UFC Fight Night 120 results: Sean Strickland wins hard-fought decision upon further review

Court McGee (18-7 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) and Sean Strickland (19-2 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) went toe-to-toe from the opening bell, and after an initial announcement of a majority draw there was a victor.

Initially the result was announced as a majority draw with scores of 30-27, 29-29, 29-29. But it was later revealed that an error occurred in calculating the judges’ scorecards, and Strickland was declared the winning via unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 120 event at Ted Constant Convocation Center on the Old Dominion University campus in Norfolk, Va. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of the rest of the card on FS1.

The shorter McGee was aggressive to start, looking to move past his opponent’s range and mix it up on the inside. However, a McGee high kick saw Strickland press forward on a counter and drive the action to the floor. McGee refused to stay on his back, quickly scrambling up and again mixing it up on the feet. The taller Strickland did a good job of utilizing his longer punches, but McGee countered well with kicks to the legs and body.

McGee pressed closer in the second, looking to get the fight to the floor, but Strickland was able to defend and reset and return to his game of striking from range. McGee tried again near the halfway point to bullrush his way into the clinch, but Strickland simply pushed him away and went back to a volume approach with his lengthy jab and straight. Strickland seemed comfortable on his feet, but he never did really sit down on his shots, and he allowed McGee to set the pace throughout. A late McGee takedown attempt again proved fruitless but kept his aggression constant.

Strickland did seem to pick up his aggression in the third, while McGee’s forward movement certainly did not relent. As the two tried to gain control of a close fight, it was Strickland who actually took the fight to the floor and set up in top position. McGee was relentless in his escape, as well, scrambling non-stop until he was able to return to the feet and slip around to his opponent’s back. With time winding down, McGee dropped for a leglock, but it backfired, and Strickland actually pulled free and slipped around to his opponent’s back, briefly locking in a rear-naked choke before letting it go in fire of firing punches from the back until the final bell.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 120 results include:

• Sean Strickland def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jake Collier def. Marcel Fortuna via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Karl Roberson def. Darren Stewart via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:41

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 120, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Norfolk.)