Evans wins split decision in UFC 161

Former light heavyweight champions Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson went into their UFC 161 main event looking to remain in the mix for a future shot at champion Jon Jones.

After a hard-fought battle at Winnipeg's MTS Centre, Evans stood unscathed. The former UFC light heavyweight champion rallied in the final two rounds to take a split-decision victory from Henderson, the former Pride and Strikeforce champion.

Two of the Judges for the three-round main event scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Evans and one went with Henderson.

"Only fools rush in with Dan Henderson," said Evans (18-3-1), who ended a two-fight losing streak. "He's the kind of guy whose movement, when he's hurt, he can still hit you with a good shot."

The 42-year-old Henderson, a native of Temecula, Calif., had his best round in the first, as he rocked Evans with a stiff jab and nearly finished him in the follow-up.

"I didn't know who threw it, I thought the referee kicked me or something," Evans said. "After the round, I was asking my corner 'what hit me?'"

Evans cleared the cobwebs and regained his composure in a tight second round. He then turned on the jets in the third, using his speed and technique to frustrate Henderson.

Post-fight stats indicated the closeness of the fight, as Evans barely outlanded Henderson in significant strikes, 49-47.

"There's nobody to blame but myself," said Henderson (29-10), who has dropped split decisions in his last two fights. "That third round I slowed down, I should have got a little bit more active. ... I thought I hurt him in the first and second rounds, I thought I had those rounds."

Roy "Big Country" Nelson has drawn a following for his beer belly and knockout power. But he looked like an out-of-shape fat guy in a short-notice loss to unheralded Stipe Miocic.

Nelson, who last fought six weeks ago, got winded early in the heavyweight bout. Miocic landed punches and knees early and often. Only Nelson's formidable chin kept him from being finished. After thoroughly dominating the first two rounds, Miocic slowed the pace in the third and deftly avoided Nelson's attempts at a home-run punch.

Miocic (10-1) got back in the win column after losing to Stefan Struve in his last bout. Nelson (28-6), a Las Vegas native, had a three-fight win streak snapped.

"He's never been dropped, seriously," said Miocic, a firefighter from the Cleveland area who still works his day job. "That's all you need to know."

In a light heavyweight bout, Edmonton's Ryan Jimmo ground his way to a decision over Croatian veteran Igor Pokrajac (25-10). After a stalemate in the first round, Jimmo controlled the bulk of the final two rounds on the ground, though he never came close to finishing the fight.

Jimmo (20-2) outstruck Pokrajac 100-40 in the fight. He won by 30-27 scores from all three judges.

Jimmo, though, wasn't happy with his performance.

"I was coming off a loss, I fought really conservatively," said Jimmo, who got back in the win column after having a 19-fight win streak snapped in his last fight. "I apologize to the UFC fans for not putting on my best fight."

A fighter from the north of the border was victorious in the first women's UFC bout contested in Canada. Bantamweight Alexis Davis, a native of Port Colborne, Ontario, looked impressive in a unanimous-decision victory over London veteran Rosi Sexton.

Davis (14-5) nearly finished the bout in the first round with a leg triangle choke. She also nearly finished the fight in the second with punches, but Sexton (13-3) held on until the horn sounded. The third was the only round that Davis didn't come close to a finish, but she controlled the round and sealed the fight.

The judges' scores were 29-28, 29-28, and 29-27 in favor of Davis.

"I've seen a lot of her fights and she's pretty tough against submission," said Davis, winner of three straight bouts. "She's tougher than I thought."

In the main-card opener, former Louisiana State football standout Shawn Jordan picked up his biggest career victory with a 59-second TKO of kickboxer Pat Barry. Jordan, a fullback on LSU's 2007 national championship team, crunched Barry with two right uppercuts, then swarmed him on the ground with a series of left hands before the referee stopped the bout.

"He's a friend, but it's our job," said Jordan, a Baton Rouge resident. "It just sucks that one of us has to lose. He was trying to load up on the kick on me so I tried to beat him on the kick. I got him."

Jordan improved to 15-4 and has won three of his past four. Barry, a Minneapolis native, dropped to 8-6.