Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis has emerged as a new contender in the UFC's heavyweight division after beating Travis Browne by TKO at the weekend.
Lewis was riding a five fight win streak going into the fight, winning four by stoppage.
Browne was on a two fight slide heading into Saturday night's main event after dropping a decision against Fabricio Werdum and was stopped by Cain Velasquez prior to that.
.@TheBeast_UFC turning up the heat!!!! #UFCHalifax pic.twitter.com/Va1GxOirAu
— UFC (@ufc) February 20, 2017
Lewis and Browne entertained the crowd in Halifax, Nova Scotia and were rewarded for their efforts with a "Fight of the Night" bonus afterwards.
Lewis has fought five times in the space of a year and although he was looking for some time off after the bout, he should keep his momentum going and fight a top contender.
Thank You, Halifax! Another great trip to 🇨🇦Canada! #UFCHalifax pic.twitter.com/HnAZnbG2tQ
— UFC (@ufc) February 20, 2017
Current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is scheduled to fight Junior Dos Santos in May. A fight between Lewis and former champion and number-two ranked Cain Velasquez would be an interesting option to solidify one of their claims as the next contender.
Elsewhere on the main card, Johnny Hendricks beat Hector Lombard by unanimous decision in his first foray into the middleweight division. Gavin Tucker and Elias Thedorou won decisions against Sam Sicilia and Cezar Ferreira respectively.
Sara McMann submitted Gina Mazany in the first round of their fight while Paul "The Irish Dragon" Felder stopped Alessandro Ricco in the first round.
The next action inside the octagon is at UFC 209 on March 5th when Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson rematch for the UFC welterweight title after fighting to a draw at UFC 205.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight for the interim lightweight title with the winner due to face off against Conor McGregor.
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