'Shogun' Rua ekes out split-decision victory over Corey Anderson
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua scored a pair of knockdowns that helped him squeak past Corey Anderson in a split-decision victory in his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil at UFC 198.
It was a grinding affair that saw Rua try to resist Anderson's pressure-filled attack throughout rounds two and three, and in the end the Brazilian legend did enough to walk away with the victory.
Rua was on the attack from the start of the fight with a very aggressive style, including a series of hard kicks to the legs, while Anderson struggled to find his distance in the early going.
Anderson tried to take advantage of a slip by Rua midway through the round as he rushed forward for a takedown, but the Brazilian shrugged him off and kept the fight in the middle of the Octagon.
With just seconds remaining in the first, Rua uncorked a stinging left hand followed by a right that dropped Anderson to the mat. If not for the horn sounding, Anderson may have been finished, but he lived to fight in the second round.
HOW DID Anderson survive this?! @ShogunRua has some power!! #UFC198 https://t.co/NaiMMvVbJx
— #UFC198 (@ufc) May 15, 2016
Despite the way the first round ended, Anderson came out fresh in the second, planting Rua to the mat with a beautifully executed double leg takedown.
Unfortunately, Anderson decided to sit back up again rather than stay locked in the guard, and Rua was able to slip free and get back to the feet.
Anderson maintained control for the majority of the round before putting Rua back on the mat again with another takedown, but the final seconds nearly backfired on him again.
Rua landed another hard shot just before the round ended that put Anderson on his back defending punches from the Brazilian on top.
With just five minutes to go, Anderson wasted no time swooping in for another big takedown in the final round as he looked to rack up some serious control time on top while grinding Rua into the mat.
The game plan worked to perfection, with Anderson attached to Rua in the clinch, pressuring the former light heavyweight champion against the cage again and again until the fight came to an end.
It appeared Anderson had done enough to get the win based purely on his control throughout the second and third rounds, but the judges disagreed and instead rewarded Rua for his pair of knockdowns.
The final scores came back 29-28 and 29-28 for Rua, with one judge giving the fight 29-28 to Anderson. "Shogun" immediately celebrated the victory as he enjoyed the moment in front of his hometown crowd in Curitiba.
