UFC 162 results/photos: Dominant striking gets Tim Kennedy past Roger Gracie

LAS VEGAS – Tim Kennedy not only was willing to grapple with Roger Gracie, he took the jiu-jitsu ace to the ground.

Although Kennedy struggled to find the 6-foot-4 Gracie’s chin, he controlled the fight to shut out the Brazilian on two of three judges’ scorecards.

The middleweight bout of Strikeforce vets was part of the main card of today’s UFC 162 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Things looked good for Gracie early in the first round when he took Kennedy down and transitioned to back mount. For a few tense moments, Kennedy suffered through a body triangle and fought off choke attempts. But he eventually escaped to his feet, where he snuck strikes in close.

In the second frame, Kennedy turned the tables on Gracie and took the fight to the mat, where he landed several punches that shifted the fight’s momentum. Gracie was increasingly flat-footed and had less steam on his punches.

That provided Kennedy a chance to finish the fight with a big punch, but Gracie’s height allowed him to keep distance. So he chopped at the nearest target, which was Gracie’s leg.

The final scorecards were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Kennedy, a onetime middleweight title challenger in Strikeforce.

“I’m really disappointed,” Kennedy said. “I hate going to decisions. I guess UFC jitters are real. It’s a big stage and I feel like I really let down my fans. I will come back better.”

Kennedy (16-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now enjoys back-to-back wins on his recent resume while Gracie (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) sees a two-fight win streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 162 results include:

• Tim Kennedy def. Roger Gracia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Mark Munoz def. Tim Boetsch via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
• Cub Swanson def. Dennis Siver via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:24
• Andrew Craig def. Chris Leben via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
• Norman Parke def. Kazuki Tokudome via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Gabriel Gonzaga def. Dave Herman via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:17
• Edson Barboza def. Rafaello Oliveira via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 2, 1:44
• Brian Melancon def. Seth Baczynski via KO (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
• Mike Pierce def. David Mitchell via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:55

For complete coverage of UFC 162, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Las Vegas.