UFC 171 results: Takedowns help Alex Garcia past Sean Spencer in shootout

DALLAS – In a back-and-forth fight that featured a second round filled with flurries, it was Alex Garcia‘s takedowns that made the difference.

Garcia put Sean Spencer on the canvas eight times, and though Spencer typically was back to his feet quickly and throwing punches and kicks, it was Garcia who took home a split-decision win.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 171 event at American Airlines Center in Dallas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

Spencer tried to work his jab early on the outside while Garcia looked for power shots early. Garcia then shot for a takedown. He trapped Spencer’s right arm and tried to take his back, but the Dallas native worked back to his feet. Spencer, a Golden Gloves champion boxer, worked kicks and jabs on the feet and moved away from Garcia’s power. But Garcia landed a spinning kick to the side and back of the head. It wasn’t flush, but moments later he was able to get another brief takedown. He landed his best uppercuts of the fight when Spencer got back to his feet.

Spencer landed a solid body kick 45 seconds in after firing off a few jabs, but Garcia seemed to walk through it and 90 seconds in, he landed another takedown. Spencer was back to his feet quickly, though, and landed a massive right hand, and then a kick was on the button. Garcia tied him up and held on to survive. Once he got out of there, Garcia landed in a big way and had Spencer wobbled. He poured it on while Spencer backpedaled in a daze.

Both fighters survived the big flurries, though, and they restarted – where Garcia landed another big right. With a minute left, Spencer again found himself on his back, and the two used the position as a chance to recover. But Spencer rolled out the back door, and Spencer landed a pair of rights and a flying knee as the round closed.

The trading continued in the third, but it was Spencer throwing kicks with success. He appeared to start limping a minute into the round after one of the kicks, though. He relied on his punches after that, but with three minutes left, Garcia scooped him up for a big takedown to turn the tide. Spencer got back to his feet and tried to stalk Garcia down. But he walked right into another takedown. His eighth takedown led to a brief mount, but Spencer had enough left to get out and land a punch back on the feet.

The takedowns, though, likely were the difference for Garcia, who took the split call, much to the dismay of Spencer’s home crowd.

“I never show up at the octagon to sit around and point fight,” Garcia said. “I always go in there to put on a good show. That was an absolute fist fest, but I got the victory. After this win I’m going to go home and rest for the next one. This win is dedicated to my country, the Dominican Republic.”

Garcia (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) won for the sixth straight time. Spencer (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) had a two-fight winning streak snapped with the loss.

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John Morgan and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on-site in Dallas.