Raoni Barcelos Escapes with Split Decision Victory Over Montel Jackson – UFC Vegas 116 Highlights
After a rough opening round, Raoni Barcelos bounced back and secured a split decision win over Montel Jackson at UFC Vegas 116 on Saturday.
Jackson nearly found a finish early after connecting with a high kick that took Barcelos off his feet. Jackson followed that up with a flurry of strikes on the mat, but Barcelos’ superior grappling skills allowed him to retake control of the fight, though his offense was limited.
That trend continued in the second, with Barcelos fully mounting Jackson with under a minute to go in the stanza. With the clock winding down, Barcelos took Jackson’s back and cinched in a tight rear-naked choke.
But despite having it locked in, Jackson was able to wait out the clock and make it to his stool.
Barcelos continued to control the action in round three, racking up control time in the clinch and stifling Jackson’s offense. That proved to be enough to sway the scorecards in his favor and walk away with a hard-fought decision win.
Official Result: Raoni Barcelos def. Montel Jackson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
