UFC Fight Night 146: Lewis vs. dos Santos | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. First UFC in Kansas — JDS Blocks Lewis’s Title Path

3. Quick Stats

4. Main Event: JDS’ Spinning Kick + R2 TKO of Lewis

5. Niko Price PoN, Dariush Armbar PoN & The Card

6. Full Results

7. Bonuses & Awards

8. Records & Milestones

9. Legacy & Impact

10. FAQ

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Introduction

UFC Fight Night 146: Lewis vs. dos Santos took place on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas — broadcast live on ESPN+ as ESPN+ 4. The card drew 7,265 fans for a gate of $636,417. It was the first UFC event in Kansas, the 38th US state the UFC had visited. The main event was a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Junior dos Santos.

Dos Santos stopped Lewis by TKO at 1:58 of round two, earning Fight of the Night alongside Lewis for their action-filled exchange. JDS’s third consecutive win placed him as the HW division’s most prominent active title contender. Niko Price earned Performance of the Night for a round one TKO of Tim Means. Beneil Dariush earned Performance of the Night for a technical armbar of Drew Dober in round two. Ben Rothwell returned after nearly three years away and lost to Blagoy Ivanov.

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First UFC in Kansas — JDS Blocks Lewis’s Title Path

Intrust Bank Arena holds approximately 15,000. The 7,265 attendance for Kansas’ UFC debut was below 50% capacity — reflecting Wichita’s smaller MMA market relative to larger Kansas City. The $636,417 gate was proportionate to the market’s scale. Lewis had been the most recent UFC HW title challenger before Wichita: he had lost to Daniel Cormier by third-round TKO at UFC 230 in November 2018. A win over JDS in Wichita was commercially presented as a potential route back toward title contention.

Sherdog noted that JDS’s Wichita win ‘torpedoed’ pre-existing discussion about a potential Brock Lesnar title shot: Lesnar had been negotiating a UFC return fight and the HW division’s title picture was in flux with Daniel Cormier’s impending retirement. JDS’s third consecutive win inserted him as the division’s most credentialed active contender — a former champion with three consecutive stoppages — and complicated the non-traditional (Lesnar) route to the championship.

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Quick Stats

📅 Date: Saturday, March 9, 2019 (FIRST UFC IN KANSAS — 38th US state visited; ESPN+ 4)

📍 Venue: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas

👥 Attendance: 7,265

💰 Gate: $636,417

📺 Broadcast: ESPN+ 4 (ESPN+ streaming)

🏆 Main Event: Derrick Lewis vs. Junior dos Santos — HW (Lewis most recent HW title challenger lost to DC at UFC 230; JDS on 2-fight win streak; Boise + Adelaide)

✅ Result: dos Santos def. Lewis via TKO (strikes) — R2, 1:58 (FotN $50k each; spinning back kick to body R1 doubled Lewis over; JDS R2 right hook + follow-up; 3RD CONSECUTIVE UFC WIN)

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Main Event: JDS’ Spinning Kick + R2 TKO of Lewis

Lewis’s power remained his primary HW threat — his right hand had produced multiple highlight KO stoppages and the near-comeback result over Alexander Volkov at UFC 229. JDS’s tactical approach built on body attack: leg kicks and a spinning back kick to Lewis’s midsection in round one that doubled him over in pain. Lewis’s attempt to counter with a right hook momentarily put JDS off balance, but the body damage from the spinning kick compromised Lewis’s sustained output for the remainder of round one.

Round two opened with JDS stepping in behind his right hand as Lewis — still partially diminished from the body damage — could not generate the evasive movement to avoid the straight right. The right hook landed flush and Lewis turtled. JDS’s follow-up strikes produced the TKO at 1:58. The result was JDS’s third consecutive win by stoppage: Boise (TKO of Ivanov by decision), Adelaide (TKO of Tuivasa R2), Wichita (TKO of Lewis R2).

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Niko Price PoN, Dariush Armbar PoN & The Card

Niko Price’s Performance of the Night TKO of Tim Means at 4:50 of round one was one of the year’s most commercially discussed individual welterweight finishes for its technical context: Means had been aggressive throughout the opening round, and Price absorbed significant punishment before landing the finishing combination in the closing seconds. Price’s ability to withstand Means’s sustained output and produce the counter TKO was the Wichita card’s most entertaining individual fight.

Beneil Dariush’s armbar of Drew Dober at 4:41 of round two was a textbook grappling chain: Dober had wobbled Dariush with a right hook early, but Dariush adjusted with level changes and takedowns in round two. Once on top, Dariush’s BJJ black belt proficiency produced the armbar as Dober attempted to stand. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos’s rear-naked choke of Curtis Millender at 2:35 of round one was the co-main event’s quick finish, emerging as an upset against a significant betting favourite.

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Full Results

Main Card (ESPN+)

Junior dos Santos def. Derrick Lewis — TKO (strikes) — R2, 1:58 — HW (FotN $50k each; spinning back kick to body R1 doubled Lewis; R2 straight right + follow-up; JDS 3rd consecutive win; Brock Lesnar title shot rumours torpedoed)

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Curtis Millender — Submission (RNC) — R1, 2:35 — WW (upset; Millender was significant favourite; Zaleski quick RNC)

Niko Price def. Tim Means — TKO (punch) — R1, 4:50 — WW (PoN $50k; Price absorbed heavy punishment from Means before counter TKO with seconds remaining in R1)

Blagoy Ivanov def. Ben Rothwell — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — HW (Rothwell returned after ~3 years away; fans booed judges for controversial-feeling decision)

Beneil Dariush def. Drew Dober — Submission (armbar) — R2, 4:41 — LW (PoN $50k; technical BJJ chain from top position; Dober wobbled Dariush early before Dariush adjusted)

Omari Akhmedov def. Tim Boetsch — Unanimous Decision (30-27x3) — MW

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ / ESPN)

Anthony Rocco Martin def. Sergio Moraes — Unanimous Decision (30-27x3) — WW

Yana Kunitskaya def. Marion Reneau — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — Women’s BW

Grant Dawson def. Julian Erosa — Unanimous Decision — LW (Dawson building LW career; future LW contender)

Maurice Greene def. Jeff Hughes — HW (rematch due to injury from original booking; Greene building HW career)

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Bonuses & Awards

🥇 Fight of the Night: Junior dos Santos + Derrick Lewis — $50,000 each

🥇 Performance of the Night: Niko Price + Beneil Dariush — $50,000 each

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Records & Milestones

• First UFC event in Kansas (38th US state visited — UFC has now been to 38 of 50 states).

• JDS’s 3rd consecutive UFC HW TKO win — Boise, Adelaide, Wichita.

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Legacy & Impact

JDS’s Wichita win produced a title fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 252 in August 2020, where Miocic won by unanimous decision. Derrick Lewis’s Wichita loss was a setback after his UFC 230 title challenge, but his subsequent career produced PoN finishes, including the KO of Ilir Latifi and a win over Alexey Oliynyk, before additional championship conversation at UFC 265 in August 2021 where he challenged Ciryl Gane. Elizeu Zaleski’s upset RNC of Millender established him as a WW finisher with genuine contender potential.

Beneil Dariush’s Wichita armbar PoN was a technical validation of his BJJ quality against a difficult opponent in Dober. His subsequent LW career produced wins over Scott Holtzman, Frank Camacho, Alexander Hernandez, and others before top-five LW contendership. Grant Dawson’s Wichita debut win began a UFC LW career that went 11 consecutive wins before a loss to Mateusz Gamrot.

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FAQ

Why was the Brock Lesnar connection significant?

Before Wichita, there had been media discussion about a potential non-traditional title shot for Brock Lesnar — who had been negotiating a UFC return and whose commercial profile was considered relevant for PPV performance. Dana White had addressed Lesnar’s potential return in press. JDS’s three consecutive wins over credentialed HW opponents (Ivanov, Tuivasa, Lewis) made it difficult commercially and competitively to bypass him for a title shot in favour of a retired wrestler. The Sherdog post-event article specifically framed JDS’s win as complicating Lesnar’s path.

What made the spinning back kick significant?

A spinning back kick to the midsection — delivered by pivoting and driving the heel or flat of the foot into the opponent’s abdomen or liver — is one of MMA’s most devastating individual body strikes. Lewis doubled over from the impact and spent much of round one compromised. His capacity to absorb and counter from the body damage was limited by the kick’s sustained effect on his diaphragm and movement. JDS’s tactical use of body attack against a power-based striker reflected his technical evolution from his early pure-boxing HW style.

What was Rothwell’s return significance?

Rothwell was a 37-year-old Keokuk, Iowa HW who had not competed since an NSAC suspension for a failed drug test in 2016. His Wichita return against Ivanov was his first UFC fight in approximately three years. Ivanov’s 29-28 unanimous decision win — close enough that many observers felt it could have gone to Rothwell — produced the fan boos that indicated competitive ambiguity. Rothwell’s Wichita return was one of his career’s final UFC appearances.

What was Dariush’s armbar chain?

Dariush was a 29-year-old Cheshire, Connecticut LW with BJJ black belt credentials. His Wichita armbar sequence began with a level change into a single-leg takedown in round two, advancing into dominant top position as Dober worked to escape. Dober’s escape attempt — attempting to roll to his knees to stand — exposed his arm to the armbar application. Dariush’s transition from top position to armbar within the escape prevention demonstrated the grappling chain proficiency that his subsequent LW career amplified.

What was Price’s closing seconds TKO?

Price was a 26-year-old Booneville, Mississippi WW known for his willingness to engage in competitive exchanges and absorb damage in return. His Wichita fight with Means was competitive throughout — Means landed significant combinations and Price absorbed them while continuing to counter. Price’s closing seconds TKO at 4:50 of round one — 10 seconds before the end of the round — reflected his ability to produce finishing output despite accumulated damage. The finish earned him his second UFC bonus.

Who was Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos?

Zaleski was a 29-year-old Rio de Janeiro WW who had gone 14-3 professionally before Wichita. His quick RNC of Millender — a Las Vegas WW who had been a significant betting favourite with multiple UFC wins — was his most commercially impactful individual UFC result to that point. His subsequent WW career produced wins over Lyman Good and others, establishing him as a competitive mid-tier WW finisher.

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References

UFC Fight Night 146: Lewis vs. dos Santos — Wikipedia

UFC Fight Night 146 — Tapology