UFC 225 results: Tai Tuivasa wins bloody decision over Andrei Arlovski

The UFC 225 main card just saw the promotion’s #11 heavyweight Tai Tuivasa win a unanimous decision over the #9 Andrei Arlovski. The opening round saw each man hurt the other, with Tuivasa appearing more worse for the wear going into the second frame. The nose of Tuivasa was busted up pretty bad, and the technical punching of Arlovski didn’t help that any, as the veteran showed off his polish in the second frame. Tuivasa continued to leak from the nose, but kept coming forward, and really went for it there in the final round. He backed Arlovski up against the fence where he let off with some combos. This marks the biggest win of Tuivasa’s career and the Australian is now 10-0 overall, and 3-0 inside of the UFC.

Main Card:

Tai Tuivasa def. Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Heavyweight

Arlovski blasted his opponent with a right hand, just as Tuivasa threw a kick, briefly knocking down the Australian. Tuivasa basically fell into the top of full mount, but Arlovski tied up the arms of his opponent and eventually scrambled back to his feet. A big punch from a bloodied up Tuivasa dropped Arlovski, but Tuivasa opted to allow his opponent to stand back up. Arlovski continued to throw and get himself right back into the fight before the end of the round.

Arlovski came out throwing leg kicks to start the second stanza and then went over the top with his patented right hand, but Tuivasa’s chin is pretty stout. The combos of Arlovski had Tuivasa bleeding really bad from the nose, as the veteran showcased his superior polish on the feet. Tuivasa continued to leap in with flurries, but Arlovski was smart about tying up and then exploding out into open space. An eye poke called a halt to the action, and not much happened once the match resumed.

Tuivasa came forward with some urgency, getting right in his opponent’s face with the flurries. His nose continued to leak, and Arlovski continued to pick away, but Tuivasa went for it. Arlovski landed some really hard counters down the stretch, but Tuivasa kept coming forward. The crowd showed their appreciation for the output of the big men in the final 30 seconds, but then both men just kind of put one finger in the air instead of fighting out the final 10 seconds.

Look at this thundering left hook from Tuivasa: