TUF Brazil 3 Finale results, photos: Demian Maia tops Alexander Yakovlev

SAO PAULO – For three rounds Demian Maia (19-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) controlled Alexander Yakovlev (21-5-1, 0-1 UFC) on the ground, slowly grinding away from full mount without ever really committing himself to any of the submissions for which he’s become so well known.

In the end, it was still enough to earn Maia a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over the UFC newcomer Yakovlev, who seemed grateful simply to survive.

The welterweight bout was part of the main card of today’s TUF Brazil 3 Finale event at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Maia seemed like he might make short work of Yakovlev after a first-round knockdown led to Maia seizing full mount with plenty of time to work in the opening frame. But while Yakovlev had no answer beyond hanging on for dear life from the bottom, Maia seemed content to chip away with short punches and elbows from the top.

Maia’s patience held firm in the second and third rounds, so much so that at times it seemed as if he had no interest in locking up a submission. Yakovlev proved his resiliency by hanging on and lasting the distance despite spending the majority of the fight on the wrong end of some very dangerous positions.

In the end, however, Yakovlev had to settle for that moral victory. Maia, on the other hand, managed to ride him the distance in order to get the actual one.

Maia snaps a two-fight losing streak with the win. Yakovlev loses for the first time in four outings.

Up-to-the-minute TUF Brazil 3 Finale results include:

• Demian Maia def. Alexander Yakovlev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Robert Peralta def. Rony Jason via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
• Rashid Magomedov def. Rodrigo Damm via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Elias Silverio def. Ernest Chavez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:21
• Gasan Umalatov def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Kevin Souza def. Mark Eddiva via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:52
• Ricardo Abreu def. Wagner Silva via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:06
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Richardson Moreira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:20
• Pedro Munhoz def. Matt Hobar via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47

For complete coverage of the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Sao Paulo.)