UFC Fight Night 126 results: Brandon Davis tops bloodied-up Steven Peterson in fun scrap

Steven Peterson had really no interest in going away, no matter what Brandon Davis hit him with. And Peterson hit Davis more than a few times, himself.

But it was Davis (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) who did enough to top Peterson (16-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who was a bloody mess by fight’s end, with a unanimous decision. Davis took scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-26 for his first UFC victory.

The featherweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 126 event at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Peterson came forward quickly wanting to throw hands, but Davis put a good combination together in response and opened up a cut under Peterson’s right eye. Davis kicked up the middle a few times, then kicked to the lead leg. Those kicks kept Peterson looking for a way to get inside. Peterson tried to chase Davis down late, but had to duck out of the way of a spinning back fist. Then he ate a leg kick not long before the horn.

Both fighters preferred to stand and trade again in the second. Peterson had no qualms getting inside and trying to make it a brawl. But Davis made him pay for that strategy a few times with counters, and many times he was able to duck under. The two tied up midway through when Davis went after a takedown. But Peterson was able to fend it off, then put Davis in trouble on his back. He was too high, though, and Davis shucked him off. With 90 seconds left, Peterson looked for a takedown of his own. They traded positions on the fence until Peterson finally got a takedown with 30 seconds left.

They started out slugging to open the third, and each fighter put together a solid combination in the first 15 seconds. Peterson came forward a minute in and landed a few short jabs, then a combination. Davis just missed a spinning elbow, but stung Peterson with a jab and a right not long after that. Midway through, a big cut had opened up on Peterson’s head and made sure he was plenty bloody. He kept swinging, but so did Davis.

When Peterson came forward in the final minute, Davis landed a huge knee that wobbled him. Somehow, he stayed on his feet even when Davis came forward with more offense. When he survived, Peterson raised his hands and tried to get the crowd on his side. He threw a jumping push kick and made a few other flashy attempts late, but nothing to truly threaten.

“I was like, ‘Man, I think we have “Fight of the Night,” – I’m trying to get “Knockout of the Night,” too,'” Davis said. “I hit him with that knee, and I thought he was going down. He just didn’t stop. If I can fight each month, 12 times a year, I’ll put 12 shows on.”

Davis got back in the win column after a loss to Kyle Bochniak at UFC 220 in January, which snapped a seven-fight winning streak. Peterson is back in the loss column after a win for LFA in December. He has alternated wins and losses his past six fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 126 results include:

• Brandon Davis def. Steven Peterson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
• Sage Northcutt def. Thibault Gouti via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Diego Ferreira def. Jared Gordon via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:58
• Geoff Neal def. Brian Camozzi via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:48
• Roberto Sanchez def. Joby Sanchez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:50
• Lucie Pudilova def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Alex Morono def. Josh Burkman via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:21
• Oskar Piechota def. Tim Williams via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:54

For complete covearge of UFC Fight Night 126, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Austin.)