UFC Fight Night 40 results, photos: Zak Cummings outlasts Yan Cabral, scores upset

CINCINNATI – Zak Cummings entered his bout with Yan Cabral as a sizable underdog but bucked the odds to score a decision win over the previously undefeated Brazilian.

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 40 event at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It aired on FOX Sports 2 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on FOX Sports 1.

As the two fighters sized each other up to start the fight, Cummings scored a beautiful counter punch that sent Cabral to the floor. That suited Cabral just fine, as he instantly latched on to a triangle choke. Cummings was briefly in trouble but patiently worked through the hold and moved back to his feet. The two engaged in some back-and-forth grappling exchanges as the round wore on, but Cabral punctuated his performance with a late takedown that saw him move briefly to mount and finish the frame in top position.

Cabral pressed forward to open the second, but Cummings stood firm in the pocket and racked up points with pinpoint strikes while initially avoiding his opponent’s attempts to bring the fight to the floor. Cabral did eventually settle into guard, dragging his opponent down, but Cummings held his position well on top before eventually moving back to his feet. Cabral continued to look to take the fight to the floor, but Cummings sprawled well each time and landed a few late punches before ending the round with a takedown of his own.

With the fight hanging in the balance in the third, Cabral again struggled to score with a takedown but did threaten with a few impressive spinning attacks on the feet. But when the two did fall to the floor, it was Cummings who proved the owner of the better gas tank, and he transitioned to the back of a visibly tiring foe. Positioned a little high on the back, Cabral was able to pop out the back and briefly threatened with an impressive kimura attempt. However, Cummings gutted through it, reversed out of the position and finished the fight in top position and throwing punches.

After a shaky first round, Cummings was awarded the decision win for his late efforts, 29-28 on all three cards.

“I knew his jiu-jitsu was amazing, so I was really relying on the power of my hands to get him hesitant to shoot and get me to the ground,” Cummings said after the win. “When he did shoot, I wanted to use my hands to tire him out, and I think I did that.”

Cummings (17-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) now boasts a four-fight winning streak. Cabral (11-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) loses for the first time as a professional

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 40 results include:

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 40, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

Matt Erickson contributed to this report on-site in Cincinnati.