UFC Fight Night 102 results: Marc Diakiese sliced open but stays perfect with decision over Frankie Perez

ALBANY, N.Y. – A grueling fight between Marc Diakiese and Frankie Perez came down to the simple question of who could achieve and maintain top position in a seesaw ground-and-pound battle.

And while he paid in blood for his own mistakes, Diakiese (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) nabbed the takedowns when they mattered most, and that earned him the unanimous decision victory over a game but ultimately frustrated Perez (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC)

The lightweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The takedown battle decided each and every round in this one, with Diakiese starting off strong in the opening round. After timing Perez’s leg kicks well, he scored some crucial takedowns that kept Perez on his back for most of the round, earning himself an early lead on the scorecards.

Perez would even things up in the second, however, and he arguably made better use of his time on top. After getting Diakiese down early, Perez unleashed several hard elbow strikes from inside the guard, opening a significant cut over Diakiese’s left eye which splattered both men in blood before the round was over.

But with the fight likely even headed into the third, Diakiese again used a Perez kick to work his way into a key takedown, draining the clock as he put in work from the top position while Perez struggled to get back to his feet. Perez would eventually succeed in that endeavor, but by then it was too late. The round belonged to Diakiese, and with it the fight. All three judges scored it for Diakiese with scores of 29-28 across the board.

The win keeps Diakiese perfect as a professional. Perez has now lost two of his last three.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 102 results include:

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 102, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Albany.)