Derrick Lewis went ahead and turned UFC Fight Night 105 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, into his personal stage to announce he’s a serious heavyweight contender against Travis Browne with a second-round technical knockout victory in the main event Sunday night.
MMAjunkie provided the official result:
The battle of the heavies delivered with the action early on. The taller Browne came out attacking with aggressive leg and body kicks—and one nearly doubled Lewis over—but Hapa was unable to take advantage of the momentum shift.
Bloody Elbow noted the obvious reaction from Lewis:
Still, even in a losing effort Lewis is dangerous, and he was able to do some damage despite losing the round. Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow noted the early blows from Lewis:
Browne would realize his inability to take advantage of the early pain for Lewis was a mistake in the second frame. The Black Beast landed a massive left hand that shelled Browne early in the round, and the UFC posted the ensuing swarm:
Browne would find a way to survive that onslaught, but not many who are touched up by Lewis are able to ultimately weather the storm. The 32-year-old just kept coming and scored a knockdown. From there, Lewis rained down ground-and-pound until he drew the finish and made an emphatic statement about his status as a contender in the heavyweight division.
Fox Sports 1 posted the finish to the bout:
Brett Okamoto of ESPN summed up the win for The Black Beast quite nicely:
The heavyweight tilt wasn’t the only notable action that took place in Halifax on Sunday night, though. A former UFC champion found a new weight class, a potential Canadian star got off to a great UFC start and a women’s contender did her best to make a case for a title shot.
Here’s a look at the quick results from UFC Fight Night 105 and a closer look at each of the main card bouts.
UFC Fight Night 105 Quick Results
Main Card
- Derrick Lewis def. Travis Browne, knockout (Round 2, 3:12)
- Johny Hendricks def. Hector Lombard, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Gavin Tucker def. Sam Sicilia, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Elias Theodorou def. Cezar Ferreira, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Sara McMann def. Gina Mazany, submission (Round 1, 1:14)
- Paul Felder def. Alessandro Ricci, TKO (Round 1, 4:44)
Prelims
- Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Nordine Taleb, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Randa Markos def. Carla Esparza, split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Aiemann Zahabi def. Reginaldo Vieira, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Thiago Santos def. Jack Marshman, TKO (Round 2, 2:21)
Hector Lombard vs. Johny Hendricks
The reincarnation of Johny Hendricks as a middleweight was one of the most intriguing storylines heading into UFC Halifax, and it didn’t disappoint.
Bigg Rigg’s foray into a heavier weight class after continued struggles to make the 170-pound limit in his old weight class resulted in a different-looking fighter. The welterweight version of Hendrick’s continually looked to land the one big shot that could end the fight.
Hendricks still threw some heavy leather, but he looked much more like a true kickboxer at the heavier weight, utilizing movement to score against an equally powerful Lombard.
His Cuban opponent certainly made a run at it. This was a close fight that could have gone either way. The UFC passed along a highlight of Lombard landing a heavy left against Hendricks, and it certainly wasn’t hard to find highlights for the loser of the fight:
Bleacher Report’s Patrick Wyman gave Hendricks credit for looking savvy in his new weight class:
After the fight, Hendricks’ expressed how good he felt not having to cut to 170. “I have energy! I couldn’t do that in my last weight class,” he said, per MMA Fighting.
Just how far this middleweight version of Hendricks can go will be interesting. The former welterweight champion had lost three straight heading into this fight.
Gavin Tucker vs. Sam Sicilia
Debuting in the UFC with an undefeated record in a fighter’s hometown might be the most pressure-packed way to start off a career in the organization, but you couldn‘t tell from watching Gavin Tucker outpoint Sam Sicilia to a decision victory.
The 30-year-old advanced his career record to 10-0, but the 10th win was a lot different from his previous nine. The Newfoundland native had only fought in Canada’s regional scene. That created a big jump in competition taking on a guy in Sicilia with 11 UFC fights to his name before Sunday night.
Ultimately, Tucker’s quickness, athleticism and striking forgave any lack of experience for Tucker. His quickness allowed him to outhustle Sicilia from the outside and stick his opponent on the end of his kicks and punches:
Tucker glided through the three rounds without necessarily putting Sicilia in danger but making it known he was clearly the better fighter. Tucker said in his post-fight interview that he was cautious not to get too crazy against someone like Sicilia:
Tucker’s movement and striking earned him comparisons to some pretty elite company:
Tucker has a long way to go before he’s heralded as a star, but this performance certainly won’t do anything to prevent a hype train from leaving the station. He’s definitely a name to keep an eye on. Especially on any cards set to go on in Canada.
Elias Theodorou vs. Cezar Ferreira
Elias Theodorou vs. Cezar Ferreira was one of the most even-matched fights on the card, and that bared out when the two middleweights squared off.
The fight got off to an inauspicious start with both fighters feeling each other out, yet the Canadian led the dance in those phases, which could have ultimately helped swing the fight.
The second frame saw Theodorou open up a bit more in the standup game but found himself grappling with Ferreira where he gave up his back a few times. Ferreira continued to get some of the better parts of the grappling exchanges, but overall it was a round the judges saw for the hometown fighter.
The third frame appeared to be close once again. Ferreira scored a takedown late in the round that appeared would tip the scales in favor of the Brazilian:
A little bit of home-field advantage might have been at play, though, as the Theodorou even won all three rounds on one of the scorecards.
That’s back-to-back wins for the fan favorite Theodorou. Given Ferreira‘s three-fight win streak heading into this bout, it’s safe to say Spartan might be in line for an even bigger step up in competition after this win.
Sara McMann vs. Gina Mazany
Sara McMann was the biggest favorite on the card at 2-11 odds, per OddsShark.
It didn’t take long to figure out why.
The former Olympic wrestler punched her way into the clinch, took down her overwhelmed opponent and went right to work on an arm-triangle choke that ended the fight. The whole process took 1:14 of the first round for McMann to make good on her favored status.
After the bout, McMann used her platform to call for a title shot.
This is hardly the bout that should set her up for a title shot, though. McMann has three wins in a row, but this was a late-notice replacement fight for Mazany. According to TSN, Liz Carmouche—who was scheduled to fight McMann—had to pull out due to an injury.
McMann is certainly one of the best grapplers in women’s MMA, but first-round losses to Ronda Rousey and current champion Amanda Nunes mean she probably has to do a little more than beat Mazany to earn another crack at the championship.
Alessandro Ricci vs. Paul Felder
When Paul Felder fights, it tends to be a spectacular knockout from the Irish Dragon or bust.
At UFC Halifax, it was the spectacular knockout variety of performance. The lightweight put together crisp combinations against the 34-year-old Alessandro Ricci, who was making his second appearance in the UFC Octagon.
However, it was a beautiful step-in elbow that put the fight to rest late in the first round. It was one of those moments when Felder put forth the full potential of his masterful striking.
Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow noted the excellent timing of Felder on the elbow:
Felder also provided one of the more emotional moments of the evening, revealing he left his father, who is battling cancer, to train for this bout and gave him a shoutout in his post-fight interview:
It was a perfect way to start a card that had its fair share of good moments for those who tuned in.
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