UFC 156 Results: ‘Aldo vs. Edgar’ Play-by-Play & Updates

UFC 156 Fight Card

• Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar LATEST UPDATE
• Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
• Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
• Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
• Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall
• Evan Dunham vs. Gleison Tibau
• Tyron Woodley vs. Jay Hieron
• Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green
• Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
• Dustin Kimura vs. Chico Camus
• Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera

Sherdog.com will report from Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay at approximately 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT with play-by-play and live results of UFC 156, which is headlined by a featherweight title fight pitting champion Jose Aldo against challenger Frankie Edgar.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera

Round 1
Kim Winslow is the referee for tonight’s opening bout. The bantamweights touch gloves and it’s Figueroa throwing first, looking to swing hooks and land leg kicks inside. Rivera backs him off with some kicks of his own, then lands a nice right hand, countering a Figueroa kick. Both guys are headhunting early and it’s Rivera who gets knocked down, chased to the floor by Figueroa. From his back, Rivera looks to swing his hips for an armbar, forcing Figueroa to back out and let his opponent up. Figueroa sticks Rivera with a nice right hand and backs out before Rivera can counter. Rivera hits a takedown but Figueroa is quickly to his knees, then back to his feet, escaping a front headlock. Rivera lands a slow question-mark kick to the face but it doesn’t seem to faze Figueroa. Another takedown for Rivera comes late, and he manages some solid ground-and-pound just before the horn.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Figueroa
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Figueroa
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Figueroa

Round 2
Figueroa scores an early takedown and works to punch Rivera from closed guard at the base of the fence. Rivera opens up his guard and is able to work his way out by midway through the round, absorbing punches from Figueroa along the way. Back on the feet, Rivera hits a chopping outside leg kick and socks Figueroa in the gut with uppercuts. Rivera ducks to avoid a shot, comes back up and cracks Figueroa with a hard right. A leg kick from Rivera draws a nod from Figueroa, who steps in and eats another right. Rivera gets Figueroa against the fence and tags him with another vicious right to the temple, and now Figueroa is on rubbery legs. Figueroa is turning to run, trying to escape more punches from Rivera, who smells blood. Rivera keeps punching, though, blasting Figueroa’s body and head until Figueroa finally falls down and referee Winslow steps in to wave it off at 4:20 of round two.

Dustin Kimura vs. Chico Camus

Round 1
Herb Dean is the referee for this bout. Camus gets inside early and a quick right hand staggers Kimura. The Hawaiian recovers and comes forward to throw some punches of his own, only to be plowed to the ground in the middle of the cage. Kimura isolates Camus’ right arm and throws up his legs, hunting for a triangle choke. This forces Camus to slow down and play defense, but Kimura can’t quite sneak his leg into position for the triangle. Kimura scoots back to the fence and uses a tight omoplata to sweep to top position. Camus goes to his knees, giving up his back with two minutes left in the round. Kimura tries to sink in his hooks but Camus is able to force him back to the ground. Kimura closes up his guard and the pair spends the remainder of the round mostly grappling for position, with Kimura going for an armbar just before the end.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Camus
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kimura
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kimura

Round 2
Camus takes the outside to begin round two, switching stances and peppering Kimura with kicks. Now the combinations are starting to work for the Roufusport product, who is staying out of range of the Hawaiian youngster. Kimura lands a one-two and Camus comes in shortly afterward to clinch up. Camus puts him against the fence with an underhook and scores with a couple knees to the body before Kimura can escape. With one minute left in the round, Camus hits a single-leg in the middle of the cage. Kimura wraps him up in open guard and tries to sweep, unsuccessfully. Kimura keeps working, switching to a triangle, then an armbar, both of which Camus rolls out of. With 10 seconds to go, Kimura tries to cinch up the triangle-armbar, but can’t quite get it and instead receives a finger wag from Camus.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Camus
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Camus
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Camus

Round 3
Camus gets right inside and puts Kimura on the fence with an underhook, then switches to double underhooks and a body lock. Kimura is able to stay up and shove Camus away. When Camus comes in for a single-leg, Kimura sees it coming, steps over and takes full mount. Camus rolls over and gives up his back, and seconds later, Kimura has a tight rear-naked choke latched on. Camus taps out at 1:50 of the third round.

Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Round 1
Yves Lavigne is the referee for this bout. Vallie-Flagg is backing Edwards off with long punches and front kicks, but Edwards is stepping into the pocket with one-two-head kick combos and elbow attempts. Neither man landing anything big through the first minute, but Vallie-Flagg scores with a nice right hand and an elbow to the body before clinching. Edwards shoves Vallie-Flagg off and simultaneously throws a grazing right high kick. Edwards wants the Thai clinch and eats a few Vallie-Flagg punches to the body for his trouble. Vallie-Flagg thumps Edwards with a straight right, misses with a superman punch and takes a knee to the body. Vallie-Flagg catches a body kick, tries to drive for a takedown and eats a leaping knee. He shoves Edwards into the fence with a minute remaining, and Edwards reverses the position with underhooks. They jockey for position until they split and Edwards has a left high kick blocked. Vallie-Flagg comes forward at the 10-second mark and digs a nice hook to Edwards’ body.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg

Round 2
Vallie-Flagg wastes no time wrapping Edwards up on the fence, but Edwards gets out of the position before long. They each grab the other’s collar and Vallie-Flagg lands punches to the body while Edwards connects with knees. They break off and it’s Vallie-Flagg landing hooks. Edwards comes back, just missing an uppercut but finding a home for the crisp right hook behind it. Vallie-Flagg wants it on the fence again, but Edwards gets an underhook, changes to a single-leg and hits the takedown exactly halfway through the fight. Edwards passes to side control, leaning from Vallie-Flagg’s left to right and dropping short elbows. With 90 seconds to go, Edwards gets full mount, so Vallie-Flagg rolls and gives up his back. Edwards’ back is to the fence as he works for the rear-naked choke with both hooks in. Good wrist defense from Vallie-Flagg, who rides out the round with Edwards on his back.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Edwards
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Edwards
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Edwards

Round 3
It’s an aggressive Vallie-Flagg to start the final frame, coming straight at Edwards and throwing combinations. Edwards starts timing the punches to land a few counters and a knee up the middle, but he’s shoved into the fence by Vallie-Flagg about 90 seconds into the round. A couple punches to the body land and Vallie-Flagg exits with a short elbow strike. Nice left straight from Edwards is followed by an inside leg kick. Vallie-Flagg lands a right over the top and a body kick, walks straight at Edwards and lands a hard knee. With 2:20 remaining, Edwards goes hard on a single-leg and is turned away. There are some nice body shots from Vallie-Flagg in the clinch, then a level elbow before he puts Edwards on the cage. Edwards seems to be fading fast, with fewer counters coming back as Vallie-Flagg picks up the pace in the late going. They clinch on the outside with a minute left and ref Lavigne implores them to work. After they disengage, Edwards resumes backpedaling while Vallie-Flagg keeps bombing with wide punches and kicks to the body. Just before the horn, Vallie-Flagg clinches up one last time, but it’s Edwards who gets the last word with a standing elbow and a hook.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg (29-28 Vallie-Flagg)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg (29-28 Vallie-Flagg)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Vallie-Flagg (29-28 Vallie-Flagg)

Official result: The judges score it 29-28 Edwards, 29-28 Vallie-Flagg and 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Isaac Vallie-Flagg.

Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green

Round 1
Kim Winslow is the referee for this bout. Green takes the center of the cage and works some inside leg kicks, sticking out his hand to keep Volkmann at range and being warned by the ref to mind his fingers. Sixty seconds in, Volkmann shoots a double-leg; at first, Green is able to rebuff the attempt, but the second effort from Volkmann puts the Strikeforce import on the canvas. Volkmann leans from left to right on Green, who is barely keeping Volkmann’s left leg trapped. Green tries to buck out but Volkmann is all over him. Volkmann stands and stacks Green up, controlling the legs and dropping punches from the top. Green tries to escape and Volkmann uses the opportunity to attach himself to his opponent’s back. With one minute left, Volkmann works for the rear-naked choke but can’t get underneath Green’s chin. Volkmann peppers Green with left hands to close out the round.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Volkmann
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Volkmann
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Volkmann

Round 2
Green turns away two takedown attempts and puts Volkmann on the fence with underhooks. He lets the wrestler go and Volkmann immediately shoots again. This time, Volkmann spins to guard and Green follows him down to the mat. Volkmann keeps his guard open as Green hits him with punches to the body, then some short, grinding elbows to the face. Green gets head-and-arm control and inches up to drop some harder elbows to the face. With two minutes left in the round, referee Kim Winslow issues a baffling stand-up order, much to the displeasure of Green and the Las Vegas crowd. Green dances in front of Volkmann for a moment until “Christmas” hits a takedown and quickly attaches himself to Green’s back. Volkmann cinches up a body triangle and threatens with a rear-naked choke but doesn’t do much else before the horn.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Green
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Green
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Green

Round 3
Green lands a hard hook to the body and sprawls on a shot before taking a kick in the cup. He takes a moment to recover and the lightweights resume with 4:20 left in the fight. Green lands a leg kick and denies another takedown attempt. A good body kick from Green causes Volkmann to shoot from a mile out. Green sprawls on it and uses the failed shot to take top position, then north-south. Volkmann puts him back in half-guard, tries to drive forward and take the top, but Green escapes to his feet. Half the round to go now and Green sprawls all over another shot. Volkmann gets a single leg, sweeps Green’s other leg and gets him down, but Green immediately reverses it and gets to his feet. Volkmann stays with him and takes Green’s back standing, then drags him to the ground. Volkmann has no hooks and Green is able to twist around and reverse into full mount. A torrent of nasty right hands from Green have Volkmann dazed. Volkmann gives up his back after some hard elbows and, with 40 seconds left, Green gets his arm underneath Volkmann’s chin. The rear-naked choke is in deep, and Volkmann is forced to tap out at 4:25 of round three.

Tyron Woodley vs. Jay Hieron

Round 1
Herb Dean is the referee for this bout. Woodley cracks Hieron with a big right hand on the ear and Hieron goes crashing to the mat. Woodley wastes no time, pouncing and blasting the veteran with huge, thumping punches. Hieron rolls over and tries to put Woodley in guard, but the shots turn out Hieron’s lights and ref Dean steps in for the save. Tyron Woodley wins his UFC debut in impressive fashion after just 36 seconds.

Evan Dunham vs. Gleison Tibau

Round 1
Yves Lavigne is the referee for this bout. Tibau takes the outside while fellow southpaw Dunham stalks outward. As soon as Dunham wades into range, the Brazilian is throwing huge punches, twice tagging Dunham before driving him to the ground. Tibau grabs a guillotine and hangs on to the choke as Dunham stands. He drags Dunham down and tries to finish with the choke but it’s too loose now and Tibau surrenders it to keep top position. Dunham gets to his knees and Tibau grabs another headlock, this time from north-south position. Dunham is back to his feet, trying to put Tibau on the fence but getting shoved away. A body kick from Dunham bounces off Tibau’s forearm. Dunham connects with a nice right hook, misses with a high front kick. They clinch on the cage, Tibau pushing on Dunham with an underhook. Dunham gets underneath and tries to work a takedown with a body lock. He can’t get it and settles for a couple nice knees to the body from the clinch.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-10
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Tibau

Round 2
Dunham seems to be finding his range early in round two, scoring with long strikes and jabs. Tibau finds his mark with a powerful left hand and Dunham shoots in. He can’t get the takedown but he leans on his smaller opponent against the cage, where they pummel for control. Tibau gets off the cage, misses a winging combo and eats a Dunham counter. Dunham is doing well to counter Tibau’s power punches now, and he turns away a takedown try with 2:00 left on the clock. Dunham doing well to get inside and stick Tibau with jabs and straights, then getting out before Tibau can land his counter hooks. Dunham has an uppercut countered by a hook from Tibau, who stuffs a takedown as time runs out.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dunham
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dunham

Round 3
Dunham dodges an early headlock and takedown try from Tibau, who is looking tired with his hands hanging low as the lightweights disengage. Nonetheless, Tibau is able to stuff another double-leg and land a hard left hook. Dunham comes right back and drops Tibau with a hook, then tacks on some jabs once the Brazilian gets back up. Tibau denies another shot from Dunham, then tries for a takedown of his own. Dunham stays vertical and Tibau pushes him into the fence, where Dunham reverses the position, throwing a few hooks before backing off. Dunham is getting through with his straight punches, which have marked up the right eye of Tibau. Down to the final two minutes and Dunham puts Tibau’s back on the fence, grabs the Thai plum and has a knee up the middle blocked. Jabs from Dunham as he backs away, and he sticks another long punch in Tibau’s face before stepping out of range of the shorter man’s counter hook. Dunham’s jab is landing over and over, but he still can’t get the takedown when he shoots at the 60-second mark. Dunham is stepping in behind his jabs with standing elbows now. He snaps Tibau’s head back with a pair of step-in knees just before time runs out.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Dunham (30-28 Dunham)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dunham (29-28 Dunham)

Official result: The judges score it 29-28 Dunham, 29-28 Tibau and 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Evan Dunham.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall

Round 1
Steve Mazzagatti is the referee for this bout. Benavidez goes to clinch McCall on the fence, but it’s McCall who turns it around and tries for a takedown. Benavidez denies it and pops McCall with a right hand on the exit. McCall switches to southpaw stance and lands a kick to the body. Benavidez backs him up with punches over the top, gets inside and lands a cracking left hook which wobbles McCall. There’s a wide grin from “Uncle Creepy,” who catches a kick on the cup a few seconds later. McCall just needs a moment to recover; when the flyweights resume, Benavidez is stringing together some nice punches while mostly staying out of range of McCall’s shots. McCall lands a nice knee to the body, but the next time he comes in, he gets plunked by another punch. Good outside thigh kick-hook combos from Benavidez now. McCall zaps Benavidez with a combination that has the Alpha Male fighter backing up.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Benavidez
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Benavidez
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Benavidez

Round 2
Benavidez is making good use of his hands early in round two, keeping the pressure on “Uncle Creepy” with wide hooks to the body and head. When McCall comes forward, Benavidez backs up, and vice versa. McCall shoots low, gets stood up by Benavidez, who puts his man’s back against the fence. A Benavidez knee seems to stray low but there’s no stop in the action. They break off and Benavidez counters a McCall leg kick with a pair of counterpunches. They trade right hands inside and Benavidez whiffs on a high kick, as he has a few times in the round. McCall sees a Benavidez shot coming and goes over the top, stepping into full mount and then taking back-mount when Benavidez rolls. Benavidez slips out the back door and scrambles to his feet, but he’s still got McCall on his back. McCall finishes the round strong and hangs on to deliver some knees from behind.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 McCall
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 McCall
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 McCall

Round 3
Benavidez pressures McCall toward the fence and unloads with a big right hand; McCall circles out, smiling. Good body kick lands for Benavidez as he tries to get inside on McCall, who’s moving around the perimeter. McCall goes down after a body kick from Benavidez, who greets the Team Oyama product as he stands and socks McCall with a couple punches for good measure. Midway through the final round, Benavidez lands a kick to the body, but McCall takes him down shortly afterward. Benavidez is quick to scramble and gets back to his feet about 10 seconds later. Another body kick from Benavidez and he socks McCall with a right hook on the ear as they exchange. Benavidez throws a nice one-two down the pipe, takes a punch to the body and dashes away as McCall changes levels for a takedown. Final 30 seconds now and Benavidez lands another body kick, then shoves away McCall as he tries to clinch.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Benavidez (29-28 Benavidez)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Benavidez (29-28 Benavidez)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Benavidez (29-28 Benavidez)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Joseph Benavidez.

Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia

Round 1
Kim Winslow is the referee for this bout. Maia shoots a double-leg instantly, pins Fitch against the fence and drags him to the floor. Fitch stands up with Maia clinging to his back, throwing hard right hands under Fitch’s arm. Maia has a body triangle cinched up as he works to get his arm underneath Fitch’s chin. Fitch is defending well but Maia seems to be pretty secure in the back-mount position. Fitch is turned toward the fence, doing nothing but defending as Maia continues to work for the choke. Fitch goes to the ground and Maia lets go of the body triangle before standing back up, still maintaining back control. Maia lands some knees to the legs of the kneeling Fitch before locking up the body triangle again and throwing more right hands. The round ends with Maia still securely on Fitch’s back.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Maia
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Maia
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Maia

Round 2
It’s less than a minute before Fitch is back on the ground, this time in the middle of the cage, warding Maia off from his back. Fitch shoves Maia off and stands, but Maia follows him to the fence and drags him down again to the base of the fence, where Maia immediately takes his back. Maia has both hooks in with 3:00 left in the round. The Brazilian keeps working and finally gets Fitch flattened out, on his back with the body triangle fully locked on. Maia seems close to getting under Fitch’s chin around the 2:00 mark but Fitch fends it off once again. Once again, the round ends with Fitch defending against a back-mounted Maia.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Maia
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Maia
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Maia

Round 3
Maia goes right after another takedown, once more pushing Fitch against the fence as he changes levels. It takes a minute this time, but Maia eventually drags Fitch down to the floor and hops on his back again. Maia appears to willingly get off the back and throws punches as Fitch stands up. Not long after, though, Maia is shooting and trying to take Fitch down again. Fitch stuffs a shot and briefly attempts a guillotine. The choke doesn’t work but it’s enough to yield Fitch top position, where he manages a couple punches before Maia is able to stand back up. Maia has a rear waistlock and is pinning Fitch on the fence as the fight enters its final 90 seconds. Fitch breaks out and sprawls on a Maia single-leg in the middle of the cage. Maia keeps after the takedown and gets it with about a minute remaining. Maia locks up a body triangle and the welterweights trade punches from an awkward position -- Fitch with his shoulders on the ground, turning to throw at Maia -- until Maia steps over to full mount just before the horn.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Maia (30-27 Maia)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Maia (30-27 Maia)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Maia (30-26 Maia)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Demian Maia.

Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva

Round 1
Herb Dean is the referee for this bout. Overeem clinches Silva against the fence with an underhook and throws a few knees up the middle before the Brazilian breaks out. They tie up again, no action in the clinch this time, and Overeem lands a right hook on the split. Right back in comes Overeem, holding Silva on the cage and scoring with knees to the body. Silva slips out, misses a kick and comes forward to try a takedown. It doesn’t go, so Overeem puts Silva on the fence, again with an underhook. Overeem releases him, backs out and pops Silva with a straight right. He steps in on Silva and lands a hard knee to the body before wading back out. Overeem has his hands below his waist, just inviting Silva to strike, but Silva isn’t taking the bait. They clinch again, not much happening, and Overeem releases to land an uppercut before wrapping Silva up to end the round.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Overeem

Round 2
Silva comes at Overeem with a leg kick and is met by a hard right hand, then a takedown. Overeem lands in side control, leaning from Silva’s left to right, as Silva pushes off the fence with his feet. Silva lands some horizontal elbows from his back, and Overeem doesn’t seem to like them, as he willingly goes to Silva’s guard. Silva wraps him up, so Overeem stands and comes back down, looking to improve position. When Overeem comes back down, Silva doesn’t close guard, and Overeem has room to land a couple solid punches. Overeem stacks his man up now and lands a right hand. He comes back down to half-guard on Silva’s left side, with the Brazilian’s right side facing the fence. With 30 seconds left, Overeem stands up and ref Herb Dean wants Silva back on his feet. Overeem ducks a hook from Silva, who instead grabs the Thai plum and drills the Dutchman with a knee to finish the round strong.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Overeem
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Overeem

Round 3
Silva clips Overeem with hooks and lands a grazing head kick. A wobbly Overeem tries to respond with a knee to the body, but Silva walks right through it. Overeem is messed up further with a right hook to the temple, and Silva goes ballistic, throwing punches and elbows to the barely standing Overeem, who is just being propped up by the fence at this point. Finally, Overeem goes down and ref Dean steps in to rescue him. Dean has to restrain Silva, who is trying to get back and bark at the semi-conscious Overeem. The stunning turnaround win for “Bigfoot” comes 25 seconds into the third round.

Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Round 1
Yves Lavigne is the referee for tonight’s co-main event. Evans crouches low in his corner but meets Nogueira standing in the middle of the cage. Both men feel the range with their lead hands but do not throw much of anything through the opening two minutes. Evans grazes with a high kick and Nogueira, in the southpaw stance, finds his man with a quick jab. Nogueira splits the middle with a straight left but doesn’t follow up. He backs away as Evans inches forward, neither man wanting to commit early on. Finally, Evans steps into the pocket and lands a left hand, followed by a right uppercut. Nogueira circles out. Evans ducks a hook and takes Nogueira down with 40 seconds left in the round. Nogueira posts and stands instantly, and Evans tries to work the Thai clinch before being shoved off.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Evans
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nogueira

Round 2
Nogueira lands a straight left up top, just misses when he tries to go downstairs. Evans replies with a combo and follows with a checked inside low kick. It’s Nogueira coming forward, landing a punch to the body, but just the single shot. Neither man is pulling the trigger with two minutes left in the frame. Nogueira comes down the middle with a left but he’s only throwing one punch at a time. Evans connects with a one-two and Nogueira lands a stiff body kick. Evans dives on a double-leg in the middle of the cage; Nogueira goes down but gets back up right away and sticks Evans with a pair of hard punches. A nice right hook lands for Nogueira; Evans snaps off a jab and has a right high kick blocked at the horn.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Nogueira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Nogueira
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nogueira

Round 3
It’s more feinting and jabbing to open up the third round. Nogueira waits on the end of Evans’ hands and throws another awkward kick to the body. Evans backs Nog up with a pair of hooks that go wide; Nogueira comes back with a straight left and a jab. Evans backs out of the way of a body kick but eats the jab behind it. Now it’s Evans trying to clinch up and getting shoved away. Seconds later, Nogueira catches a finger in his right eye and ref Lavigne pauses the action. The physician is called in and Nogueira is cleared to continue. They resume with 2:50 remaining and Evans sticks Nogueira with a jab. Nogueira comes forward with a pair of clean left hands and backs out. An awkward shot from Evans is turned away by Nogueira, who lands another slow body kick. Nogueira hops away from another Evans takedown try as the fight enters its final minute. Nogueira steps in with a knee to the body, backs out and then returns with a straight left up top. Evans is whiffing on most of his punches down the stretch as Nogueira dances out of range. With seconds to go, Evans scores with a right hand and Nogueira connects with a series of knees to the body from the clinch.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Nogueira (29-28 Nogueira)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Nogueira (30-28 Nogueira)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nogueira (30-27 Nogueira)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

UFC Featherweight Championship
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar

Round 1
Steve Mazzagatti is the referee for tonight’s main event. It’s the challenger opening up with a leg kick, quickly answered by the champ. Aldo lands another quick kick inside as he stalks out from the center of the cage. He sticks Edgar with a jab, then steps off and pops the incoming New Jerseyan with another clean counterpunch. Aldo gets off a pair of nice straight rights and quickly steps out of the way of Edgar’s retaliatory punches. Cheers of “Al-do, Al-do” come from the crowd in the latter half of the round, followed quickly by a “Frankie” chant. Aldo’s right hand is landing well, and he lands his first hard inside leg kick of the fight with 40 seconds remaining in the round. Aldo scores with an uppercut and follows with another pair of leg kicks. The champ moves out of the way of a front kick from Edgar and goes upstairs with a partially blocked left high kick of his own before the horn.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Aldo
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Aldo
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Aldo

Round 2
Edgar is aggressive at the start of round two, rushing Aldo toward the fence with punches. Aldo uses head movement to dodge the shots and throws straight punches of his own in return. Aldo gets back to the center of the cage and cracks Aldo with more straight shots. Edgar grabs hold of Aldo’s left leg and tries to run the pipe, but Aldo pulls his limb free and hops away. Aldo lands a cracking leg kick to the already banged-up left leg of Edgar. The next kick buckles the leg of the former lightweight champ, and Aldo lets him right back up. Edgar backs Aldo toward the fence and Aldo reverses momentum with a leaping knee. Edgar grabs hold of the champ and presses him into the cage for a brief moment. Aldo squirts out, but Edgar stays after him and hits a surprising takedown behind a right hand. Aldo is immediately back to his feet and resumes dodging punches from the challenger. Aldo snaps back Edgar’s head with a jab, misses with a spinning kick before the round ends.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Aldo
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Aldo
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Aldo

Round 3
Edgar tries to bring Aldo down again at the start of round three, but the champ springs right back up. It’s Edgar with the pressure, chasing Aldo down with punches but not landing much. Aldo matadors a combo to hit Edgar with a hook, then slaps his face with a front kick. Edgar’s nose is bloodied, but “The Answer” shows no signs of slowing, still with quick footwork, keeping punches in Aldo’s face. Now it’s Edgar stringing together a couple leg kicks, the second one checked by the champ. Edgar connects with a uppercut, just dodges a big uppercut from Aldo. A shot from Edgar is easily rebuffed by Aldo, but Edgar comes back with a right hand. Edgar gets the last word in the round with another kick.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Aldo
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Aldo
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Aldo

Round 4
Edgar lands an outside leg kick, misses with one to the body and lands one to the other side. Aldo is still getting out of the way of most of Edgar’s punches, but the return fire has greatly diminished. Edgar gets in on a takedown attempt, doesn’t get it but scores with a couple quick punches on his way out. They trade jabs and Aldo pulls up short on a hook. Edgar changes levels, gets a waistlock and slams Aldo to the ground. Aldo springs back up right away but still has Edgar on his back as they lean against the fence. Edgar drills the back of Aldo’s right leg with knees, tries to elevate him for another slam but can’t get it. A few more knees and Edgar releases the rear waistlock. Edgar gets off a combo and Edgar misses with a jumping knee as a “U-S-A” chant breaks out. This one is headed to the final round.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Edgar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Edgar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Edgar

Round 5
Edgar rushes toward Aldo with punches and motions to referee Mazzagatti that the champ caught him with a finger in the eye. Edgar says he’s good to continue and they fight on. Aldo misses a flying knee but lands a jab behind it, then another jab and hops out of a single-leg attempt. Edgar misses with a big right hand and eats a counter left. Aldo turns away Edgar as he tries to clinch up and socks the challenger with a straight shot on the exit. Edgar turns into a hard leg kick, then another, as the final round hits the halfway point. It’s still Edgar coming forward and Aldo backing away, trying to counter, but the accuracy of both men is way down in the late going. Edgar tries to clinch, gets pushed away. He lands a quick combination, has a head kick deflected by Aldo’s right arm. Edgar lands an inside leg kick and tries to follow with a punching combo but eats a hard right hand. Edgar tries to clinch up and Aldo sidesteps it. Final 30 seconds now and Aldo pops Edgar with a stiff left, dodges a high kick. Aldo sidesteps a right hand. They trade right hands down the middle. Aldo backs up to the fence and pushes off it for a superman punch. The horn sounds and both men raise their hands, and we’re headed to the scorecards for what could be a very close decision.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Edgar (48-47 Aldo)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Aldo (49-46 Aldo)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Edgar (48-47 Aldo)

Official result: The judges score the bout 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 for the winner and still UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo.