UFC 198 results: Bryan Barberena out-slugs Warlley Alves for unanimous decision win in Brazil

Bryan Barberena, fresh off his "Super" upset last December, looked to make it two straight wins when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the pay-per-view (PPV) market on Sat. night (May 14, 2016) inside the massive Arena da Baixada soccer stadium in Curitiba, Brazil.

And it came at the expense of Warlley Alves.

Alves jumped out like a man possessed in the opening frame, locking up an early guillotine that looked tight, but "Bam Bam" kept his cool and wiggled free. The MMA Lab product spent the remainder of the round in retreat, as the Brazilian threw everything plus the kitchen sink.

The second stanza saw Alves compete at a much slower pace, relying on his kickboxing to keep Barberena at bay. Unfortunately, he was unable to crack the bulletproof beard of his welterweight foe, and the tide started to turn as the clock was winding down.

Upset in the making.

In the final frame, Alves -- a 5-to-1 favorite heading into UFC 198 -- was breathing quite heavily but still letting the hands go. And, much like rounds one and two, Barberena took a lickin' and kept on tickin' -- doing enough to impress the judges and capture a close unanimous decision win (29-28 x3).

The tough-as-nails Barberena improves to 12-3 and it might be time for a top 10 opponent (see his options here).

For complete UFC 198 results and live play-by-play updates click here. Recaps, videos, reactions, and much more from the "Werdum vs. Miocic" mixed martial arts (MMA) event in Brazil, head over to our UFC 198 live story stream here.