UFC Fight Night 38 results: Leonardo Santos, Norman Parke fight to majority draw

NATAL, Brazil – A quick point deduction in the second round led to an indecisive result between “The Ultimate Fighter” winners Norman Parke and Leonardo Santos.

After three rounds, two judges scored the bout 28-28 while the third awarded the fight to Santos, 29-27.

The lightweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 38 event Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Submission specialist Santos, who won “TUF: Brazil 2,” proved a tough task for Parke to overcome on the feet, landing repeatedly with his long legs and tying the “TUF: Smashes” winner up in the clinch.

In response, Parke repeatedly stuffed Santos against the cage to nullify his reach, but in the second frame, a takedown attempt brought a crucial turning point in the action. Although Santos appeared to grab the fence to prevent a trip to the mat, referee Wernei Cardoso stopped the fighters and docked Parke for grabbing his opponent’s shorts.

The third round saw Parke (19-2-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) initially go after Santos (12-3-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) with a flurry of strikes. But as the round went on, he settled for stuffing the Brazilian against the cage, where he did little more than maintain a positional advantage.

With the draw, Parke’s goal of earning a fourth straight UFC win is delayed, while Santos’ six-fight streak, including back-to-back octagon wins, is paused.

“A draw never even crossed my mind,” Santos said. “I felt it a little bit in the last round, but I believe I won the first two. You can schedule another fight against him and I’ll be there. I’ve got to go full force now.”

“I was winning the second round until I went for a takedown against the cage and my hand slipped from behind his knee, so I accidentally grabbed on to his shorts and got a point taken from that,” Parke said. “I think I should have gotten a warning first. I believe he grabbed the cage in the third round and never got a point taken, so theoretically I won the fight. Maybe he should come to Dublin in July and we’ll settle it once and for all.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 38 results include:

• Norman Parke vs. Leonardo Santos declared majority draw (29-27 Santos, 28-28, 28-28)
• Fabio Maldonado def. Gian Villante via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Michel Prazeres def. Mairbek Taisumov via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)
• Rony Jason def. Steven Siler via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:17
• Thiago “Marreta” Santos def. Ronny Markes via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:53
• Jussier Formiga def. Scott Jorgensen via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:07
• Kenny Robertson def. Thiago Perpetuo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:45
• Hans Stringer def. Francimar Barroso via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Godofredo Pepey def. Noad Lahat via knockout (flying knee) – Round 1, 2:39

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 38, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Brazil.