Claudio Silva managed to outgrapple Danny Roberts tonight at UFC Fight Night 147, but had to wait until late in the third round before finally finding an armbar submission finish, though the referee’s ruling that it was a verbal stoppage proved to be controversial.
Round One:
Silva with a punch and a leg kick to start. Another leg kick for him. And another. Looping hook from Silva as he reaches in for a takedown, but Roberts reverses out of danger.
Silva with a kick upstairs that didn’t land, but does connect with a leg kick. Another head kick attempt from Roberts is blocked.
Leg kick for Silva. Hard straight from Roberts just misses and that allows Silva to move in with a takedown that lands near the center of the Octagon.
Silva in half guard and looking to pass. Roberts depending for now, but then Silva shifts to side control with over two minutes remaining.
Silva looking to grab an arm there, but then just transition over to side control on the other side. Roberts gets him back to half guard now though.
A minute left and Silva gets to mount. Roberts gives up his back for a second, but then goes to mount again. Silva working an arm triangle now. However as he tries to go off to the side Roberts transitions and ends up on top landing ground and pound and lands one final big blow before the bel..
Round Two:
Leg kick for Silva. A looping overhand misses. Roberts lands a good right hook on the counter and Silva seems hurt.
However, Silva recovers well by moving into a takedown and he gets Roberts down next to the cage with well over four minutes to work.
Roberts giving up his back. Brief scramble and Silva settles into full mount. Roberts wall walks, but Silva works an armbar. However, the referee stops the fight and resets them in the mount due to the fact that Roberts used his toes in the cage to make that wall walk work.
They go back to it and Silva starts to work for an arm triangle. It’s getting close but again Roberts manages to escape from that and get on top.
Good work for Roberts, but Silva manages to scramble and almost takes top control again, so Roberts stands up.
Silva looking tired on his feet as Roberts steps in and lands. Roberts putting on the pressure with strikes, but Silva gets him to the mat again and manages to gets his back with both hooks in.
He’s got just under a minute to work. He gets the mount looking for punches, then to the back again. Roberts trying to escape and almost gets caught in a triangle choke. Roberts escapes well from that and then as they get back upright lands a right hook to end the round.
Round Three:
Left hand connects for Roberts and Silva is hurt and goes to the mat. Roberts on top and landing hard ground and pound. He’s in half guard here and settles for a moment as Silva tries to work on an escape.
Silva bleeding here as Roberts looks for more ground and pound. However, Silva goes for a heel hook. Roberts manages to roll and escape that and Silva’s not quick enough to get back up.
Silva perhaps happy to just stay on the mat and he works for an armbar. He’s inverted here and Roberts picks him up and tries to crash him down on his head twice. Silva stays latched onto that limb though and as Roberts rolls it appears that he verbally submits – or at least the referee thought he did, and so Silva gets the submission victory via armbar at 3.37mins of Rd3.
After the fight an emotional Roberts claimed he didn’t verbally submit and had escaped the armbar when the fight was ended.
