UFC Fight Night 40 results recap: Biggest winners, losers in Cincinnati

Talk about a string of upsets.

UFC Fight Night 40: "Brown vs. Silva" took place this past weekend (Sat., May 10, 2014) at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, and there were a bunch of betting favorites who felt the wrath of the under dogs thanks to several surprise knockouts.

In the main event, Matt Brown defeated Erick Silva after they engaged in a violent war for three rounds, which could easily be the "Fight of the Year" so far. Brown avoided an early stoppage loss after recovering from a brutal kick to the body and pummeled "Indio" shortly afterward until he finished the Brazilian off in the third round (watch full fight video highlights here).

Silva was a bloody mess. The good news for him is that he did not suffer any serious damage after leaving the Octagon on a stretcher.

Costas Philippou saved his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight status with a knockout Lorenz Larkin in the first round of their co-main event. The way the fight was going, you knew one guy was going to hit the mat hard and unfortunately for "The Monsoon," he was on the receiving end of a one-shot knockout (watch full fight video highlights here).

There were many great performances this past weekend from the fighters who participated on the card and there were also a handful of combatants who suffered massive blows to their immediate futures. With that said, it's time to name the biggest winner and biggest loser (and their runner ups) from the event in Cincinnati.

Biggest Winner -- Matt Brown

Where do we begin?

Brown had not fought in almost one year and it seemed like there were a dozen fights for him that did not materialize because of either timing or injuries. In front of a proud hometown crowd, "The Immortal" came out like a bat out of hell and destroyed his Brazilian counterpart. He almost suffered a quick loss in the first round, yet the Ohio resident brushed it off like it was nothing a minute later and beat up his opponent so badly that it was scary to watch.

In his post-fight interview, the winner of seven-straight bouts at welterweight expressed his desire for an immediate title shot. And, in all honesty, it's not far away at this point. He may not have been ready for someone like Georges St-Pierre, but now that the welterweight division is spread out like a vast terrain -- and many fighters are itching for a place against the current champion Johny Hendricks -- the main event winner should fight a serious contender like the winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Ellenberger or Hector Lombard before he's inserted in a championship bout.

Indeed, the $100,000 bonus winner hasn't lost since 2012 and to think he would be in this position after going winless (0-3) in 2010 and losing everyone of those fights by submission is just absurd.

Whether or not he deserves an immediate title shot, only the promotion could decide that. But, Brown is really making a great case.

Runner Up -- Costas Philippou

After losing to Francis Carmont and Luke Rockhold in a span of five months, Philippou seemed like he was on his last legs. The 34-year-old slugger definitely had gas in the tank to continue, yet after contemplating retirement ahead of his bout against Larkin this past weekend, the organization really didn't need to keep him around had he lost three fights in a row.

The Cyprus slugger basically gave fans a reason to care about him after knocking out "The Monsoon" in the very first round, proving he can still be a force in the middleweight division. There was never any doubt Philippou had power in his hands and he shut up the haters with his co-main event performance.

It seemingly saved his career, too.

The New York resident now holds a UFC record of 6-3, which is pretty good, and despite losing to tougher opposition, he can still compete against some of the best fighters the middleweight division has to offer. The key takeaway here is that he won on Saturday night and it was one of his best performances in the Octagon.

Biggest Loser -- Erick Silva

It feels a little shameful to insert Silva onto the "biggest loser" list since he suffered a beating and had to be carried out on a stretcher for precautionary reasons, yet the Brazilian really hasn't lived up to expectations in UFC thus far.

He can destroy guys like Charlie Brenneman and Takenori Sato, but when it comes to the fights that truly matter in the division, he just can't get it together. You have to give "Indio" credit for going out on his shield, although that can only get a fighter so far in this sport.

He was battered from Brown's punches, elbows and everything between. And judging by his attitude in the corner going into the third round, it was almost as if he had given up and knew the loss was on its way. Had he put away Brown in the first round, his fortune would have changed drastically.

He's now even (4-4) in UFC. He shouldn't be cut because he does have more to offer. But, if he's going to fight guys at the bottom of the pecking order, it's not going to get him anywhere, either.

Runner Up -- Erik Koch

There could have been several fighters who could have earned this tag, including Eddie Wineland, Yan Cabral and Larkin.

With that being said, Koch has been labeled as the "New Breed" and he's certainly not living up to his moniker. We're talking about someone who was about to fight Jose Aldo a while back.

The Roufusport-trained product has failed to keep the spotlight on himself after amassing four wins through the duration of 2010 and 2011, finding himself on a poor run of 1-3 in his last four fights. He had the tools to defeat Daron Cruickshank, however, it was not his night as "The Detroit Superstar" was the better man on fight night.

It remains to be seen how UFC deals with Koch, but at this point, he's in dire straits.

For complete UFC Fight Night 40: "Brown vs. Silva" coverage, including full results, recaps and video highlights, click here.