UFC 174 results, photos: Ryan Bader cruises past ex-champ Rafael Cavalcante

VANCOUVER – By the time Rafael Cavalcante (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) got in the fight against Ryan Bader (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), he was already two rounds down.

Bader offered no respite in the third frame, either, which allowed him to pitch a shutout on the judges’ scorecards.

The light heavyweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC 174 event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and UFC Fight Pass.

The final scores were unanimously 30-27 for Bader, who refused to provide a target for the heavy-handed Cavalcante. Over three rounds, he used jabs and footwork to keep distance and took the fight down to control the fight.

Cavalcante, meanwhile, wanted a one-punch knockout and missed often as he stalked Bader. He managed to stuff takedowns in the second and third rounds, but repeatedly found himself on his back. On the mat, he played possum on his hands and knees as Bader kneed his legs.

In the third and final frame, Cavalcante, at the stern advice of his corner, went after Bader and scored his best combination of the fight, a left-right hook combination that forced his opponent to shoot. Bader was initially denied, but eventually finished the takedown and rounded out the fight with ground and pound.

Bader earns his second straight win following another one-sided victory over Anthony Perosh at this past December’s UFC Fight Night 33. Cavalcante, meanwhile, drops to 1-1 in the UFC after a knockout loss to Thiago Silva in his octagon debut.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 174 results include:

• Ryan Bader def. Rafael Cavalcante via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Andrei Arlovski def. Brendan Schaub via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ovince Saint Preux def. Ryan Jimmo via verbal submission (kimura) – Round 2, 2:10
• Kiichi Kunimoto def. Daniel Sarafian via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:52
• Valerie Letourneau def. Elizabeth Phillips via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Yves Jabouin def. Mike Easton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Tae Hyun Bang def. Kajan Johnson via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:01
• Michinori Tanaka def. Roland Delorme via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jason Saggo def. Josh Shockley via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:57

For complete coverage of UFC 174, stay stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on-site in Vancouver.)