CFFC 156 results: Bevon Lewis survives early damage, battles back to claim interim heavyweight title
Lewis turns away initial charge to claim gold at promotion's first visit to Illinois' Hard Rock Casino Rockford
ROCKFORD, Illinois – It took less than a round for Bevon Lewis to claim CFFC gold, but it didn't come without a stiff test along the way from a previously undefeated Jackson Stanford in the main event of CFFC 156.
Stanford, who stepped in on short notice to replace reigning champion Vitor Resende, dominated the early action of the interim heavyweight title bout, but it was Lewis who took over in the latter stages of the frame and earned a TKO win at Illinois' Hard Rock Casino Rockford.
The back-and-forth battle closed the show at Friday's event and streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
Stanford opened the fight with an immediate takedown, though Lewis was able to work quickly back to his feet. From there, it was Stanford who was the aggressor, first working from the clinch and then backing away to land big knees up the middle and vicious punches and elbows.
To his credit, Lewis defended well against the strikes, covering up and rolling with the shots to avoid taking anything too clean. Still, it was clear Stanford was the one in control – until he wasn't. With a little under two minutes remaining, Lewis started to swing back, and he connected with a few solid blows. Stanford appeared a bit dazed and perhaps fading just a bit, and Lewis turned up the heat.
As they worked from the clinch, a series of hooks landed clean, and Lewis seized his opportunity. Stanford refused to go to the ground, but hunched over failing to defend properly, the bout was called off at the 4:06 mark of the opening frame, with Lewis claiming the promotion's interim heavyweight title.
"I feel good as hell," Lewis told CM Punk after the win. "It's the moment. Whether it was him or it was Vitor, the intensity should be the same. As you saw in the first round, I didn't get the start I wanted to, but I don't really have any words for this man.
"Big up to the team. I did not do this by myself. I want to keep doing this with my team. Let's run it again. If you want to see the best heavyweight in CFFC, tune in on FIGHT PASS."
Complete CFFC 156 results include:
MAIN CARD
Bevon Lewis def. Jackson Stanford via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:06 – to claim interim heavyweight title
Matt Gawlik def. Billy Ray Valdez via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 3:37
Scottie Sopke def. Shane Jackman via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Darius Patterson def. Henry Huff via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abdimamatov Syimyk def. Landen Fischer via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Guram Gochashvili def. Leivon Lewis via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Christian Herrera def. Levin Frank via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:13
Jeremiah Martin def. Alex Liaromatis via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)