By TXMMA Staff | Photos by UFC.com via Getty Images
Derrick Lewis scores first UFC win; Chas Skelly battles admirably despite first loss of his career
April 21, 2014 – Texas is officially home to two more UFC fighters following UFC on FOX 11: “Werdum vs. Browne”, held this past Saturday April 19th. This time are it was Derrick Lewis (Houston) and Chas Skelly (Azle) fighting in the octagon for the first time. They both more than held their own, proving that Texas is in fact home to some of the best fighters in the world.
“I wasn’t nervous until I heard Bruce Buffer call my name. That was the sign that I had finally made it,” said Derrick Lewis. “The Black Beast” has fought in the Houston area and beyond since 2010 but only recently began training in earnest. For all this time many considered him a raw but powerful prospect. Looking to refine his skill set he recently moved to 4OZ Fight Club and the hard work paid off in the form of a first round TKO of previously undefeated Jack May.
Derrick Lewis was actually the smaller fighter in this fight but was undaunted against his 6’8″ opponent. Once the fight started the Houstonian wasted no time and rushed his opponent against the cage to score the takedown. May reversed momentarily but Derrick would regain top position in short order. That’s all he needed as he clubbed May with some powerful shots to force the ref stoppage and his first UFC win.
As for Chas Skelly, he put up a great fight against a fighter some are saying is one of the top prospects in the world in Misrad Bektic. He dropped a majority decision to the tough striker but had his own moments, including a good shot in the second round. Unfortunately for him, he also landed an illegal knee in that same round, losing a point in the process. From there it all boiled down to the third round. Chas was aggressive in going for fight-ending submissions but it was not to be for him in this one.
Best of the Rest – UFC on FOX 11 Main Card Highlights
As for the rest of the UFC on FOX 11 lineup, it saw some surprises and upsets as some of the organization’s top divisional contenders tussled for position.
The UFC on FOX 11 main event saw one such surprise as Fabricio Werdum outclassed his much-hyped counterpart Travis Browne en route to the unanimous decision win. A BJJ world champion, Werdum was thought to be at a diasdvantage facing Browne’s power but that was not the case. He pummeled “Hapa” over the course of five rounds to get the win in this one. With the victory “Vai Cavalho” will now move to challenge reigning heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at some point in the near future.
Former female title contenders Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche also went to a decision with the popular Tate winning unanimously while Donald Cerrone surprised many with his first round submission win over Edson Barboza. Former Cuban Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero also continued his ascent up the ranks with a decision win over Brad Tavares.
Meanwhile the undercard saw a few other notable fights, namely Khabib Nurmagomedov proving himself as a legit title contender with his victory over Rafael dos Anjos.
Check out the entire card’s worth of results below.
UFC on Fox 11 – Quick Results
Main Card (Fox)
- Fabricio Werdum def. Travis Browne by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
- Miesha Tate def. Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Donald Cerrone def. Edson Barboza by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:15, R1
- Yoel Romero def. Brad Tavares by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Undercard (FOX Sports 1)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
- Thiago Alves def. Seth Baczynski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jorge Masvidal def. Pat Healy by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Alex White def. Estevan Payan by TKO at 1:28, R1
- Caio Magalhaes def. Luke Zachrich by TKO (strikes) at 0:44, R1
- Jordan Mein def. Hernani Perpetuo by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Undercard (UFC Fight Pass)
- Dustin Ortiz def. Ray Borg via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mirsad Bektic def. Chas Skelly by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
- Derrick Lewis def. Jack May by TKO (punches) at 4:23, Round 1
UFC on Fox 11 – Post Fight Press Conference
