A hard hitting encounter between Niko Price and Donald Cerrone tonight at UFC Fight Night 178 ended with a majority draw ruling in Las Vegas.
Round one:
Price with an early punch. Leg kick for Cerrone. Price with a leg kick off his own and then he lands a right hand.
Body kick for Price and landing punches too. Fast start from Price. Now elbows landing for Price.
Jabs for both men. Cerrone eats a big straight from Price. Great start from Price, but can he keep this pace up. Cerrone lands a good knee and that slows down Price for a moment.
They clinch up and Cerrone lands another knee. Price moves Cerrone over to the cage and is breathing hard. Cerrone with another knee. They jockey for position against the cage as Cerrone lands another knee.
Now they get back to striking range and Cerrone throws a kick. Punch lands for Cerrone now and a body kick. Eye poke from Price forces a stoppage for Cerrone to recover, but he does so quickly.
They get straight back to it with both trading hard punches. Cerrone bleeding from a cut below his right eye now.
Overhand misses from Price and Cerrone threatens with a head kick that just misses. Leg kick from Cerrone.
Cerrone into the clinch, but eats a hook. Cerrone misses with a kick upstairs. Another punch lands for Cerrone. Both land a punch at the same time with Price’s landing heavier.
Jab for Cerrone and grazing blow from Price. Another eye poke from Price and another stoppage for cerrone to recover – and Price gets a point taken off for that.
Cerrone gets back into the fight throwing heavy leather, but Price fires back and lands the cleaner blows as the round comes to a close.
Round Two:
Leg kick for Price. He tries upstairs with a kick, then back to the leg kick. Another two kicks to the inside and outside of the leg.
Again two kicks from Price in the same fashion. Now a jab. Light body punch from Cerrone. Harder body shot from Price. Cerrone with punches in response.
Jab again for Cerrone. Price still peppering the leg with kicks. More low kicks and then a hook. Uppercut for Cerrone.
Cerrone working the jab. Leg kick and a nice one-two for Price. Body blow from Cerrone. Good knee for Cerrone.
Body punch from Price, but Cerrone rips to the body too. Spinning back kick to the body from Cerrone. He just misses with an uppercut.
Sneaky left for Cerrone, but Price also landed. Push kick for Price and a punch to the body behind it. More kicks from Price.
Good jab for Cerrone. He lands again. Front kick from Price to the body and then another body kick. Price doubles up on body kicks.
Now a body kick for Cerrone. Jab for Price. Cerrone pushes him away. Jab for Cowboy. Cerrone gets an elbow strike to land and Price scores with a body kick.
Cuffing hook from Price. Body work for Cerrone. Front kick to the body for Price. Body punch from Cerrone. Spinning back kick to the body from Cerrone, but Price takes it well. Kick to the midsection from Price.
Round Three:
Leg kick for Price and another two behind it, then one to the body and again to the leg. Yet again he lands two leg kicks.
Cerrone attempting a takedown, but Price stuffs it. Punches being thrown, but not landing. Price does land with a punch and Cerrone lands a body kick. He gets another body kick.
Outside leg kick for Price. jab for Cerrone. Nice kick to the thigh from Cowboy. Jab for Price. Both land an eyepoke apiece so there’s another brief stoppage.
Price with a few punches, but Cerrone utilizing head movement to lessen the impact. Cerrone scrambling to Price’s back while he’s still upright. Price hunched over trying to shake him off and eventually does so. Upkick from Cerrone from his back and then is able to stand.
Cerrone with punches. He goes to the body. Left hand lands for both men. Jab for Cerrone. Leg kick from Price. Left hook for Cerrone.
Price bundles into the clinch, but Cerrone reverses that and as they separate lands a nice head kick upstairs. Price takes it though.
Light punches from Cerrone. Now a jab. Price with an overhand. Cerrone tries for a head kick. Price bundling Cerrone into the cage. Cerrone pushes him away. They try to trade in the final seconds and Cerrone attempts a kick, but that leaves him off-balance and falls to the mat as Price lands without too much behind it at the horn.
Decision:
Crazy fight then and it’s a shame that one of them has to lose after putting so much into the battle – so with that in mind it’s not the worst outcome in the world when it emerges that the fight is a majority draw, with one judge seeing it for Cerrone 29-27, but the others going for a 28-28 scoreline due to Price’s deducted point for the eyepokes in the opening round.
