UFC Vegas 45 Highlights: Derrick Lewis Knocks Out Chris Daukaus

The final UFC card of the year was an excellent card which saw a new welterweight contender emerge in Belal Muhammed, and ended with a very satisfying knockout from the new UFC leader in the category. Check out those highlights and everyhting else after the jump.

Derrick Lewis def. Chris Daukaus via KO (Punches) (Rd. 1 3:50)

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Derrick Lewis now has the most knockouts in UFC history after sending Chris Daukaus was put to sleep midway through the first round. Post-fight Lewis threw his cup into the crowd, and cut a typically weird and entertaining promo post-fight.

Belal Muhammed def. Stephen Thompson via Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)

Belal Muhammed completely dominated Stephen Thompson, getting him to the ground multiple times in each round, and controlling him completely through almost the entire 15 minutes of the fight. An incredible performance by Muhammed who went on to call out champion Kamaru Usman, or for a rematch of the Leon Edwards fight which was marred by an eyepoke.

Amanda Lemos def. Angela Hill via Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

In an excellent hard-fought bout Amanda Lemos emerged with an incredibly tight decision victory over Angela Hill. Lemos came out strong landing a pin-point front kick to Hill's chin, but Hill was able to rally and put on a fight of the night performance which could've gone either way on the judges scorecards.

Ricky Simon def. Raphael Assuncao via KO (Punches) (Rd. 2 2:14)

After a round of his relentless wrestling, Ricky Simon landed a series of heavy blows against Raphael Assuncao to get the KO stoppage. Simon called out Sean O'Malley post-fight, tho there are numerous options in the talent-rich bantamweight division.

Mateusz Gamrot def. Diego Ferreira via TKO (Knee) (Rd. 2 3:26)

After a very exciting round and a half of thrilling scrambles Mateusz Gamrot crushed Diego Ferreira's body with a heavy knee strike which appeared to injure Ferreira's ribs, which caused him to verbally submit. Its a shame the fight came to an early stoppage, because it was thrilling stuff.

Cub Swanson def. Darren Elkins via TKO (Head Kick) (Rd. 1 2:12)

Cub Swanson bounced back after a stoppage loss in his last fight by sparking up Darren Elkins very shortly into the first round. Swanson peppered Elkins with a barrage of punches coming from wildly different angles and finished it off with a slapping head kick which got the stoppage from Herb Dean.

Gerald Meerschaert def. Dustin Stoltzfus via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) (Rd. 3 2:59)

In a great comeback, Gerald Meerschaert was able to get his third stoppage win of the year, and on his birthday no less. Dustin Stoltzfus had controlled the majority of the fight up until Meerschaert was able to get a reversal late in the third round and get secure the choke. Rough loss for Stoltzfus who will be in tough to keep his spot on the roster now that he's dropped to 0-3 inside the UFC.

Justin Tafa def. Harry Hunsucker via KO (Head Kick) (Rd. 1 1:54)

Justin Tafa knocked down Harry Hunsucker with the first strike of the fight, and then proceeded to knock him out shortly after with a headkick that Hunsucker blocked with both arms, but didn't matter. Tafa did miss weight for this fight, meaning it was the ultra-rare super heavyweight fight.

Melissa Gatto def. Sijara Eubanks via TKO (Body Kick) (Rd. 3 0:36)

In a fight that was contested mostly through grappling exchanges, ended when Melissa Gatto detonated Sijara Eubanks' liver with a toe kick that had Eubanks collapse to the ground. Gatto looked very good weathering the early pressure while still threatening with numerous submission attempts.

Charles Jourdain def. Andre Ewell via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)

Charles Jourdain gave Andre Ewell a very rude introduction to the featherweight division and put a beating on him. Jourdain threatened with a finish late in the second round, and then in the third he did all he could to get the finish, including primal screams, hook kicks, and a barrage of clinch knees. A great showing from Jourdain.

Raquel Pennington def. Macy Chaisson via Submission (Guillotine Choke)

In a very entertaining bout, Raquel Pennington got the submission win over Macy Chaisson in the first Womens Lightweight bout in UFC history. The first two rounds were very active striking exchanges, that saw both ladies have their moments. While Chaisson missed weight for this fight, it was on very short notice, and hence why this fight wound up being the extremely rare womens Lightweight bout.

Don'Tale Mayes def. Josh Parisian via TKO (Crucifix Elbows) (Rd. 3 3:26)

Don'Tale Mayes dominated Josh Parisian from bell to tell, securing takedowns in each of the three rounds, and eventually getting the finish with an endless string of elbows from the crucifix position. The best performance we've seen from Mayes inside the octagon. The UFC posted zero highlights from this fight, and that's harsh on Mayes who looked excellent.

Jordan Leavitt def. Matt Sayles via Submission (Reverse Triangle Choke) (Rd. 2 2:05)

Jordan Leavitt was able to control Matt Sayles on the ground fairly easily over the course of the fight, and threatened with multiple submissions, before finally getting the tap from an odd reverse triangle choke that was very difficult to see.

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