The UFC hosted its first show in years at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio in years and they certainly delivered for the over 6,000 fans on hand.
Out of the 13-fight card, seven of the bouts ended via knockout and every fight seemed to have some bright spots.
A welterweight contender delivered what many considered to be a career-defining performance, while a perennial middleweight contender showed he’s not finished yet.
Finally, two competitors - one at lightweight and one at bantamweight – took their respective divisions by storm with two massive upset victories.
Check out the biggest winner and losers from UFC Fight Night 40.
BIGGEST WINNER
Matt Brown – What else can be said about “The Immortal” that hasn’t already been said?
He scored another stunning come-from-behind knockout over Erick Silva on Saturday night, showing an unbreakable spirit and producing an unbelievable offensive output.
After rattling off seven straight victories, giving Brown anything less than the winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Ellenberger at UFC 173 would be an insult to the fan friendly brawler.
WINNER
Costas Philippou - Philippou was one of the best kept secrets at 185 pounds after scoring five straight wins between August 2011 and December 2012, but desperately needed a win after losing back-to-back fights to Francis Carmont and Luke Rockhold.
Philippou seized a big victory in Saturday’s co-main event, knocking Strikeforce contender Lorenz Larkin out cold in an entertaining slugfest. He remains a top 10 talent for now, but hard to imagine he can do much with the against the division’s elite.
WINNER
Daron Cruickshank – The 28-year-old made it two dynamic finishes in a row when he dropped Erik Koch with a head kick this weekend, finishing him off with brutal ground-and-pound.
“The Detroit Superstar” looks like one of the lightweight division’s top evolving talents and certainly needs a step up in competition for his next assignment.
WINNER
Johnny Eduardo – The precise Brazilian striker made recent title challenger Eddie Wineland look like a washed up has been in their UFC Fight Night 40 encounter, showcasing lightning fast hands before putting him away with a crisp right hand.
Despite being 35 years old, Eduardo looks like he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank to make a run in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
BIGGEST LOSER
Erik Koch – Once slated to challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight championship, “New Breed” has gotten steamrolled in three of his past four fights.
While there is no shame in losing decisively to recent title challenger Ricardo Lamas and perennial contender Dustin Poirier, the UFC Fight Night 40 knockout loss to Daron Cruickshank really hurts.
Couple that with the fact his only win during this two-and-a-half year stretch was over the recently cut Rafaello Oliveira, one has to wonder what’s wrong with Koch at just 25 years old?
LOSER
Eddie Wineland – Believe it or not, the ex-WEC champ is just 3-4 under the UFC banner following his knockout loss to Johnny Eduardo.
Wineland has always been a dynamic striker that had a trouble with strong grapplers, but seeing him struggle with fellow sluggers now is troubling. Hard to guess where he goes from here.
LOSER
Lorenz Larkin – After going 4-0(1) in Strikeforce, Larking was expected to be an immediate contender inside the Octagon.
That hasn’t worked out though, as he’s just 1-3 under the UFC banner. Larking will likely get one more chance to prove himself given his entertaining style, but he already has the look of a prospect he can’t substantiate the hype.
LOSER
Erick Silva – Believe it or not, the Brazilian prospect has never put together a win streak during his time with the UFC and is just 4-4 for the promotion.
While he put together a gritty, gutsy performance against Matt Brown, he was once again overwhelmed and outmatched by a much better fighter. Silva may be a UFC level talent, but will never be a serious title contender for the company.