UFC Results: Hatsu Hioki defeats George Roop via Split Decision

Top-ranked Japanese featherweight contender Hatsu Hioki made a successful Ultimate Fighting Championship debut with a victory over George Roop in the main card opener of UFC 137.

Hioki survived the early onslaught from George Roop to regain control in the fight, showcasing his tremendous grappling abilities. Hioki managed to take down Roop on several occasions, often ending up in full mount. Still, Roop was quite aggressive from the bottm and managed to defend every single one of Hioki's submission attempts. Roop also responded with superior striking, but it was not enough to get an early finish, as the fight went to the judges' scorecards.

Personally, I had George Roop winning via 29-28 Unanimous Decision, with first and third rounds going in favor of Tea Mir product. The judges scored this fight 2-1 in favor of Hatsu Hioki, 29-28 on the scorecards.

Hioki improves his MMA record to 25-4-2, and now looks closer to getting his spot as the #1 contender in the UFC Featherweight division.