Jose Aldo retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title with a convincing victory over Frankie Edgar to make it 15 wins in a row.
The Brazilian champion's precision striking and leg kicks proved decisive despite constant pressure from Edgar, the former lightweight champion, as the bout went to a 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 judges decision.
Aldo looked solid in the first three rounds, controlling the fight and landing the more significant strikes. Edgar pressed forward in the final two periods, trying to spark a change in momentum, but the Brazilian champion was too elusive.
"I'm very happy and I don't plan to lose my belt any time soon," Aldo said via a translator after the fight.
"It was a very difficult fight. Frankie is a very dangerous fighter and I had to take it step by step."
Aldo remains among the UFC's top handful of pound-for-pound fighters, despite a 13-month absence from the fight league through injury.
Edgar, who was trying to become the third fighter in the UFC to win a title at two different weight classes, was unable to make his late pressure count
"It was a close fight, I keep finding myself in these positions," he said afterwards.
"I'm just going to go home and take some time to think about things."
In the co-main event of the UFC's annual Super Bowl weekend show, heavy underdog Antonio Rogerio Nogueira sprung a surprise victory over former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Evans had been lined up for a shot at Anderson Silva in a potential superfight had he defeated Nogueira, but the Brazilian fighter's superior striking and takedown defence kept him on top of the bout as it went to the judges for a unanimous 29-29 card result
Alistair Overeem's bid for a shot at Cain Velasquez' heavyweight title fell spectacularly shot after Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva scored a surprise TKO victory over the British-born powerhouse. Overeem, returning to action after a failed drug test row which had cost him a title shot previously, was the favourite going into the fight, but a third round flurry from Silva forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.
Demian Maia won his fourth fight in a row with a unanimous decision over perennial welterweight contender Jon Fitch, while Joseph Benavidez won a battle of highly ranked flyweights with a unanimous decision over Ian McCall.
In the preliminary bouts, Evan Dunham earned a split-decision victory over Gleison Tibau, and Tyron Woodley stopped Jay Heiron with an electric first-round knockout. Bobby Green forced Jacob Volkmann to tap in the third round, and UFC newcomer Isaac Vallie-Flagg won a split decision over journeyman Yves Edwards.
Dustin Kimura, who failed to make weight by three and a half pounds, won his first UFC fight when he forced Chico Camus to tap in the third round, and Francisco Rivera defeated Edwin Figueroa by TKO in the second round.
Follow us
[ @SprtNationalUAE ]
