MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 45, a five-round non-title heavyweight bout between Chris Daukaus and Derrick Lewis. The event takes place on Saturday, December 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chris Daukaus (-140)
Daukaus (12-3) is the No. 7 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 32-year-old American joined the UFC in 2020 and so far he has gone 4-0 with four UFC knockout wins over Shamil Abdurakhimov, Aleksei Oleinik, Rodrigo Nascimento, and Parker Porter. He has shown outstanding striking skills, particularly with his hands as he has exhibited incredible boxing skills and KO power. At this point, it looks like Daukaus is close to being an elite guy at heavyweight, and we will find that out soon. If he can go in there and beat a former UFC title challenger in Lewis, it would put Daukaus in the top five.
Derrick Lewis (+120)
Lewis (25-8, 1 NC) is the No. 3 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 36-year-old American has been one of the best heavyweights in the world for many years and he has defeated the likes of Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, and Curtis Blaydes, to name a few. Lewis has massive knockout power and we have seen that time and time again throughout his UFC career. Even in fights where he is down on the scorecards and you think he is going to lose, he can come back and win by KO. That being said, his own chin is not the greatest as he has been knocked out several times, and he has defensive grappling issues. But overall Lewis is one of the best heavyweights in the UFC, and he is the gatekeeper to the top five. If Daukaus can beat him, it would show that he is the top-five fighter.
Fight Breakdown: This should be a fun slugfest between two heavy hitters at heavyweight for as long as the fight lasts. Given how much power both men have, my guess is this fight is not going to last more than one, maybe two rounds at most. Either way, I see someone getting knocked out, and I feel like it will be Daukaus putting out Lewis’ lights. As big of a puncher as Lewis is, he does feel like a glass cannon at times in that he can dish it but he can’t take it. Daukaus, meanwhile, has shown that he can take a punch and fire back in return. Both guys have huge power but Daukaus seems like the more technical striker, and that could be key if these two stand in the pocket and exchange. I’ll take the guy who throws the straighter punches and go with Daukaus by KO. That being said, it’s two big heavyweights with massive knockout power so anyone can win by landing just one punch. Still, Daukaus has more momentum heading into this fight, he’s the younger guy, and he should have the speed advantage. So all things are pointing to Daukaus winning via KO.
Prediction: Chris Daukaus
