UFC Sao Paulo: Blachowicz gets split-decision nod on a night of decisions

The big Polish scrapper was lucky to get it.

UFC events often bring spectacular action, a host of “wow” moments and leave you with the tingle of anticipation for what might be next for the night’s big winners.

But, to be honest, Saturday night in Sao Paulo didn’t.

As UFC events go, this one wasn’t the best. Eight of the 12 fights on the card went to a decision, the main event went all five rounds in a fight that didn’t thrill as much as it might have done, and the co-main failed to produce a definitive result.

All in all, it was a tough night for those of us on this side of the pond who stayed up through the night to watch. Here are the key takeaways from the event:

Jan Blachowicz is a contender… but he ain’t getting a title shot

Blachowicz would have been hoping for a dominant display against former middleweight contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, but the bout ended up going all five rounds with the judges left split on the outcome.

In the end, it was the Polish powerhouse who (probably deservedly) got the nod, 47-48, 48-47, 48-47.

But, if Blachowicz was looking for a statement performance to force him into a title fight with Jon Jones, this, unfortunately, wasn’t it.

Craig and Shogun battle to a draw in co-main event

Scotland’s Paul Craig took Brazilian legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua all the way to the scorecards, but the judges ultimately left both men disappointed as they rendered a split draw verdict after three hard-fought rounds.

One judge scored it 29-28 for Shogun and another saw it 29-28 to Craig. However, the third judge couldn’t separate them, as he rendered a 28-28 score to give the pair the sort of result neither man wanted.

It left the crowd disappointed, as well as both fighters, who thought they’d done enough for the win.

But the old adage: “Never leave it in the hands of the judges” was proved true as both men walked away from the octagon without a win bonus and with the feeling of a wasted night.

Oliveira continues his incredible run of finishes

Brazilian lightweight Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira produced the highlight moment of the main card in Sao Paulo with a superb knockout of Jared “Flash” Gordon.

On a night where the Brazilian fans had few highlights to cheer, the crowd went bananas for Oliveira, who connected with a pair of powerful right hands to starch Gordon and give the Brazilian yet another finish for his record.

That KO meant that his last NINE wins have all come by finish, while also taking his overall finish tally to 26 from his 28 career wins.

That’s an astonishing finish rate, and one that means Oliveira is must-see TV whenever he steps into the octagon.

Find a full range of odds on all these fights over on paddypower.com

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