 

    This fight didn’t last long Lewis controlled the entire fight. Lewis caught him with a combo before they clinched. Coming out of that, Lewis hurt him with right hooks before unleashing with more strikes and Daukaus dropped. Lewis now has the most knockout wins in the history of the UFC. 

    The co-main event saw more action between Stephen Thompson and Belal Muhammad.

    This fight saw Belal dominate the former title contender. While Thompson was able to land some kicks early, Belal dominated this fight with his takedown and holding Thompson in position on the ground. Belal did score a late round takedown where he got his back and dished out a lot of damage. In the next two rounds, Belal continued to score takedowns and kept Thompson in side control. Thompson did stuff one takedown in the third round, but it wasn’t enough and couldn’t overcome the challenge. Belal got the decision win. 

    This event had 10 finishes,  tied for 3rd most in modern UFC history. It was just behind UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping and UFC 224 to have more finishes in modern UFC history with 11 each. Peep the full list of bonus winners below.

    • Performance of the Night: Cub Swanson and Gatto 
    • Fight of the Night: Lemos vs. Hill

    Melissa Gatto scored a TKO win over Sijara Eubanks while Cub Swanson got a TKO win over Darren Elkins. Amanda Lemos defeated Angela Hill by split decision

    UFC Vegas 45 Results & Highlights: Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus, Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad

    MMA News has you covered with results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits from UFC Vegas 45. Be sure to keep checking the homepage for the latest news.

    Were the right choices made for the UFC Vegas 45 bonuses?

  • WATCH: UFC Vegas 45 Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream

    The UFC Vegas 45 post-fight press conference will be live once the action concludes.

    In the headliner, Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus will collide in a heavyweight clash. UFC Vegas 45’s co-main event will see a clash between Stephen Thompson and Belal Muhammad. More action will also be featured on the main card as Amanda Lemos shares the Octagon with Angela Hill. 

    The fighters from both the main and co-main events are expected to attend the post-fight press conference barring any hospital visits. Of course anyone else on the card who has a breakout performance could also attend the presser.

    MMA News will be providing live coverage of the UFC Vegas 45 card. Be sure to check back here for the post-fight presser with a tentative start time of 10:15 p.m. ET.

    Let us know your big takeaways once the UFC Vegas 45 post-fight press conference.

  • Check Out Last-Minute Betting Odds For UFC Vegas 45

    The final UFC Vegas 45 betting odds are in for as this event is quickly approaching for the Las Vegas-based promotion. 

    The event is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, December 18, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.

    Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus in a heavyweight bout will headline the show. In the co-main event, Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad in a welterweight bout will take place.

    Rounding out the main card is Amanda Lemos vs. Angela Hill in a women’s strawweight fight, Mateusz Gamrot vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira in a lightweight bout, and Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins in a featherweight bout. 

    According to oddsmakers, Thompson is a -140 favorite over Belal, who is a +180 underdog. Other odds for the main card include Lewis being a +120 underdog against Daukaus, who is a -140 favorite. Here are the full betting odds: 

    MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

    Chris Daukaus (-140) vs. Derrick Lewis (+120)

    Stephen Thompson (-220) vs. Belal Muhammad (+180)

    Amanda Lemos (-365) vs. Angela Hill (+280)

    Ricky Simon (-275) vs. Raphael Assuncao (+220)

    Mateusz Gamrot (-180) vs. Diego Ferreira (+155)

    Cub Swanson (-200) vs. Darren Elkins (+170)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

    Gerald Meerschaert (-225) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+185)

    Raoni Barcelos (-280) vs. Victor Henry (+225)

    Justin Tafa (-335) vs. Harry Hunsucker (+260)

    Sijara Eubanks (-180) vs. Melissa Gatto (+155)

    Charles Jourdain (-200) vs. Andre Ewell (+170)

    Raquel Pennington (-190) vs. Macy Chiasson (+160)

    Don’Tale Mayes (-195) vs. Josh Parisian (+165)

    Jordan Leavitt (-115) vs. Matt Sayles (-105)

  • UFC Vegas 45 Results & Highlights: Lewis vs. Daukaus

    UFC Vegas 45 went down tonight (Sat. December 18, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility and we have the results. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy. 

    It was headlined by a meeting between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus in a heavyweight bout. 

    The co-headliner saw a welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson and Belal Muhammad. Amanda Lemos vs. Angela Hill in a women’s strawweight fight, Mateusz Gamrot vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira in a lightweight bout, and Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins in a featherweight bout finished out the main card. 

    It was certain to have a great night of fights. Check out MMA News’ UFC Vegas 45 results below:

    Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins

    Cub tagged him a few times. Elkins was bleeding from the early going. Cub dropped him with a combo, but Elkins got back up. Cub hit him with a spinning back kick and the referee waved it off. 

    Mateusz Gamrot vs. Diego Ferreira

    They came out kickboxing to start the opening frame. Gamrot scored a takedown, but couldn’t keep him up. In the middle of the round, he did it again and once again Ferreira got up. Gamrot got a third takedown, but had problems keeping him down. In the second round, Gamrot went back to the takedowns, but Carlos just wouldn’t stay down. Gamrot took him down, but when Ferrira ate a knee strike to the gut, he gave up. 

    Raphael Assunção vs. Ricky Simón

    Ricky scored a takedown and got into full guard. Assuncao got back to his feet only to be thrown down. Ricky dominated the first round in this position. Things ended in the second round when Ricky dropped him with a right hook then followed up with strikes for the win. 

    Amanda Lemos vs. Angela Hill

    Lemos dropped her with a front face kick and Hill dropped. Lemos got on top of her in full guard. Lemos kept her there and dished out some shots. In the second round, Hill came out swinging and was walking her down. In the third round, Hill got two brief takedowns. Lemos got up right away both times. They clinched up against the fence and they traded shots. Lemos got a takedown, but Hill was right back up. Hill knocked her down with a spinning elbow with seconds left. The judges gave the win to Lemos by split decision. 

    Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad

    Belal scored a brief takedown, but Thompson got right back up. Thompson was throwing kicks early. Belal tagged him with a right hand. Belal put him up against the fence and rained down strikes. Thompson answered with his own. Belal scored a takedown, got his back, and rained down strikes, but Thompson survived. In the second round, Belal went right back for the takedown, but Thompson got right back up. Belal with a takedown and got into side control. Belal held onto the right arm. Belal went right back to the takedown in the third round. While Thompson stood up and stuffed one takedown, Belal got it on a second attempt. Belal got the decision win. 

    Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus

    Lewis finished him in the first round with less than two minutes to go. They did some clinch fighting. Lewis caught him with a combo. Lewis hurt him with a few right hands before Chris folded to the ground and that was a wrap. 

    Quick UFC Vegas 45 Results

    PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

    • Lightweight bout: Jordan Leavitt def. Matt Sayles by submission (inverted triangle choke) at 2:05 of Round 2
    • Heavyweight bout: Don’Tale Mayes def. Josh Parisian by TKO (elbows) at 3:26 of Round 3
    • Women’s featherweight bout: Raquel Pennington def. Macy Chiasson by submission (front choke) at 3:07 of Round 2
    • Featherweight bout: Charles Jourdain def. Andre Ewell by unanimous decision (30-26, 20-27, 29-27)
    • Women’s flyweight bout: Melissa Gatto def. Sijara Eubanks by TKO (body kick) at :45 of Round 3
    • Heavyweight bout: Justin Tafa def. Harry Hunsucker by TKO (head kick) at 1:53 of Round 1
    • Middleweight bout: Gerald Meerschaert def. Dustin Stoltzfus by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:58 of Round 3 

    MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

    • Featherweight bout: Cub Swanson def. Darren Elkins by TKO (strikes) at 2:12 of Round 1
    • Lightweight bout: Mateusz Gamrot def. Diego Ferreira by TKO (strikes) at 3:26 of Round 2
    • Bantamweight bout: Ricky Simon def. Raphael Assuncao by knockout (punches) at 2:14 of Round 2
    • Women’s strawweight bout: Amanda Lemos def. Angela Hill by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
    • Welterweight bout: Belal Muhammad def. Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)
    • Heavyweight bout: Derrick Lewis def. Chris Daukaus by knockout (punches) at 3:36 of Round 1

  • UFC Vegas 45: Lewis vs. Daukaus Weigh-In Results & In-Depth Preview

    The weigh-in results for UFC Vegas 45: Lewis vs. Daukaus are in, and we’ve got the results along with a preview for tomorrow night’s event for you below.

    The weigh-ins are complete for UFC Vegas 45, and three fighters have missed weight. In Justin Tafa’s case, he made history by becoming the first heavyweight to ever miss weight. Greg Hardy initially missed weight at UFC Vegas 12 last year, but he was able to successfuly make weight on his second attempt. Tafa, however, did not return to the scales after weighing in at 267 pounds, which is one pound over the heavyweight limit.

    Macy Chiasson also missed weight for her featherweight bout against Raquel Pennington, coming in at 148.5 pounds, 2.5 pounds over the limit. Meanwhile, Sijara Eubanks’ struggles on the scale continue, with the flyweight weighing in 1.5 pounds over the flyweight limit ahead of her bout against Melissa Gatto.

    UFC Vegas 45 takes place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire card will stream on ESPN+, with the prelims starting at 4:00 PM ET and the main card beginning at 7:00 PM ET.

    UFC Vegas 45 Preview & Faceoffs

    The final card of 2021 goes down tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, top-10 heavyweights Derrick Lewis (#3) and Chris Daukaus (#7) will slug it out. When these two big boys exchange fire, former police officer Daukaus will do so cautiously because of the power he knows Lewis possesses.

    All the while, Lewis will be swangin’ and bangin’ and doing everything he can to avoid being MMA’s answer to Rodney King. Should he be successful, he’d like to move on to the next challenge, two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

    In his previous bout at UFC 265 against Ciryl Gane, Lewis admits that the pressure of vying for a UFC title in his hometown got to him. Tomorrow night, there will be a sparse and relatively quiet Apex crowd ready to behold another Black Beast explosion. Should Lewis earn another knockout tomorrow at Daukaus’ expense, he will stand alone as the UFC knockout record-holder.

    Check out the face-off between these two heavyweights below.

    In the co-main event, top-10 welterweights Stephen Thompson (#5) and Belal Muhammad (#10) will do battle. When Thompson first learned that this fight was booked, the UFC veteran was absolutely elated. He expects a fun, honest scrap between himself and Muhammad, unlike the way he feels his fight with Gilbert Burns went at UFC 264.

    Should Thompson come out on the losing end, Muhammad believes that should earn him the same opportunity that Thompson has had on two separate occasions: fighting for the world title. If not, a bout with the highly touted Khamzat Chimaev would also suffice for the Chicagoan.

    Here is the final face-off between these two ranked welterweights.

    Here are the other face-offs for tomorrow night’s main card bouts!

    Amanda Lemos vs. Angela Hill

    Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon

    Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Gamrot

    Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins

    This is a battle between two hardened UFC veterans. Cub Swanson recently revealed that there are some people in his inner circle that believe he should stop fighting. However, he hopes that big performances like the one he expects to turn in tomorrow will show them that he still has plenty left to offer the sport. Check out the face-off between these to battle-tested featherweights below.

    UFC Vegas 45 Weigh-In Results

    Below, you can find the full lineup for UFC Vegas 45 as well as the weigh-in results, courtesy of UFC.com.

    Main Card

    Main Event – Heavyweight Bout: Derrick Lewis (265) vs Chris Daukaus (235.5)

    Co-Main Event – Welterweight Bout: Stephen Thompson (170.5) vs Belal Muhammad (170.5)

    Women’s Strawweight Bout: Amanda Lemos (115) vs Angela Hill (115.5)

    Bantamweight Bout: Raphael Assuncao (136) vs Ricky Simon (135.5)

    Lightweight Bout: Diego Ferreira (156) vs Mateusz Gamrot (155.5)

    Featherweight Bout: Cub Swanson (145.5) vs Darren Elkins (145.5)

    PRELIMS

    Middleweight Bout: Dustin Stoltzfus (185.5) vs Gerald Meerschaert (185.5)

    Bantamweight Bout: Raoni Barcelos (135.5) vs Victory Henry (136)

    Heavyweight Bout: Justin Tafa (267)* vs Harry Hunsucker (238.5)

    Women’s Flyweight Bout: Sijara Eubanks (127.5)** vs Melissa Gatto (125)

    Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain (145.5) vs Andre Ewell (145)

    Women’s Featherweight Bout: Raquel Pennington (145) vs Macy Chiasson (148.5)***

    Heavyweight Bout: Don’Tale Mayes (256.5) vs Josh Parisian (262)

    Lightweight Bout: Jordan Leavitt (155.5) vs Matt Sayles (155.5)

    MMA News will have you covered with all the UFC Vegas 45 results and highlights tomorrow night!