Edson Barboza squeaked out a very close split-decision victory in an excellent fight with British fighter Ross Pearson. The bout was named Fight of the Night and each fighter earned a $100,000 bonus. The bout maintained a fast pace for all 15 minutes and the two fighters battered each other on the feet The first round were very close, with Pearson probably getting the edge. The second was clearly Barboza's, as he dropped Pearson briefly at the beginning of the round.
The third was another extremely close round, with a lot of people believing that Pearson had edged out the decision. But not the judges. One had it 29-28 Pearson, but the other two had it 29-28 Barboza and he took home the W. The bout was the third fight on the pay-per-view portion of the UFC 134 broadcast.
What was the high spot of this fight?
There were a lot of solid shots, but Barboza dropping Pearson early in the second was likely the best one. He throw a bunch of super-fast spinning back kicks that were pretty impressive as well.
Where do these guys go from here?
Despite the win, Barboza looked a lot more human in this fight than he had in his prior two UFC bouts. A stiff test like this is probably exactly what he needed to progress, but it's tough to see exactly where he goes from here. A win over a TUF winner is great for the resume, but the division is extremely deep. A fight with Dennis Siver sounds like surefire excitement, but Barboza might not be ready for that yet. Matt Wiman would be a good test of his overall game.
Pearson showed a lot in this fight, but the loss will definitely slow his ascent in the division. A bout with Charles Oliveira would be an excellent test for both fighters.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Now. It won Fight of the Night for a reason, and everyone likes 15 minutes of standnbang every so often. Check it out.
More BE coverage of UFC 134 in the full entry.
Shogun Rua Proves He Can Still Be a Champion - Fraser Coffeen
The Biggest Winners and Losers on the Night - Matthew Roth
Anderson Silva Unmatched at Middleweight, Options Slim - Leland Roling
FightMetric Recap for Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson - Mike Fagan
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's Greatest Hits - Brent Brookhouse
Post-Fight Recap and Analysis - Mike Fagan
Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami Fight Video Highlights - ESPN
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub Fight Video Highlights - ESPN
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - UFC 134
Anderson Silva Wins Over Rio with Stoppage of Yushin Okami - Matthew Roth
Anderson Silva's Brilliance and Other Post-Hangover Thoughts - Brent Brookhouse
Mauricio Rua Stops Forrest Griffin in Two Minutes - Matthew Roth
Edson Barboza Wins a Split Decision over Ross Pearson - Matthew Roth
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira With a Stunning Knockout of Brendan Schaub - Matthew Roth
UFC 134 Post-Fight Press Conference Updates - Tim Burke
Stanislav Nedkov Silences Brazilian Crowd with Knockout of Luis Cane - Matthew Roth
Thiago Tavares Ground and Pounds Spencer Fisher to a Second Round Stoppage - Matthew Roth
Rousimar Palhares Wins a Decision in a Strange But Great Fight With Dan Miller - Tim Burke
Paulo Thiago Takes a Dominant Decision Victory Over David Mitchell - Tim Burke
Raphael Assuncao Outworks Johnny Eduardo to Decision - Matthew Roth
Erick Silva Puts Luis Ramos to Sleep with a Massive Right - Matthew Roth
Yuri Alcantara Grapples Felipe Arantes to a Decision - Matthew Roth
Yves Jabouin Works Ian Loveland to a Split Decision - Matthew Roth