Derrick Lewis Sets UFC Knockout Record, Wrecks Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 199

Chris Daukaus is the only one who didn't see this KO coming a mile away pic.twitter.com/DU0xF2N9fA

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) December 19, 2021

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Advertisement

Derrick Lewis stands alone in the Ultimate Fighting Championship record book.

“The Black Beast” broke a tie with Matt Brown and set the promotion’s all-time mark for knockout victories with his 13th, as he battered Chris Daukaus senseless in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 199 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lewis (26-8, 17-6 UFC) drew the curtain 3:36 into Round 1, winning for the fifth time in six appearances.

Daukaus (12-4, 4-1 UFC) connected with a slashing right elbow and did what he could to steer clear of one of the world’s most dangerous men. Those efforts proved futile. Lewis clipped him with a thudding left hook and flurried with power punches from both hands. Daukaus tried to return fire, only to be met with a burst of crushing right hands, the last of which separated him from his senses.

The loss snapped Daukaus’ run of consecutive wins at five.

Relentless Muhammad Manhandles Thompson

Repeated takedowns, stifling control and hearty ground-and-pound carried Belal Muhammad to the most significant win of his career, as the onetime Titan Fighting Championship titleholder laid claim to a lopsided unanimous decision over Stephen Thompson in the welterweight co-main event. All three cageside judges scored it for Muhammad (20-3, 11-3 UFC): 30-25, 30-26 and 30-26.

Thompson (16-6-1, 11-6-1 UFC) was shockingly ineffective. Muhammad secured multiple takedowns in all three rounds, bled the “Wonderboy” gas tank try and had the South Carolina-based karateka searching for answers. He found none. With two rounds already in the bank, Muhammad kept his foot on the accelerator in the third. There, he grounded the soon-to-be 39-year-old Thompson again and transitioned seamlessly from half guard and side control to the knee-on-belly position, feeding him elbows all the while.

On a seven-fight unbeaten streak that has seen him go 6-0 with one no contest, Muhammad has not tasted defeat since Jan. 19, 2019.

Related » UFC Fight Night 199 Round-by-Round Scoring

Lemos Edges Replacement Hill

Former Jungle Fight champion Amanda Lemos eked out a contentious split decision over Alliance MMA export Angela Hill in a fiercely competitive three-round women’s strawweight skirmish. Judges Douglas Crosby and Junichiro Kamijo struck 30-27 and 29-28 scorecards for Lemos, while Michael Bell saw it 29-28 for Hill.

The 34-year-old Lemos (11-1-1, 5-1 UFC) nearly finished inside the first round, where she staggered the onetime Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder with a front kick to the face, drove her to the mat and tried to drown her with follow-up punches. A short-notice replacement for Nina Nunes, Hill (13-11, 8-11 UFC) withstood the assault, kept her composure and made the most of the 60-second respite between rounds. Back and forth they fought thereafter, and though Hill landed the most impactful blow—she dropped the Brazilian with a spinning elbow in the third round—across the final 10 minutes, the decision went against her.

Lemos will ride a five-fight winning streak into her next assignment.

Surging Simon Blasts Assuncao

Team Oyama’s Ricky Simon cut through Raphael Assuncao with punches in the second round of their bantamweight feature. On a four-fight losing streak and winless since July 7, 2018, the fading Assuncao (27-9, 11-6 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:14 into Round 2.

Simon (19-3, 7-2 UFC) established his superiority in the first round, where he executed two takedowns and neutralized the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt during the grappling exchanges that ensued. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion continued to control the real estate in the middle stanza, sat down Assuncao in a slumped position with a clubbing right hand and then mopped up what was left with sweeping punches.

The 29-year-old Simon has rattled off four consecutive victories.

Related » UFC Fight Night 199 Prelims: Meerschaert Completes Perfect 2021 Campaign

Gamrot Knee Stops Ferreira

Former KSW champion Mateusz Gamrot put away Diego Ferreira with a knee strike to the body in the second round of their lightweight showcase. In visible distress after absorbing the fight-ending blow, Ferreira (17-5, 8-5 UFC) asked referee Jason Herzog to call for the stoppage 3:26 into Round 2.

Gamrot (20-1, 3-1 UFC) pushed a furious pace from the start and cut of the Brazilian’s advances with a pair of takedowns in the first round. Ferreira adjusted well in the middle stanza, started stringing punches together and made life increasingly difficult for the American Top Team-trained Pole. However, Gamrot managed to scramble behind him and fired a knee into his ribcage that resulted in an apparent injury and led to the finish.

Ferreira, 36, has suffered three straight defeats.

Swanson Dismantles Damaged Elkins

World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Cub Swanson struck down Darren Elkins with a barrage of punches and a glancing wheel kick in the first round of their featherweight attraction. Elkins (26-10, 16-9 UFC) checked out 2:12 into Round 1, his modest two-fight winning streak having run its course.

Swanson (28-12, 13-8 UFC) was in rare form against an opponent who seemed tailormade for him. He tore into Elkins with surgical strikes in open space, put him on skates with a vicious multi-punch flurry, steered clear of the desperate takedown attempts that followed and reset in the center of the cage. Swanson then closed in on the dazed and weary Team Alpha Male rep, fired the kick and prompted referee Herb Dean to intervene.

The 38-year-old Swanson has won three of his last four fights.

Continue Reading » UFC Fight Night 199 Prelims: Tafa Head Kick Levels Hunsucker