Thiago Santos Outpoints Johnny Walker in Tepid UFC Fight Night 193 Main Event

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It may be remembered as memorably unmemorable.

American Top Team’s Thiago Santos closed the book on a career-worst three-fight losing streak and recorded his first win since Feb. 23, 2019, as he captured a unanimous decision over Johnny Walker in a shockingly uneventful UFC Fight Night 193 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 48-47 for Santos (22-9, 14-8 UFC).

Santos lands clean, but Walker

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Walker (18-6, 4-3 UFC) zeroed in on the legs with kicks but lacked the throw-caution-to-the-wind aggression for which he has become known. Santos remained content to throw punches and kicks at a leisurely pace, as neither man did much to separate himself from the other. “Marreta” connected with the more impactful blows—they included a few thunderous body kicks and a late overhand left—throughout the 25-minute affair, and those efforts seemed to offset the deficit he faced in terms of overall activity.

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Daukaus-Holland Results in No Contest

An inadvertent clash of heads between Kyle Daukaus and Kevin Holland led to a no contest 3:43 into the first round of their middleweight co-main event.

The accidental foul—neither man was deemed to be at fault—appeared to briefly knock Holland (21-7, 8-4 UFC) unconscious in the center of the cage. The “Trailblazer” regained some of his faculties after he hit the canvas and attempted to defend himself from Daukaus’ follow-up onslaught of punches and hammerfists. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder trapped Holland in a brabo choke and released the maneuver before the two men returned to a standing position. Daukuas (10-2, 1-2 UFC) then attached himself to the still-woozy Travis Lutter protégé’s back, cinched a rear-naked choke and forced the tapout.

Referee Dan Miragliotta reviewed footage of the clash of heads, alongside UFC officials and representatives from the Nevada Athletic Commission, and changed the result to a no contest.

Price Outlasts Reeling Oliveira

Niko Price did just enough to get by Alex Oliveira in a three-round welterweight showcase, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over the Brazilian at 170 pounds. Price (15-5, 7-5 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from all three cageside judges.

Oliveira (22-11-1, 11-9 UFC)—who entered the cage on the heels of consecutive defeats—was effective in spurts and especially so in the second round, where he took top control on the Floridian and attempted to alter the complexion of the fight. Price appeared to be cruising to a loss for much of Round 3, but he managed to find another gear in the closing minute. He delivered a takedown, settled into a dominant position and cut loose with short elbows, punches and hammerfists on a fading Oliveira.

The victory was Price’s first in nearly two years.

Resilient Jotko Edges Cirkunov

Krzysztof Jotko rebounded from a May 1 loss to Sean Strickland and moved into the double-digit win club inside the Octagon, as he eked out a split decision over Misha Cirkunov in a three-round middleweight attraction. All three judges scored it 29-28: Dave Hagen for Cirkunov, Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee for Jotko.

The two grapplers fought to a virtual stalemate in the clinch. Jotko (23-5, 10-5 UFC) pecked away at the Xtreme Couture representative with two- and three-punch combinations, made life difficult for him at close range and weaponized his pace. Cirkunov (15-7, 6-5 UFC) answered with a handful of takedowns but failed to consolidate them with meaningful control or damage, likely minimizing their impact on the scorecards.

Cirkunov has suffered back-to-back defeats for the second time in his 22-fight career.

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Hernandez Waxes Newcomer Breeden

Factory X standout Alexander Hernandez knocked out promotional newcomer Mike Breeden in the first round of their brief but eventful lightweight feature. A short-notice substitution for Leonardo Santos, Breeden (10-4, 0-1 UFC) met his end 80 seconds into Round 1, his modest two-fight winning streak having run its course.

Hernandez (13-4, 5-3 UFC) picked his shots and made them count. He dazed Breeden with a clean one-two, swarmed him with power punches along the fence and put away the Glory MMA export with a crushing overhand right. No follow-up shots were necessary.

The 29-year-old Hernandez has won 11 of his last 14 bouts.

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