Lewis overcomes Nelson's takedowns for split decision win

What looked like a dynamite heavyweight collision became a war of attrition between Derrick Lewis and Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 90 on Thursday.

The scores were split after three rounds of Lewis trying to land bombs and Nelson looking for takedowns, with Lewis coming out ahead according to two of the judges.

It was the first win over a top-10 opponent for Lewis who is now tied with Alistair Overeem for the longest UFC win streak in the heavyweight division at four.

The narrative for the entire fight saw Lewis doing everything in his power to land a knockout blow, only to be rebuffed by the granite chin of Nelson.

As Lewis ran out of gas, it gave Nelson the chance to work his impressive grappling. The two fighters spent long stretches clinching against the cage until Nelson was able to secure his takedowns.

Nelson took Lewis down seven times, but rarely looked to go for submissions or ground-and-pound. On the feet, Lewis made the most of his time with shots to Nelson's head and body, leaving a large welt on Nelson's rotund belly.

The most telling blow came at the end of the third when Lewis landed a clean right hook that would have knocked out almost anyone else on the planet.

The decision didn't go Nelson's way and he now finds himself mired in a 2-6 slump.

Afterwards, Lewis expressed his desire to rematch Nelson so that he can get the finish he was looking for. This is the first time in Lewis' UFC career that he had to go to the judges.