UFC 180 results: Marco Beltran outworks Marlon Vera in UFC's first fight in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Marco Beltran (6-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) survived a late-fight rally from fellow “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” contestant Marlon Vera (6-2-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)to win two of three rounds on judges’ scorecards.

Beltran received unanimous 29-28 scores for his early work in the fight, earning points by controlling position and working effective ground and pound.

The bantamweight bout opened up the preliminary card of today’s UFC 180 event at Mexico City Arena. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FOX Sports 1 and the main card on pay-per-view.

Beltran, who was outpointed in the reality show’s semifinals, snapped a three-fight skid in his professional career, while Vera, who was forced to withdraw from the show after suffering a skin infection, goes back to the drawing board after a win in October 2013.

Beltran evaded submission attempts from Vera in the first and second round to land punches and elbows from top position. In the second, he was able to escape a rear-naked choke attempt to earn mount, where he left an impression on judges with more strikes.

Vera landed a knee to Beltran’s chin in the third frame and hurt him with a knee to the body. For a moment, it looked as though Vera may pull off an upset as he hammered away on his downed opponent and then worked for a D’Arce but Beltran was able to escape yet again.

• Marco Beltran def. Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC 180, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Mexico City.)