UFC 218 results: Henry Cejudo outwrestles Sergio Pettis for scorecard sweep

The promising run of potential title contender Sergio Pettis was brought to an unceremonious end by Henry Cejudo.

Cejudo (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), a onetime title challenger, used his Olympic wrestling pedigree to deposit Pettis (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on the mat and control him there, resulting in a shutout on judges’ scorecards.

The flyweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC 218 event at the new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The final scores were all 30-27 for Cejudo, who picked up his second straight win after a pair of setbacks to champ Demetrious Johnson and perennial contender Joseph Benavidez, respectively.

Just as significant was the cold water thrown on the idea of Pettis as fresh blood for champ Johnson. Had he defeated Cejudo, he would have picked up his fifth straight win and undoubtedly triggered calls for a title shot.

Instead, he was largely a sitting duck on the mat. And things didn’t go much better on the feet.

Cejudo gave Pettis just enough trouble in striking to catch his opponent off-guard at every shot. Even then, his technique was several notches above when it came to takedowns. Pettis’ efforts to set up submissions were shut down.

Pettis did his best work in the third round, which his corner told him in no uncertain terms was his final change to right the scales. In extended exchanges, he snuck in several crisp shots. And after an inevitable trip to the mat, he got back to his feet with 90 seconds to work.

But rather than let it hang out, Pettis waited for the perfect opportunity that never came. And for some reason, he decided a takedown attempt would be his final statement.

Cejudo stuffed that, too.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 218 results include:

• Henry Cejudo def. Sergio Pettis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Eddie Alvarez def. Justin Gaethje via knockout (knee, punches) – Round 3, 3:59
• Tecia Torres def. Michelle Waterson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Paul Felder def. Charles Oliveira via knockout (strikes) – Round 2, 4:06
• Yancy Medeiros def. Alex Oliveira via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:02
• David Teymur def. Drakkar Klose via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Felice Herrig def. Cortney Casey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Amanda Cooper def. Angela Magana via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:34
• Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Sabah Homasi via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:21
• Dominick Reyes def. Jeremy Kimball via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:39
• Justin Willis def. Allen Crowder via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:33

For complete coverage of UFC 218, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Detroit.)