UFC Vegas 45 results and recap: Derrick Lewis sets KO record with stoppage of Chris Daukaus

Las Vegas, December 19: The year 2021 ended with fireworks as Derrick Lewis capped off the UFC Vegas 45 card with a knockout of Chris Daukaus on Saturday (December 18) night at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Out of 13 high-quality fights, a remarkable ten were finishes, which is tied for the 3rd most in modern UFC history. And the night ended with a KO that lived up to the expectation when two knockout artists met in the headliner.

In the main event, heavyweight No. 3 ranked contender Derrick Lewis made the record for the most knockouts in UFC history (13) when he finished No. 7 ranked Chris Daukaus with three right hands in the first round.

Following the bout, the always entertaining Lewis said, "I'm happy to be the number one fighter in knockouts. This feels real good, that's all I wanted to do. I don't want five rounds. I would love to get a title shot. If you can make it three rounds, hit me up. If five rounds, don't call my phone."

In the co-main event, No. 10 ranked Belal Muhammad shut out No. 5 ranked Stephen Thompson with three rounds of terrific, dominant wrestling in top 10 welterweights bout.

After the decision win, Muhammad said, "The only thing I'm feeling right now is... Kamaru Usman, I need that title shot. Leon Edwards, there's unfinished business there. Bully B is the boogeyman. Nobody's ever beat Wonderboy like that. I'm the real dud right now, I'm the hype in the division."

Also on the main card, Amanda Lemos earned a split decision against Angela Hill in a women's strawweight bout, while Ricky Simon and Mateusz Gamrot claimed second-round stoppage wins over Raphael Assuncao and Diego Ferreira in their respective bouts.

In a battle of featherweight veterans, Cub Swanson halted Darren Elkins in the first round of the main card opener with his sniper style of striking and earned a Performance of the Night award.

On the prelims, Melissa Gatto made a statement in the flyweight division, keeping her unbeaten record intact while taking out Sijara Eubanks in the third round and got a bonus for the performance.

Meanwhile, Charles Jourdain earned the only decision win on the preliminary card as Gerald Meerschaert, Justin Tafa, Raquel Pennington, Don'Tale Mayes and Jordan Leavitt finished their respective fights via stoppage.

UFC Vegas 45 Final Results

Main Card

1. Heavyweight bout: Derrick Lewis defeated Chris Daukaus via KO at 3:36 of round one

2. Welterweight bout: Belal Muhammad defeated Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)

3. Women's Strawweight bout: Amanda Lemos defeated Angela Hill via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

4. Bantamweight bout: Ricky Simon defeated Raphael Assuncao via KO at 2:14 of round two

5. Lightweight bout: Mateusz Gamrot defeated Diego Ferreira via TKO (strikes) at 3:26 of round two

6. Featherweight bout: Cub Swanson defeated Darren Elkins via TKO (strikes) at 2:12 of round one

Preliminary Card

1. Middleweight bout: Gerald Meerschaert defeated Dustin Stoltzfus via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:58 of round three

2. Heavyweight bout: Justin Tafa defeated Harry Hunsucker via TKO (strikes) at 1:53 of round three

3. Women's Flyweight bout: Melissa Gatto defeated Sijara Eubanks via TKO (strikes) at 0:45 of round three

4. Featherweight bout: Charles Jourdain defeated Andre Ewell via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)

5. Women's Bantamweight bout: Raquel Pennington defeated Macy Chiasson via submission (10-finger choke) at 3:07 of round two

6. Heavyweight bout: Don'Tale Mayes defeated Josh Parisian via TKO (strikes) at 3:26 of round three

7. Lightweight bout: Jordan Leavitt defeated Matt Sayles via submission (inverted triangle choke) at 2:05 of round two