UFC Fight Night 76 results: Krzysztof Jotko takes split decision from Scott Askham

Krzysztof Jotko

DUBLIN – After a decisive first round, dueling southpaws Krzysztof Jotko and Scott Askham settled into a rhythm that more resembled a hard sparring session that an all-out fight.

Jotko (16-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), playing hit and run over three rounds, was just a little more accurate than Askham (13-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), convincing two of three judges he won the fight.

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 76 event at 3Arena in Dublin. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The final scorecards were 29-28 twice for Jotko with one judge dissenting via 29-28 for Askham. Jotko earned his second straight UFC win following a decision over Tor Troeng at UFC Fight Night 53 while Askham leaves the win column after a knockout of Antonio dos Santos Jr. at UFC Fight Night 69.

The European middleweights, who both have a loss to Magnus Cedenblad on their resumes, hoped to build on recent wins. But it was Jotko who took the initiative early, slamming Askham to the mat on a wild punch. There, he punished the Brit with ground and pound and opened cuts which would bleed generously throughout the fight.

Askham grew more frustrated as the fight went into the second round and Jotko eased into a counter-heavy strategy. At several points, he pushed the Polish fighter against the fence, but was unable to do any definitive damage. A front kick late in the second was his best attack.

Jotko continued to frustrate Askham in the final round, sticking in counters as his opponent closed the distance. Although neither fighter aggressively pursued a finish, Jotko’s accuracy paid dividends on the scorecards.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 76 results include:

• Krzysztof Jotko def. Scott Askham via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Tom Breese def. Cathal Pendred via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:37
• Darren Elkins def. Robert Whiteford via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Garreth McLellan def. Bubba Bush via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:58

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 76, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Dublin.)