UFC Fight Night 105 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Halifax
Forget that pesky pound-for-pound qualifier; Derrick Lewis is the hardest hitter in the entire UFC, full stop.
On Sunday night, Lewis took a five-fight win streak and those two engine blocks on the ends of his arms into Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the toughest fight of his pro career.
Waiting for Lewis on the other end of UFC Fight Night 105's main event was Travis Browne, himself a hellacious hitter and one of the toughest outs in the heavyweight division. If you beat Browne, you're good.
So how good is Lewis in a heavyweight division that desperately needs new blood at the top? Can Browne leap out of the tabloids and back into the win column after dropping his last two?
And what about the co-main event? Johny Hendricks tried to overcome his battle with the scale as a newly minted middleweight, and he tried his luck against the always-dangerous Hector Lombard.
As always, the final stat lines only tell part of the story. These are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 105.
Loser: Travis Browne's Consciousness
1 of 6
Another slow start for Derrick Lewis, another emphatic knockout win.
After he got comfortable, Lewis overcame a flat beginning by landing a left hand on Travis Browne. Thunderbolt left hands are helpful in this regard.
Browne started to wobble after the left, and Lewis, smelling blood, swarmed. He got the stoppage not long after.
Lewis has earned an elite opponent now that he's won his sixth straight fight. The man himself called out Mark Hunt after the bout, per Fox Sports, and that could be the best heavyweight bout of 2017.
Winner: Johny Hendricks
2 of 6
Hector Lombard got weaker as the fight went on. In his first middleweight bout, Johny Hendricks got stronger.
Badly needing a win, the former welterweight champ delivered. Lombard, particularly early, was an offensive dervish, but Hendricks kept himself out of a phone-booth battle, which probably would have ended badly for him.
Instead, he picked his shots, tagging Lombard with his signature left hand. It was a big night for a Texan who needed a big night.
Winner: Gavin Tucker
3 of 6
You don't see a lot of swagger in fighters making UFC debuts. If you were watching on Sunday, you saw it in Gavin Tucker.
The featherweight and Halifax native moved his pro record to 10-0 by picking apart a tough veteran in slugger Sam Sicilia. The 31-year-old had no answer at any time for Tucker's footwork and quickness.
"This is a dream come true, but this is not the end of the dream," Tucker told commentator Brian Stann in the cage after the fight. "I'm happy to be here, man, so here we go."
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Loser: Short-Notice Debuts
4 of 6
Sometimes people get their butts kicked in this sport, as they do in other sports—Gina Mazany got her butt kicked Sunday night.
When you're facing off with an Olympian like Sara McMann, and you're doing so on short notice, these kinds of things happen. And, boy, how did it happen for Mazany.
A trip takedown led to a quick transition to mount, which led to an arm-triangle choke. A few beet-red seconds later, and McMann had the tap. The whole thing took 74 seconds.
Here's hoping Mazany gets another shot; stepping up in this way takes courage. No hope needed on the McMann side, though. Good Lord, that was a steamrolling.
Winner: Aiemann Zahabi
5 of 6
In his UFC debut, Aiemann Zahabi—yep, he's Tristar coach Firas Zahabi's brother—used a stiff jab to set the tone for a decision defeat of Reginaldo Vieira in a fun undercard scrap.
Vieira was a game opponent, rocking Zahabi at various times but never able to take the action to the ground, where he really excels.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Zahabi, now 7-0 as a pro, showed poise beyond his experienced years. He stayed patient and slammed home combos when Vieira's defense presented the opportunity. He's one to watch in the bantamweight division.
UFC Fight Night 105 Full Card Results
6 of 6
Main Card
Derrick Lewis def. Travis Browne by KO, 3:12, Rd. 2
Johny Hendricks def. Hector Lombard by unanimous decision
Gavin Tucker def. Sam Sicilia by unanimous decision
Elias Theodorou def. Cezar Ferreira by unanimous decision
Sara McMann def. Gina Mazany by submission (arm-triangle choke), 1:14, Rd. 1
Paul Felder def. Alessandro Ricci by TKO, 4:44, Rd. 1
Preliminary Card
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Nordine Taleb by unanimous decision
Randa Markos def. Carla Esparza by split decision
Aiemann Zahabi def. Reginaldo Vieira by unanimous decision
Thiago Santos def. Jack Marshman by TKO, 2:21, Rd. 2
Gerald Meerschaert def. Ryan Janes by submission (armbar), 1:34, Rd. 1
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
