UFC on FOX 22 results: Sultan Aliev's top game leads to split decision over Bojan Velickovic

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – It wasn’t a crowd-pleaser, but Sultan Aliev’s takedowns and top game proved too much for Bojan Velickovic.

The welterweight bout opened today’s UFC on FOX 22 event at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional FS1 prelims and the FOX-televised main card.

As the longer fighter, Velickovic (14-4-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC) opened the fight with leg kicks and the occasional head-kick attempt to establish range. Aliev (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) attempted to counter the early strategy by throwing punches behind feints of takedown attempts.

Eventually, Aliev muscled inside, grabbed Velickovic behind the knees and drove through a double-leg takedown to put the fight on the mat. He wasn’t able to keep the fight there, however, as Velickovic worked back to his feet after threatening with an armbar attempt to close out the opening frame.

Despite his inability to hold the fight on the floor, Aliev found confidence in the takedown and drove through another early in Round 2. This time, he kept Velickovic’s back on the mat for most of the round without finding himself in trouble.

By Round 3, Velickovic’s corner was imploring him to keep the fight standing, guaranteeing their fighter he would score the knockout if he could let his hands and feet go. Instead, Aliev managed to survive a moment of giving up his back to end up on top on the ground, grinding away with his top game again.

In the end, two of the three judges saw the fight for Aliev, awarding him the split decision by scores of 30-27, 28-29 and 30-27. The win was his first in the UFC.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 22 results include:

• Sultan Aliev def. Bojan Velickovic via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 22, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report from on site in Sacramento.)