UFC Fight Night 45 results: Gleison Tibau edges Pat Healy for UFC win No. 14

ATLANTIC CITY – Gleison Tibau (29-10 MMA, 14-8 UFC) had to know he was in for a full night of work against a career grinder like Pat Healy (29-20 MMA, 0-5 UFC), and he evidently came prepared.

After three gritty, hard-fought rounds, Tibau’s early lead on the scorecards held up for a unanimous decision win (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) over a game Healy who, as he is known to do, just got started a little too late.

The lightweight bout was part of today’s UFC Fight Night 45 preliminary card at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following a single prelim on UFC Fight Pass.

Although it will go down as yet another loss in the UFC for Healy, the fight was not without its bright spots. He adjusted well to Tibau’s ground game late in the fight, and he finally managed to turn forward pressure into effective offense by the third round. Unfortunately for him, Tibau was likely already up two rounds to none by that point, and Healy’s late rally wasn’t enough to swing the judges his way.

For Tibau, it’s a performance that gets him back in the win column after suffering a knockout loss to Michael Johnson in December, meaning he’s now won three of his past four inside the octagon. He also notches UFC win No. 14, tying Michael Bisping for the most by any fighter in UFC history who hasn’t fought for a title.

Healy, on the other hand, is now winless in six tries with the UFC, thanks in part to a submission victory over Jim Miller that was later changed to a no-contest after Healy tested positive for marijuana.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 45 results include:

For more on UFC Fight Night 45, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Atlantic City)