Heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis thrilled his hometown fans in Houston in the main card opener, as he surged late and beat Ilir Latifi via unanimous decision.
Scores were 29-28 across the board for the No. 6-ranked Lewis, now 23-7 with 1 NC. Latifi, who was making his UFC heavyweight debut, falls to 15-8, 1 NC.
Lewis struck first with a jumping knee in the second minute, but Latifi took it well and locked Lewis up against the fence. After a stall in the action, referee Dan Miragliotta restarted the bout and Lewis went back on the attack. Latifi’s clinch work and takedown attempts were nullifying Lewis’ offense, but once separated, “The Black Beast” was in control.
Midway through round two, Latifi got the fight where he wanted it, as he took Lewis to the mat, but again the action stalled and prompted a restart late in the frame. Latifi did throw Lewis to the mat, though, and that second takedown was an important one for Sweden’s “Sledgehammer.”
Latifi got his third round off to a good start with a takedown in the opening minute, and he kept it there until two minutes remained. Once standing, Lewis went on the attack, but Latifi diluted that aggression with another clinch. A kick rattled Latifi briefly when they broke, and a couple hard right hands put the Swede on the defensive again just before the bout ended.
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