UFC Fight Night 100 results: Sergio Moraes battles way to tough split decision win over Zak Ottow

SAO PAULO – Sergio Moraes had to scratch and claw his way through his battle with Zak Ottow, but in the end he emerged victorious by split decision.

The welterweight bout opened up the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 100 event at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. It aired on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Early in the fight, Ottow (14-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) maintained distance, picking and pecking with strikes to keep Moraes (11-2-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) from taking the fight to the ground. However, Moraes scored a takedown after Ottow threw a lazy combination of strikes.

Ottow defended off his back, but was unable to shake the Brazilian from top position before the round came to a close.

Moraes cracked Ottow with a stiff right hand in the first minute of Round 2, adding an extra layer of offense for Ottow to be wary of. Still, the American reestablished his simple striking game, landing punches and stepping back out of grappling range to make for a close middle frame.

At his corner’s urging, Moraes entered Round 3 a much more aggressive fighter. After a sweeping punch rocked Ottow, Moraes took the fight to the ground but could not keep the fight there after a scramble.

Ottow came back to sting Moraes with strikes in the final two minutes of the fight, forcing him back against the cage. Ottow kept up the pressure to the final bell, but Moraes fired back in the final ten seconds.

With the fight very much up in the air, the judges were called upon to render a decision. The three official scorecards read 29-28, 27-30, 27-30, awarding Moraes the victory by split decision.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 100 results include:

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 100, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Fernanda Prates contributed to this report on site in Sao Paulo.)