TUF China Finale results: Hatsu Hioki survives Ivan Menjivar's third-round scare

MACAU – His knack for starting strong and fading late nearly wrecked him, but Hatsu Hioki (27-7-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) survived late trouble to score a unanimous-decision win over Ivan Menjivar (25-12 MMA, 4-5 UFC).

The featherweight bout opened  the main card of today’s TUF China Finale event at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Menjivar, who moved up from the bantamweight division, faced a much bigger 145-pounder and initially struggled against the Japanese fighter. But he rebounded in the third round for a rally that fell just short.

The first round was all Hioki, who closed the distance and ultimately took a dominant ground position when Menjivar forced the fight to the mat. Once back up, he had the edge in the clinch, and he then forced the fight to the mat for a few submission attempts as the frame came to a close.

The fighters trade blows to start the second round, but the taller and bigger Hioki looked at ease. He ultimately closed the distance and scored a trip takedown to land in side control. While initially looking to control an arm, he ultimately moved to Menjivar’s back before transitioning to an armbar attempt. Menjivar, though, slipped free and took top position, but Hioki quickly freed himself of trouble and closed out the round with ground-and-pound and submission attempts from the top.

In the final frame, Menjivar, who appeared the fresher fighter, finally got things working. He fought from distance and landed some strikes, including a couple stinging elbows. He then scored a knockdown and badly bloodied Hioki with a right. Hioki, with his face covered in blood, was quickly in survival mode as Menjivar continued to stalk and land shots, and he threatened with a late-fight kneebar attempt. But Hioki regrouped, continually wiped away the blood and survived the near-disaster of a third round.

Hioki halted a three-fight skid and likely saved his job with the needed win. Menjivar, meanwhile, now has a three-fight losing streak of his own.

“It was a great fight, and I am so happy to end a three-fight losing streak,” Hioki said. “I felt good in the octagon in the first two rounds, but the third round he got me good with a heavy punch. I can’t wait for the next fight, and I hope to get another win under my belt real soon.”

Up-to-the-minute TUF China Finale results include:

For complete coverage of the TUF China Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Macau.