5 biggest winners from UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane
UFC 265 might’ve lost one of its title fights due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the show still looked great on paper. And in the end, Houston was treated to a tremendous night of fights.
UFC 265 saw a new champion crowned in the heavyweight division, but outside of that, a great number of other fighters picked up crucial wins. Some fighters will likely move into title contention with those wins, while some others will simply be happy to keep their UFC career afloat by avoiding a loss.
Regardless, every win inside the octagon is vital these days, and so UFC 265 will remain a memorable night for many. So with that in mind, here are the five biggest winners from UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane.
#5 Jose Aldo – defeated Pedro Munhoz in UFC 265 co-main event
The bantamweight clash between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz was moved into UFC 265’s co-main event slot on late notice following the scrapping of the Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena fight.
And while the showdown didn’t produce a highlight reel finish, it was still a lot of fun, and demonstrated once again that Aldo still has plenty to offer the UFC even after a decade of action.
The legendary former UFC featherweight champion weathered plenty of storms from Munhoz, who was game throughout the fight. ‘The Young Punisher’ forced Aldo back pretty consistently and landed some solid punches, tagging Aldo on multiple occasions.
But despite his best efforts, he could never truly hurt the former UFC champ, largely because of Aldo’s masterful defensive boxing skills and his slick counter striking.
Aldo’s timing in this fight was perfect; he caught Munhoz coming in and landed plenty of heavy strikes, used leg kicks to slow him down further, and clearly outlanded his countryman when it came to the eventual decision.
People might like to count Aldo out after his one-sided UFC bantamweight loss to Petr Yan last year, but the truth is that with better judges in his fight with Marlon Moraes, he’d actually be 3-1 at 135lbs.
Based on last night, he’s still very much a title contender in this division, and fights with the likes of Cory Sandhagen and T.J. Dillashaw could well be a lot of fun in the near future. There can be no disputing that he was one of UFC 265’s biggest winners.