Maurício Shogun Rua vs. Paul Craig ends in split decision draw

Maurício Shogun Rua did not get the victory as his co-main event fight against Paul Craig ended in a split decision draw.

Scotland’s Paul Craig got off to a promising start as he was close to finishing the former UFC light heavyweight champion in front of a sold-out crowd at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil.

In the first round, Craig unloaded a barrage of punches, many of them landing flush on Shogun. Ultimately, Craig could not put the 37-year-old Brazilian away. In the second round, Shogun managed to rally back, maintaining top-position throughout most of the round.

Despite some heavy shots from the Scotsman in the third round, Shogun once again got top-position while Craig tried to set-up various submissions attempts without success. In the final seconds of the third round, Craig had a sense of urgency as he managed to get up, unloaded on the Brazilian and scored a late take down.

After three rounds, it went to the judges decision where Maurício Rua and Paul Craig had convinced one judge each, while the third one saw the fight as a draw.

UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Jacaré: Main Card results

Light Heavyweight: Maurício Rua vs. Paul Craig ends in a Draw (split) (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
Lightweight: Charles Oliveira def. Jared Gordon via KO (punches) Round 1 – 1:26
Middleweight: Andre Muniz def. Antonio Arroyo via decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Middleweight: Wellington Turman def. Markus Perez via decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Jacaré: Preliminary Card results (ESPN+)

Welterweight: James Krause def. Sérgio Moraes via KO (punches) Round 3 – 4:19
Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos def. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri via Submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1 – 3:57
Lightweight: Francisco Trinaldo def. Bobby Green via Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight: Randy Brown def. Warlley Alves via Submission (triangle choke) Round 2 – 1:22
Featherweight: Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Renan Barão via decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Catchweight (130.5 Ibs): Ariane Lipski def. Isabella de Padua via decision (unanimous) (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
Women’s Bantamweight: Tracy Cortez def. Vanessa Melo via decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)