The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada tonight for UFC 174: “Johnson vs Bagautinov.” The event was headlined by a UFC Flyweight Championship bout between champ Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov.

In tonight’s welterweight co-feature, B.C.’s Rory “Ares” MacDonald took on Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley in a contender’s bout with potential title implications. Ryan “Darth” Bader faced Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in a light heavyweight showdown. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

 

UFC Flyweight Championship

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson vs Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov

Round 1:
Both men landed kicks to the body in round one and Johnson used feints to keep Bagautinov guessing. Bagautinov clinched against the cage and Johnson countered with knees. Bagautinov was relentless in his pursuit of the takedown, but he ate some solid knees in close from the champion. More knees to the body and head scored for Johnson in the final minute, but Bagautinov finally got him down just before time expired. 10-9 Johnson.

Round 2:
Johnson kicked at Bagautinov’s lead leg and body in the second round. He landed a head kick that appeared to momentarily stun Bagautinov and he continued to target Bagautinov’s lead leg. Bagautinov landed a head kick that seemed to have no effect on Johnson and the fighters clinched against the cage. Johnson landed a series of knees and looked to counter a takedown with a kimura. He stayed on his feet until the bell. 10-9 Johnson.

Round 3:
Early in round three, Johnson landed a head kick and a one-two. Bagautinov clinched and Johnson punished him with knees. He landed punches and ducked under nearly all of Bagautinov’s counters. Bagautinov eventually landed a body kick and he suplexed Johnson to the canvas. Johnson stood and turned into the clinch. He fired off knees and standing elbows. More hard knees landed for Johnson late in the round and he reversed a takedown. The round ended with Johnson landing knees and elbows. 10-9 Johnson.

Round 4:
Johnson landed two knees and a standing elbow early in round four. Both men threw kicks and Johnson landed one to the liver. He shot in for a takedown and landed a knee before Bagautinov could even react. The fighters traded power punches and Johnson slipped. Bagautinov landed a grazing right hand as Johnson returned to his feet. Johnson pressed forward with a knee to the body and he continued to score with knees to the chest and head until the final ten seconds when he took Bagautinov down. 10-9 Johnson.

Round 5:
The final round began with another clinch and Johnson continued to dominate with knees. Bagautinov tried desperately for a takedown and Johnson easily stuffed it. A four-punch combination and a knee to the face scored for Johnson and he followed with more knees. Bagautinov landed a right hook as Johnson attempted a spinning wheel kick and he tried to drag him down to the mat. Johnson stayed up and landed knee after knee in the clinch. 10-9 Johnson.

Winner: Demetrious Johnson by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) after five rounds. He improves to 20-2-1 and remains the UFC Flyweight Champion.

 

Rory “Ares” MacDonald vs Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley

Round 1:
Woodley landed short right hands and clinched early in the fight. He held MacDonald against the fence and landed a nice body kick after MacDonald circled away. Woodley caught a front kick attempt and countered with a right hook. A body kick scored for MacDonald and he landed a knee in close. Woodley tied him up against the cage again and scored a brief takedown, but MacDonald returned to his feet and landed a quick combination. MacDonald flurried with punches and mixed in body kicks to steal the round in the final minute. 10-9 MacDonald.

Round 2:
MacDonald dictated the early strikes in exchanges in round two and he kept Woodley at bay with jabs. Woodley landed a solid leg kick, but MacDonald prevented him from circling away from the cage. Head and body kicks landed for MacDonald and he backed Woodley up with a six-punch combo. He continued to pick Woodley apart with punches and body kicks while Woodley struggled to offer anything in return. MacDonald snapped Woodley’s head back with more stiff jabs and he landed a grazing head kick in the final minute. He landed a big right hook before the bell. 10-9 MacDonald.

Round 3:
Woodley was extremely aggressive in round three and he clipped MacDonald with a right hook behind the ear. He then slowed way down again and MacDonald kicked to the body. A spinning back kick landed at the belt line and MacDonald continued to target the body of a fatigued Woodley. He took Woodley down and postured up with punches. Woodley tried to counter with upkicks, but they had little effect and MacDonald moved from mount to a smothering side control. He landed a series of unanswered punches until the final bell. 10-9 MacDonald.

Winner: Rory MacDonald by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 17-2-0.

 

Ryan “Darth” Bader vs Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante

Round 1:
Bader opened the action with a body kick and a one-two and he shot in for a takedown near the cage. Cavalcante stood and Bader took his back. He muscled Cavalcante back down and pinned him against the fence. He landed knees to the body and thigh and followed with a slashing elbow as Cavalcante circled away. A lunging left hook landed for Cavalcante and both men scored with stiff jabs. Bader bull rushed Cavalcante and slammed him down to the mat. He landed a series of left hands and elbows as Cavalcante turtled on his knees. Bader landed a huge knee to the body at the bell. 10-9 Bader.

Round 2:
Bader landed kicks and punches in round two and he once again backed Cavalcante up against the cage. Cavalcante broke free, but Bader walked him down and scored a takedown in his corner. He took Cavalcante’s back and landed hard knees to the thighs. Cavalcante eventually scrambled back up to his feet, but he was clearly fatigued and slowed way down. Bader landed a combination and Cavalcante connected with a single right hand. Two hard right hooks landed to the body for Bader, who took Cavalcante down before time expired. 10-9 Bader.

Round 3:
Cavalcante hurt Bader with a three-punch combo in the final round and he remained aggressive with wild power punches in the ensuing seconds. Bader tried for a takedown and Cavalcante countered with elbows. A stalemate followed against the cage and the fighters were separated. Bader worked for another takedown and he managed to get Cavalcante down on his second try. Bader punched from the top and Cavalcante threw elbows from his back. Bader stayed on top until the end of the fight. 10-9 Cavalcante, barely, in spite of Bader’s late takedown.

Winner: Ryan Bader by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 17-4-0.

 

Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski vs Brendan “Big Brown” Schaub

Round 1:
Arlovski held Schaub against the cage in round one and landed short knees, but Schaub broke free and scored with a right hook. The fighters clinched again and Arlovski landed more knees. Schaub circled out and both men threw right hands at the same time. Arlovski looked for a takedown and Schaub countered with a left hook. Arlovski clinched and the fighters exchanged hooks. Schaub shot in for a takedown and Arlovski stuffed it just before the bell. 10-10.

Round 2:
Time was called in round two when Schaub was kicked in the groin. Action resumed and Arlovski countered an overhand right with an uppercut. Schaub’s left eye began to swell up and Arlovski pressed forward with a combination. He clinched against the cage and Schaub broke free. Big right hands landed for both men and Arlovski ducked under a Schaub haymaker. He reversed a clinch, but Schaub got him down for a split second. Arlovski stood and Schaub landed a lunging uppercut. Arlovski finished the round with a three-punch combo and an overhand right. 10-9 Arlovski.

Round 3:
Arlovski landed a short left hook early in round three and the fighters clashed heads. Schaub began to bleed from the bridge of his nose, but he scored a takedown and landed in Arlovski’s guard. He landed punches and elbows to Arlovski’s midsection and postured up with more damaging strikes. Two big hammerfists scored for Schaub and Arlovski quickly scrambled back to his feet to avoid further punishment. The fighters traded right hands and Arlovski backed Schaub up with two powerful hooks late in the fight. 10-9 Schaub.

Winner: Andrei Arlovski by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 22-10-0, 1 NC.

 

Ovince St. Preux vs Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo

Round 1:
Big punches were exchanged right away and St. Preux landed a hard left hook. Jimmo rushed in with a one-two and clinched against the cage. St. Preux eventually broke free and he landed a kick-punch combo. Jimmo switched stances and St. Preux landed another left hook. Jimmo kicked to the body and St. Preux landed a one-two in close. Jimmo fired off a head kick, but St. Preux took him down and landed punches on the way up. 10-9 St. Preux.

Round 2:
St. Preux secured a takedown in round two and wasted no time in taking Jimmo’s back. Jimmo rolled to his side and got to his knees against the cage. St. Preux worked for a kimura and Jimmo screamed out in pain during a scramble. The fight was stopped and Jimmo indicated that his arm was broken.

Winner: Ovince St. Preux by Submission (Broken Arm) at 2:10 of round two. He improves to 16-5-0.

 

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)