The final UFC card of the year took place Friday, and while not the most exciting show on paper, UFC Vegas 45 for the most part delivered.
Early on at the Las Vegas event, Don’Tale Mayes, Melissa Gatto, Raquel Pennington, and Justin Tafa impressed with big finishes. In the case of Tafa, despite becoming the first fighter to miss weight for a heavyweight bout in the UFC, he managed to find redemption with a head kick KO of Harry Hunsucker.
On the main card, Cub Swanson managed to put the damage on Darren Elkins early, while Angela Hill and Amanda Lemos battled to a split decision (in favor of Brazilian strawweight Lemos) that was a clear contender for Fight of the Night. Belal Muhammad, meanwhile, out-grappled Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to pick up the biggest win of his career in the co-main event.
In the main event, it was Derrick Lewis, the number three-ranked heavyweight in the world, taking on surging upstart Chris Daukaus. With four wins in four fights thus far in the promotion, Daukaus was looking to prove that he was ready for a big step up in competition.
Following UFC Vegas 45 on Saturday, tune in for the post-fight press conference. A live stream is available in the embed above.
