UFC Fight Night 120 results: Marlon Moraes gets nod in bizarrely scored split over John Dodson

Marlon Moraes (19-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) recovered from a disappointing UFC debut, standing toe-to-toe with John Dodson (19-9 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and walking away with an oddly scored decision win.

The bantamweight bout closed out 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 aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FS1.

Moraes started quickly, chopping the leg at the opening bell and looking to bully the smaller man. Dodson looked to counter with speed, moving in and out of range, but Moraes continued his steady diet of kicks to all levels. Dodson was the first to land flush, landing a left hand straight down the middle that sent Moraes to the floor, but he quickly popped back up and seemed fully recovered.

A nasty Moraes low kick then landed flush to the groin, forcing a timeout as Dodson dry-heaved a bit but insisted on continuing as quickly as possible. Moraes seized back a little momentum on the restart, and Dodson appeared a bit hesitant. A Moraes eye poke drew another warning in the final seconds, and both men seemed a little agitated at the bell.

The pace was quick to start the third, with both men winging heavy punches. Moraes’ right hand started to find its range as Dodson tried to dart in and out of the pocket. A Dodson takedown saw Moraes attack the leg, forcing a scramble and a restart on the feet. Dodson continued to fight with a scowl on his face, and the pace remained high. Moraes was the one moving forward, but Dodson countered at every opportunity, continuing his relentless movement.

With the first rounds so tightly contested, both men needed to capitalize in the third. Moraes again controlled the center, but Dodson was able to move in and out range with continued success. Moraes briefly slipped in the center, and Dodson tried to flurry on an off-balance opponent, but Moraes eventually recovered and reset. Dodson started to find real success in the closing minutes, with Moraes’ output slowing just a touch. Moraes looked for a late takedown, and the referee called for a surprisingly fast restart. With just seconds remaining, Moraes latched on to a guillotine choke, falling to his back, and Dodson appeared to tap just slightly after the end of the round, bringing a thrilling close to an entertaining contest.

In the end, one judge thought Dodson earned all three rounds, but the other two gave Moraes scores of 30-27, awarding him the split nod. Afterward, Moraes had strong words for fellow bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera, challenging him to a Dec. 30 meeting.

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

• Marlon Moraes def. John Dodson by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
• Tatiana Suarez def. Viviane Pereira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Sage Northcutt def. Michel Quinones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Nina Ansaroff def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• 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.)