Mateusz Gamrot earned a unanimous decision victory over Arman Tsarukyan in a high-level, technical and very closely fought headliner tonight at UFC On ESPN 38 in Las Vegas.
Round One:
The main event is underway in Las Vegas.
Tsarukyan pumping out the jab, but Gamrot is the first to land his. Head kick attempt from Tsarukyan. Now a glancing body kick from him.
Gamrot driving in looking for punches, but Tsarukyan retaliates with a takedown attempt. Big scramble here and Gamrot does well to eventually fend that off.
Now it’s Gamrot looking for a single-leg, but Tsarukyan brushes it aside. Now Tsarukyan lands a couple of kicks.
Reaching jab from Gamrot. Calf kick from Gamrot, but Tsarukyan manages to grab it and lands a takedown.
Gamrot tries to roll on top, but Tsarukyan just manages to stay on top. They go up for a moment and Gamrot rolls again and this time is able to get the better of the scramble.
Fast and furious high-level action here as Gamrot’s advantageous position doesn’t last long and they go back to striking range.
Kick with power from Tsarukyan. He goes for a body kick and Gamrot catches it and hoists it high above his head trying for a takedown, but he remains upright and gets away.
Gamrot just missing with a strike. Now he does land with a leg kick. Takedown from Tsarukyan and they scramble in lightning-fast fashion. Gamrot partially rising back up as the round ends.
Round Two:
Jab for Tsarukyan. Now a body kick that Gamrot catches but can’t do anything with. leg kick for Tsarukyan. Nice jab from him as Gamrot was coming forward.
Kick off the arm from Tsarukyan. Left hand from Tsarukyan. Gamrot just coming up short with a few punches.
Body kick from Tsarukyan lands with a huge smack. He lands another without the audible impact. Now a head kick attempt that’s blocked.
A couple of punches from Tsarukyan to disguise a takedown attempt, but Gamrot defends it.
jab for Gamrot and Tsarukyan also lands a punch. Leg kick for Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan goes for the takedown and there’s another fast scramble that ends in a 50/50 position, then they go back to their feet in the clinch. Tsarukyan exits with an elbow that just misses.
Body punch for Gamrot. Body kick for Tsarukyan. Body punch and a kick to the midsection from Tsarukyan.
Another body kick for Tsarukyan. He waits and then lands another with big power. Another lighter one connects.
Missed spinning backfist from Tsarukyan. Overhand right from Gamrot. Both men looking to go to the body as the round ends.
Round Three:
Tsarukyan immediately lands another big body kick. Body kick again and then they tie up briefly in the center of the Octagon.
Breaking free and back to striking range. Right hand lands for Gamrot. Gamrot ducks under a strike nicely.
Heavy punch lands for Tsarukyan as Gamrot was ducking for a takedown. Jab for Gamrot. Jab for Tsarukyan. Another body kick for Tsarukyan. He goes for another but eats a counter punch from Gamrot.
Gamrot with a takedown and lands it, but Tsarukyan is straight back up with Gamrot clinched to his back. Tsarukyan trying to break his grip and turn into him, but without success for now.
Gamrot able to get Tsarukyan down again and Tsarukyan soon works back to his feet. Now Tsarukyan does manage to break the grip and get back to striking range.
One-two for Tsarukyan. A right lands for him now. Nice counter right from Gamrot as Tsarukyan was going to the body.
Tsarukyan going for a takedown, but Gamrot stuffs it. Tsarukyan still has hold of his leg and Gamrot is punching him while hopping on one leg and then escapes.
Big spinning back kick from Tsarukyan. Nice punch now. A final solid body kick for him before the round ends.
Round Four:
Jab for Tsarukyan. Both swing hard with the right hand. They both exchange heavy strikes toe-to-toe for a moment.
Now into the clinch but nothing comes of it. Head kick lands from Tsarukyan, but Gamrot takes it.
Gamrot hits the target with a punch over the top. Gamrot attempts a takedown, but can’t get it.
Spinning backfist from Tsarukyan drops Gamrot. They battle for position here and Gamrot gets around to Tsarukyan’s back briefly.
Back to striking range. Tsarukyan with a flurry of punches to the head and body. Now a kick. One-two comes off the guard.
Gamrot loads up on a right hand as Tsarukyan was going for a spinning attack. Body kick from Tsarukyan. Now a punch to the body. Another heavy body kick lands, but then Gamrot drives into a takedown and gets him to his knees against the cage.
Tsarukyan stands with a minute of the round remaining. Gamrot drags him back down and has his back. Tsarukyan trying to get back up, but Gamrot has his back and pulls him down. Awkward spot for Tsarukyan with one of his legs trapped behind him, but he manages to adjust his position before the round ends.
Round Five:
Short flurry of left and right hand from Tsarukyan. Punch from Gamrot. Calf kick from Tsarukyan takes Gamrot off his feet for a moment.
Another calf kick from Tsarukyan. Punch and a body kick from Tsarukyan as Gamrot lands a right hand.
Both men swing for the fences but don’t find a clean connection. Gamrot with a takedown and gets it. Big moment for him.
Tsarukyan on his knees now with his back to the cage as he tries to stand. He gets up but Gamrot gets the back clinch. Tsarukyan able to spin out of that though and gets back to striking range.
Gamrot in on another takedown and it’s stuffed. Body kick for Tsarukyan. Punch for Gamrot as Tsarukyan throws another body kick.
Hook and a right hand from Tsarukyan. Another body kick for Tsarukyan. Gamrot with a takedown attempt that he abandons quickly.
Right hand from Gamrot. Short punch from Tsarukyan and then stuffs a takedown attempt. Tsarukyan looking for a potential guillotine choke from here, but Gamrot shoves him away.
Back on the feet with a little over a minute of the fight remaining. Jab for Gamrot. Heavy body kick for Tsarukyan. Light jab lands. Right hand from Gamrot.
Gamrot in on a takedown and lands it. Tsarukyan quickly back to his feet, but Gamrot gets his back. Tsarukyan tries to roll out without success, but then is back up and drags Gamrot to the mat in the final seconds of the round.
Decision:
That was an excellent display of high-level martial arts and a very hard one for the judges to call at the end of 25-minutes of back-and-forth action.
However, they come back with a unanimous decision verdict, and it goes in Gamrot’s favor (48-47 x3), with the fact that he was gradually able to get Tsarukyan down briefly a few times in the later rounds perhaps helping sway the result in his favor.
