Two top 10 bantamweights were in action on the main card of tonight's (Sat., May 24, 2014) UFC 173: "Barao vs. Dillashaw" pay-per-view (PPV) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as Takeya Mizugaki (#6) took on Francisco Rivera (#10).
Those rankings proved correct early on.
That's because Mizugaki blitzed Rivera with a series of hard punches that very nearly finished the bout in short order. To his credit, Rivera survived and battled back to earn a couple takedowns, scoring points along the way.
Into the second, and Mizugaki turned Rivera's grappling against him, using a takedown to threaten with submissions. He was never really close to completing one but the fact that he was threatening was enough.
The final frame featured Mizugaki looking to get back to the dominant striking he exhibited in the first. It appeared he scored a knockdown roughly one minute in but it's also possible Rivera simply slipped.
Either way, much of the round was spent with Mizugaki on top and grinding his way to a decision. The referee finally stood them up and let them bang it out for the final minute, which was fun.
In the end, the judges rendered the following decision: 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27, all in favor of Mizugaki.
For complete UFC 173 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.