UFC 161 results/photos: Mitch Clarke outworks John Maguire for emotional victory

WINNIPEG – Fighting for the first time as a lightweight, English submission specialist John Maguire found the going difficult against Canadian Mitch Clarke.

In the end, the local favorite picked up a decision win.

The lightweight bout was part of today’s UFC 161 event at MTS Centre in Winnipeg. It streamed on Facebook ahead of additional prelims on FX and a pay-per-view main card.

Southpaw Maguire looked to box in the early going, but Clarke answered with a barrage of low kicks that reddened his opponent’s leg. Halfway through the frame, Maguire shot in and slipped around to the back, where he maintained control as Clarke looked to set up a kimura from the front. Clarke eventually spun free for a moment, and when Maguire slipped again to the back, he was punished by a series of sharp elbows to the forearm.

Clarke again tried to strike in the second round, but Maguire scored an opening-minute takedown. However, once there he did little to capitalize on the position. A few short flurries came in from Maguire, but Clarke kept the pace stalled with a kimura attempt before crawling back to the feet. The two worked in a stalemate in the clinch until the final minute, when referee Jerin Valel called for a restart, and Maguire worked to one final dominant position by slipping again to the back.

With the fight seemingly on the line to open the third, Clarke opened up with a higher pace than the tiring Maguire. Clarke stayed busy with punches and kicks on the outside, as well as foot stomps and dirty boxing when the pair contested the action in the clinch.

A brief stalemate led to a restart in the center, and Maguire capitalized by slipping quickly to the back, where he locked in a firm figure-four bodylock. Clarke controlled the wrists well and tried to use the cage to his advantage by walking over for a reversal. Eventually, he spun into the lock and finished the round on top, delivering punches until the final bell.

In the end, Clarke did enough to earn the unanimous decision win with scores of 29-28 on all three judges’ cards. Snapping a two-fight losing streak and earning his first UFC win, “Danger Zone” dropped to his knee after the reading of the decision in an emotional moment.

“That’s all I wanted,” Clarke (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) repeated as tears welled in his eyes. “This is a very emotional night for me. … I wanted to fight in the UFC since 2006, when I was a lazy judo player who was drinking and doing other things that weren’t good for me. Having a goal to get to the UFC changed me. It made me a better person. I got rid of so many negative forces in my life.”

Meanwhile, Maguire (18-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has dropped three straight fights in the UFC and may find himself returning to England’s regional scene.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 161 results include:

• Mitch Clarke def. John Maguire via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Yves Jabouin def. Dustin Pague via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC 161, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

Matt Erickson and Ben Fowlkes contributed to this report on-site in Winnipeg.