UFC Fight Night 110 results: John Moraga outclasses newcomer Ashkan Mokhtarian to end skid

Former UFC flyweight title challenger John Moraga quickly exposed Ashkan Mokhtarian’s shortcomings in grappling, and spent the rest of the fight reminding the UFC newcomer.

Although Mokhtarian (13-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) managed to avoid a submission, at no point was Moraga (17-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) in danger of losing control when the fight was on the mat, leading him to a unanimous decision.

The flyweight bout was part of today’s UFC Fight Night 110 prelims, which took place at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. It aired on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

The final scorecards were 30-27 twice and 30-25 for Moraga, who snapped a three-fight losing streak that led him to the matchup with Mokhtarian, an imposing figure with an equal number of submissions and knockouts on his record.

Mokhtarian’s recent record indicated he might try to slug it out with Moraga, but instead, he shot early for a takedown. That’s quickly where the fight went south as Moraga trapped him in a guillotine that looked very close to finishing. Mokhtarian showed off his toughness for the first time, powering his way to his feet. But given the opportunity to pursue a different avenue to victory, he surprisingly returned to the takedown game, and Moraga capitalized in every position, sneaking in elbows and punches before taking mount position. An armbar had Mokhtarian scrambling at the bell.

It took Moraga a lot longer to get the fight to the floor in the second, with Mokhtarian wisely keeping his distance and trying out his kicks for the first time in the bout. Impatient with the delay, Moraga opened up with a hard right hand and flying knee. Mokhtarian reset, only to get taken to the mat on a leg-kick. And from there, it was all Moraga again. By the end of the second, Mokhtarian was again locking his arms to prevent the armbar.

Advised by his corner to go for the TKO over a submission, Moraga took the fight to the mat early by using the cage to execute a suplex. Instead of looking for a limb, he let loose with elbows and punches, seeking capitulation from Mokhtarian. When that didn’t come, Moraga tried again for the armbar and took mount when Mokhtarian defended. Moraga tried one last time to take home a tap, but couldn’t finish a rear-naked choke and wound up on bottom by the final bell.

Mokhtarian’s octagon debut marks the end of a six-fight win streak earned on the international circuit.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 110 results:

• John Moraga def. Ashkan Mokhtarian via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
• Zak Ottow def. Kiichi Kunimoto via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• J.J. Aldrich def. Chanmi Jeon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on UFC Fight Night 110, check out the UFC Events section of the site.