ONE FC 12 results: Yusup Saadulaev edges out Adriano Moraes

In a catchweight contest forced to serve as a replacement main event, Yusup Saadulaev (11-3-1) edged out Adriano Moraes (9-1) in a high-paced, back-and-forth affair.

The bout headlined Friday’s “ONE FC 12: Warrior Spirit” event, which took place at Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and streamed in North America as an online pay-per-view.

Saadulaev took the center of the cage early. As Moraes looked to move inside, Saadulaev instead reversed the position and took top position on the floor. Moraes worked back to his feet, but Saadulaev instead shifted his hips and launched into a beautiful toss back to the floor. Still, Moraes was able to work back to his feet, where they exchanged until the bell.

As Moraes looked to open up his striking in the second, Saadulaev capitalized with a takedown and choke attempt that looked promising. However, Moraes remained calm and spun free, eventually getting himself to a dominant position and unleashing punches until the bell.

With momentum on his side, Moraes was able to work himself to a dominant position early in the final round. A crafty Saadulaev worked once to his feet, only to be deposited on the canvas again, and then rolled to a sneaky leglock at forced Moraes to stand in escape. Saadulaev pushed until the final bell, scoring a late knee and finishing the fight in top position

In the night’s co-feature, five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Leandro Ataides (6-0) showed he’s developing as a striker, as well, earning a first-round knockout win over Brayn Rafiq (8-3).

As the fight opened, it took Ataides less than 30 seconds to bring the fight to the floor, where he immediately went to work from top position. However, Rafiq defended well and worked back to his feet, where he would presumably be out of danger.

He was not.

In the final minute of the first frame, the two started to exchange, and Ataides scored with a crisp right that wobbled his foe. Seizing the moment, he continued to rattle off short punches that hit the mark, sending Rafiq face down on the canvas and sealing a first-round win with 46 seconds left in the first.

In an entertaining heavyweight scrap, Australian Chris Lokteff (12-1) earned a split-decision win over a tough Tony Johnson (7-2).

Lokteff landed a thunderous right hand in the early going, and a wobbled Johnson instinctively shot forward and brought the fight to the floor. Lokteff eventually scrambled up to his feet, capitalizing with another big right that buckled his opponent’s legs before blasting him with a knee, as well. Still, a scrappy Johnson somehow survived until the bell.

Lokteff again looked to fire heavy leather in the second, but Johnson had different plans. A powerful takedown saw him gain a dominant position early in the frame, and he looked destined to finish the fight as he took the back and attacked the neck. Instead, Lokteff showed his survival skills and actually got back to his feet and delivered a few soccer kicks before the bell.

The heavyweights’ pace slowed in the final round, understandable after a back-and-forth first two frames. As Johnson looked for a takedown, Lokteff was able to push him away and enjoy top position before backing away and again throwing a few soccer kicks to the face. Rather than stay there, Lokteff pulled away and tried to finish with heavy punches on the feet. Johnson wisely avoided the blows, but his opponent’s effort was enough to seal the decision win, taking the fight on two of the three judges’ cards.

The full ONE FC 12 results include:

MAIN CARD RESULTS

• Yusup Saadulaev def. Adriano Moraes via split decision
• Leandro Ataides def. Bryan Rafiq via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:14
• Chris Lokteff def. Tony Johnson via split decision
• Peter Davis def. Alaa Mazloum via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:23
• Gianni Subba def. Chen Yun Ting via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 3:03
• A.J. Lias Mansor def. Melvin Yeoh via unanimous decision – Malaysian featherweight tourney final
• Saiful Merican def. Tok Sophon via unanimous decision

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

• Steven Durr def. Samir Mrabet via unanimous decision
• Nik Harris def. Zuli Silawanto via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 5:00
• Casey Suire def. Raymond Tan via submission (guillotine choke)

For more on ONE FC 12, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Yusup Saadulaev and Adriano Moraes)