UFC Fight Night 37 results: Igor Araujo rolls on, tops Danny Mitchell

LONDON – In a ground fight between Igor Araujo and Danny Mitchell, one had a jiu-jitsu black belt, and one didn’t.

Araujo, who reportedly purchased his gi with the inheritance from his father’s passing, was just too good on the mat for the game Mitchell, and he earned a unanimous-decision victory for his second straight UFC win.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 37 event at O2 Arena in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Araujo, who emigrated from Brazil to Switzerland after earning his grappling stripes, distracted his British foe with high-flying kicks. But it was on the ground where he dominated the fight.

Mitchell’s repeated reply was to attempt a heel hook or toe hold, but each time, he brought little more than a shake of the head from Araujo, who held top position and scored points.

So confident was Araujo in his lead after two rounds that he pulled Mitchell on top of him and slapped on a triangle choke. The hold didn’t yield a tap, and instead, the two resorted to flailing arms at each other like a pair of teenagers on the playground. It wasn’t much of a technical exchange, but it brought the biggest response from the crowd.

The final scores were unanimous 30-27 tallies for Araujo (25-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 16? who improves to 2-0 inside the UFC after a decision victory over Ildemar Alcantara in his promotional debut. Mitchell (14-5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), meanwhile, suffers a setback in his first outing and sees a two-fight streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 37 results include:

• Igor Araujo def. Danny Mitchell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Louis Gaudinot def. Phil Harris via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:13

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 37, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

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