UFC Fight Night 29 Results: ‘Maia vs. Shields’ Play-by-Play & Updates

Alan Patrick vs. Garett Whiteley

Round 1

British referee Marc Goddard is the third man in the cage for tonight’s opening lightweight bout. The southpaw Patrick stakes out the center of the cage in a wide stance, then presses out to clinch and drags Whiteley to the ground at the base of the fence. Whiteley lands an elbow and a couple short punches as Patrick works to secure his opponent’s legs. Whiteley pops back to his feet and eats an elbow for his trouble, then gets a forearm across the throat. Despite this, Whiteley reverses the position and shoves the Brazilian away to escape. Both men swing and miss with punches before Patrick hits Whiteley square in the groin with an errant low kick. Whiteley takes a minute to recover and action resumes, with Patrick throwing a spinning capoeira kick that goes off Whiteley’s forearms. The lightweights clinch up briefly, and Whiteley exits with an uppercut. Patrick comes back with a left hook and a spinning elbow. Patrick ducks a hook and clinches up, then releases after absorbing a couple knees to the body. Whiteley steps into the pocket and catches a hard left hook on the cheek which drops him to the mat. Patrick follows him to the ground and bashes away with left hands until referee Goddard intervenes.

The Official Result

Alan Patrick Silva Alves def. Garett Whiteley via TKO (Punches) R1 3:54

Chris Cariaso vs. Iliarde Santos

Round 1

American official Keith Peterson is the referee for this 125-pound bout. Santos takes the center of the cage and pushes outward on the southpaw Cariaso, who circles clockwise around the perimeter with his back to the fence. Both men swing and miss with early high kicks, with neither landing any significant offense in the opening 90 seconds. Santos swings and misses with a wide overhand right, answered by a chopping outside leg kick. Santos changes levels and puts Cariaso on the ground. Cariaso tries to wall-walk and escape, only to be mounted and socked with a pair of hard right hands. Cariaso pushes Santos out of mount, but the Jungle Fight veteran transitions to back control. Santos is too high, so when Cariaso slides out the back door, the Brazilian grabs for a heel hook. Cariaso pulls his leg free and gets to his feet, where he’s held against the fence by Santos. They separate and Santos lands a body kick, then blocks a high kick from Cariaso. As the flyweights fight on the fence, both men score with short, hard punches -- Santos with a left, Cariaso a right -- but neither goes down. Another blocked high kick pushes Santos back momentarily; he comes right back to hit another takedown with 20 seconds left in the round, and Santos keeps Cariaso on the ground until the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Santos
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Santos
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Santos

Round 2

Santos keeps the pressure on to begin round two, but now Cariaso is working some counters as he moves backward. The left hook continues to land for Santos, along with a nice right cross and some hard knees up the middle. Cariaso is showing some wear on his face, but he comes forward and blasts Santos with a big uppercut, then a left hook that sends the Brazilian to the ground. Cariaso follows him to the ground, setting up in Santos’ open guard and dropping short punches. Santos explodes out and gets up, now bleeding from his nose and looking wobbly on his feet. Cariaso keeps snapping off punches until Santos clinches up and presses him against the cage. Santos exits the clinch with a hook, but Cariaso puts a pair of hard, straight punches in his face. Left straight, right hook, and a collar tie from Cariaso puts Santos on the ground. Santos gets back up, eats a knee to the body and then a crushing right cross. The next right hand has Santos doubling over, prompting referee Peterson to step in and halt the bout.

The Official Result

Chris Cariaso def. Iliarde Santos via TKO (Punches) R2 4:31

Yan Cabral vs. David Mitchell

Round 1

Mario Yamasaki is the referee for tonight’s first welterweight bout. Mitchell pushes forward with probing right hands, then raises his arms in frustration after Cabral backs away instead of engaging. Cabral responds by clinching up, spinning around to Mitchell’s back and dragging the American to the floor. Cabral tries to sneak around to mount, gets stuffed back to half-guard and postures up to whack Mitchell with heavy right hands. Now it’s Cabral in side control, then latching on to the back again as Mitchell tries to roll over. Both hooks are in for Cabral, but Mitchell is able to twist around and put the Nova Uniao fighter back in half-guard again. Mitchell has wrist control on Cabral’s left hand but can’t do anything with it as Cabral stands up and passes to the side. Mitchell goes to his knees, then stands with Cabral still hanging off his side. Cabral has Mitchell’s right arm trapped, but Mitchell pulls it free and now it’s the American on the outside as the welterweights clinch against the cage. Cabral escapes to the center of the cage and sidesteps a pair of punches, then clinches up and takes Mitchell’s back again. Mitchell puts his back to the cage to avoid the takedown, snaring Cabral in a headlock right before the end of the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cabral
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cabral
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cabral

Round 2

Mitchell comes forward to begin round two and walks straight into a heavy right hand from Cabral. The American hits the ground, and Cabral follows him down to try and secure mount or back-mount. Mitchell rolls underneath for a leglock attempt, but Cabral pulls his leg free and postures up in Mitchell’s half-guard to drop punches. Now, Cabral frames up an arm-triangle choke, but he gives it up in favor of passing to side control. Mitchell goes to his knees and has his back taken again; he shakes Cabral off as they stand and works for a kimura on the Brazilian’s left arm as they clinch against the cage. Mitchell rolls to the ground in an attempt to finish the armlock, but it allows Cabral to free his arm. Mitchell tries an omoplata from his back, so Cabral stands up and dives back down with a right hand to the face. Mitchell tries another omoplata with 70 seconds left in the round, but again Cabral pulls his arm loose and lays on Mitchell to flatten him out. Mitchell goes to his knees, and Cabral takes the opportunity to pop him with some more right hands. The welterweights scramble up and finish the round with Cabral pressing Mitchell against the fence.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cabral
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cabral
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cabral

Round 3

Cabral takes two tries but finishes another takedown with his second attempt, this time stacking up Mitchell in the center of the cage. The Brazilian takes a minute to advance to full mount and then sinks in both hooks to secure the back as Mitchell goes to his knees. Again, Mitchell is able to escape from mount, but Cabral keeps him pinned to the ground and transitions from side control to back-mount, then to half-guard when Mitchell turns over. Mitchell tries another leglock, so Cabral stands and comes back down to his opponent’s open guard. Cabral slips out of a loose triangle attempt to take Mitchell’s back once again with 50 seconds left in the fight. Mitchell rolls to his back and gets caught in an arm-triangle; it’s not tight enough to elicit a tap, but it’s enough to keep Cabral on top to the final horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cabral (30-27 Cabral)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cabral (30-27 Cabral)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cabral (30-27 Cabral)

The Official Result

Yan Cabral def. David Mitchell via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

Igor Araujo vs. Ildemar Alcantara

Round 1

Araujo goes for an early takedown against the fence and gets turned around by Alcantara, who digs an underhook and throws left hands to his countryman’s body. They exchange positions until Alcantara tosses Araujo to the ground, then allows him to stand. Araujo tries to clinch up and is again pushed against the cage. The welterweights continue to jockey for position, with Araujo gaining the outside spot but surrendering it after taking a few hard knees to the body. Araujo pushes off the fence with a level-change and gets stuffed to the ground by Alcantara. An elevator sweep puts Araujo on top, but he surrenders the position just as quickly after a failed guillotine attempt. Alcantara stands to pass but can’t shuck the legs of the active Araujo. Alcantara grabs a brabo choke as Araujo drives forward and keeps it as they stand up, but Araujo is able to escape by driving forward and takes top position as they hit the canvas with less than a minute remaining. From Alcantara’s closed guard, Araujo lands a few peppering right hands and rides out the remainder of the round on top.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Alcantara
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Alcantara
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Alcantara

Round 2

Araujo shoots in and eats a knee, but he pops back up to slug Alcantara with a good right hook. Alcantara gets a takedown near the fence and is immediately forced to defend against an omoplata on his left arm. Araujo slips his right shin under Alcantara’s chin to try a gogoplata, but Alcantara escapes to his feet and stands over Araujo, punching at his midsection. “Marajo” comes down to Araujo’s guard again and slugs him with a right hand before allowing Araujo to stand midway through the round. Now it’s Araujo with a takedown, posturing up in half-guard to drop elbows on Alcantara’s head and body. Araujo threatens with a brabo choke but surrenders it in favor of elbowing Alcantara’s legs, then closes out the round with a couple hard punches up top.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Araujo
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Araujo
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Araujo

Round 3

Araujo side-kicks at Alcantara’s knees and covers up as Alcantara tries to return fire with hooks. Alcantara sprawls on a long double-leg shot but succumbs to the single-leg and trip behind it. Araujo pauses in half-guard as Alcantara tries a kimura from underneath, then pulls his arm free and drops forearms while pinning Alcantara’s left arm beneath his leg. Alcantara gets the limb free and tries a heel hook, but he quickly gives it up and Araujo retains top position. Araujo works from Alcantara’s closed guard with less than two minutes left in the right, dropping hammer-fists as Alcantara tries for another leglock. Araujo seems unconcerned with the heel hook attempt, sitting back and throwing punches to Alcantara’s thighs until he’s able to pull free. Just before the end of the fight, Araujo gets to full mount and throws wild punches to the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Araujo (29-28 Araujo)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Araujo (29-28 Araujo)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Araujo (29-28 Araujo)

The Official Result

Igor Araujo def. Ildemar Alcantara via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00

Raphael Assuncao vs. T.J. Dillashaw

Round 1

The bantamweight trade punches in the opening minute before Dillashaw changes levels and takes down Assuncao in the center of the cage. Assuncao pops back up and puts a left hook on Dillashaw’s temple, but the Team Alpha Male representative keeps pushing forward and gets the Brazilian’s attention with a partially blocked high kick. Dillashaw changes levels for another shot, gets shoved away and comes right back to leap on the standing Assuncao’s back. Dillashaw tries a rear-naked choke and Assuncao falls to the ground, giving referee Mario Yamasaki a thumbs-up. Dillashaw switches arms and keeps working for the RNC; it’s deeper this time, but again Assuncao is able to get free. Assuncao scrapes Dillashaw off his back and stands, moving to the center of the cage with 30 seconds left in the opening round. Dillashaw slips on a high kick but pops back up before Assuncao can pounce.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dillashaw
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Dillashaw
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dillashaw

Round 2

Assuncao emerges from his corner for round two sporting a mouse beneath his left eye, but he gets in range and drills Dillashaw with a hard right hand to the chest. Assuncao catches a kick but can’t do much with it. Dillashaw throws high again and this time clips Assuncao without having his leg caught. Dillashaw’s next kick is caught and countered with a crisp right hook on the chin. Assuncao grabs a guillotine as Dillashaw shoots in, but the American rolls over and loosens the grip. Still underneath the wrestler, Assuncao keeps the headlock until he’s able to scramble back to his feet with 1:45 left in the round. Dillashaw is leaking a little blood from his nose as the bantamweights go back to striking, and Assuncao swipes a hook across his opponent’s face. Assuncao shoots a single, can’t finish, and gets taken down by Dillashaw, who quickly hops on Assuncao’s back and sinks in one hook. Assuncao stands up and scores with a nice left hand, answered by a Dillashaw right, but it’s Assuncao with the last word on another left hook before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Assuncao
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Assuncao
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Assuncao

Round 3

Assuncao lands a kick to the body and puts Dillashaw on the ground as the American leaps in with a kick. Dillashaw pops back up and cracks Assuncao with a knee, hitting the ground again but standing before Assuncao can follow him down. Now it’s Dillashaw creeping forward in the orthodox stance, socking Asssuncao with a right hand that sends the Brazilian shooting for a single-leg. Assuncao can’t finish the takedown, or the next attempt which comes after a caught kick. Dillashaw escapes and hits Assuncao with a knee to the body, then backs out of the way of the Brazilian’s high kick. A feint from Dillashaw gets Assuncao to flinch as the American tries to back his opponent into the cage. Assuncao circles out, eats a hook but avoids a tie-up from Dillashaw, who is now bleeding badly from a cut above his right eye. Assuncao puts a hook on Dillashaw’s chin and sidesteps the counter jabs behind it. Assuncao gets underhooks and puts Dillashaw on the fence but can’t keep him there. Twenty seconds left and Dillashaw slips a wide left hook to plunk Assuncao with a right hand before the end of the fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dillashaw (29-28 Dillashaw)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Dillashaw (29-28 Dillashaw)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dillashaw (29-28 Dillashaw)

The Official Result

Raphael Assuncao def. T.J. Dillashaw via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) R3 5:00

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Pierce

Round 1

Pierce swarms Palhares with punches right away, taking the Brazilian to the ground and escaping from a quick heel hook attempt. The welterweights scramble to their feet and Palhares drops down for another heel hook, this time forcing Pierce to grimace in pain and tap out.

The Official Result

Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Pierce via Submission (Heel Hook) R1 0:31

Fabio Maldonado vs. Joey Beltran

Round 1

Maldonado takes the outside while Beltran looks to punch from the center, moving in to try a double-leg against the cage. As the light heavyweights work in the clinch, Beltran lands a pair of punches below the belt, and referee Mario Yamasaki warns that another foul will cost him a point. When they resume, Beltran tags Maldonado with a pair of punches as “The Mexicutioner” comes back to clinch again. Maldonado reverses the position, so Beltran drives a knee up the middle and turns it back around. Beltran tries a headlock and uses his free right hand to slug Maldonado with a hard uppercut inside. Maldonado pulls his head free and lands a knee to the body, but he still can’t move off the fence. Good dirty boxing from Beltran as the big men continue to work in the clinch with Maldonado’s back to the cage. Beltran backs up a step and works punches to the body of Maldonado, who pulls guard with a guillotine attempt and quickly loses it. Both men stand, and Maldonado finishes the round with a bit of clowning, inviting Beltran to hit him on the chin, but Beltran backs away and the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Beltran
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Beltran

Round 2

Maldonado sticks some jabs from his back foot as Beltran comes forward to throw hands. Now a counter hook from Maldonado gets through, but Beltran keeps coming forward, throwing power punches. The 205ers go back to clinching on the cage, Beltran on the outside, landing hard shots to Maldonado’s body. Maldonado explodes off the fence with an uppercut and a hook that stings Beltran, but the Brazilian backs up and puts himself on the cage again as soon as he’s done landing. Beltran hits Maldonado with an elbow, then throws right hands to the body. Ref Yamasaki pauses the fight to replace Maldonado’s mouthpiece, knocked out by the Beltran elbow. Beltran is on the outside now, landing a clean left hook but eating a flurry of jabs from the boxer. Maldonado’s jabs are pumping now, seeming to frustrate Beltran, who changes levels for a takedown try. Maldonado stuffs it and slugs Beltran’s midsection with punches, then releases and triple-jabs the American’s face. The jabs keep scoring for Maldonado down the stretch, though Beltran connects with a couple power punches as they fight near the fence.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Maldonado

Round 3

Beltran again charges forward, throwing punches, but Maldonado has found his range with the jab and is backing out of the way of the American’s power punches. A right hand turns Maldonado’s head before Beltran moves in to clinch against the fence again. Beltran changes levels for a high double-leg attempt, so Maldonado widens his base to defend. They stall out in the clinch and referee Yamasaki splits them up with 2:40 on the clock. Maldonado keeps jabbing away while Beltran comes up short with punches, either missing or landing to Maldonado’s chest. Beltran scores with a big overhand right and comes back to clinch against the cage, so Maldonado gets underhooks and throws a knee to the body. Maldonado connects with loud, thudding uppercuts to Beltran’s gut, but a punch strays below the belt and Beltran doubles over in pain. Beltran needs only a few seconds to recover and the fight resumes with just over one minute remaining. Maldonado snaps back Beltran’s head with another stiff jab, but Beltran responds by charging forward and drilling Maldonado with a knee to the body and a short right hand. Beltran uses a headlock to pull Maldonado to the floor and lands knees to the kneeling Brazilian’s left shoulder. Beltran strings together some more punches before the bell as Maldonado gets back to his feet to finish the fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Beltran (29-28 Beltran)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Beltran (29-28 Beltran)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Beltran (29-28 Beltran)

The Official Result

Fabio Maldonado def. Joey Beltran via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) R3 5:00

Matt Hamill vs. Thiago Silva

Round 1

Hamill catches a kick and uses it to push Silva to the ground, but the Brazilian is quickly back on his feet. The light heavyweights trade leg kicks inside, then a hard one outside from Silva, followed by a pair of punches in Hamill’s face. They move to the center of the Octagon and Silva snuffs out a shot from the wrestler. Hamill can’t get the next takedown either, but does slug Silva with an elbow on the exit. A chopping leg kick and right hand from Silva sends Hamill staggering backward, and Silva tacks on a couple more punches as Hamill covers up. Silva rips into Hamill’s body with a hard right hand, then has a right hook up top partially blocked as Hamill covers up. Silva misses with a pair of wide hooks, eats a straight left down the center. Hamill lands a good left hook to the body and backs away. Silva is already breathing heavy with 90 seconds left in round one. Silva scores with a pair of leg kicks, takes an uppercut on the chin and blocks a Hamill left high kick. Hamill gets the last word in the round with another nice left to Silva’s breadbasket.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Silva
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Silva
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Silva

Round 2

Hamill kicks the leg out from under Silva, but the Brazilian stands right back up. Silva ducks a spinning elbow but gets taken down; he’s quickly back on his feet and back to striking with Hamill, who digs another left into the Brazilian’s body. Hamill is landing more leg kicks and punches on his fatigued opponent until Silva lands a hard right hook which sends Hamill stumbling. Hamill hits the deck but Silva can’t pound him out, and “The Hammer” is able to regain his wits and struggle back to his feet. Hamill hits a takedown in the closing seconds of the round and throws tired right hands to the kneeling Silva’s head before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Silva
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Silva
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Silva

Round 3

Silva stuffs a takedown and spins around to take the back of the kneeling Hamill. The 205ers stand and separate, and Silva begins working the lead leg of Hamill with kicks. Hamill’s next shot comes from a mile out and is easily slipped by Silva, who steps into the pocket and zaps Hamill with a pair of punches. Silva takes a finger in the eye during the next exchange, takes a minute to recover, and the fight resumes with about half a round to go. Hamill is still trying for takedowns but getting stuffed with ease now, taking knees to the body and hard right hands from Silva after each attempt. Hamill is barely standing as Silva continues chopping away at his left leg. Referee Keith Peterson is looking on from nearby, but he allows Hamill to hear the final horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Silva (30-26 Silva)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Silva (30-26 Silva)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Silva (30-26 Silva)

The Official Result

Thiago Silva def. Matt Hamill via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27) R3 5:00

Erick Silva vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Round 1

Kim gets inside on a high single-leg and wrestles with Silva on the fence. Silva shoves the Korean away and sprints along the cage to create some distance, but Kim chases him down to try the takedown again. Silva pulls his leg free and scores with a pair of hard knees to the body in the clinch, nearly taking the back of Kim in a scramble. Kim gets double underhooks and holds Silva against the fence to slow the pace, switching to a Thai plum and working a few knees of his own. Silva circles away and shoves ref Mario Yamasaki to get out of the way, trying to rope-a-dope Kim with an uppercut which misses. Kim is whiffing on wide punches, but he connects with a sweeping left which puts Silva on the canvas. Kim chases him to the ground and steps into full mount, at first framing up an arm-triangle and then releasing to maintain position. Silva gets an arm under Kim’s leg and escapes the mount, but Kim is still on top. Kim leans from Silva’s left to right, working a kimura on the right arm while simultaneously punching behind his back to Silva’s head. Kim stands and Silva tries a heel hook, allowing Kim to land a couple hammer-fists before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Kim
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Kim
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kim

Round 2

Kim eats a big left hand on the chin and staggers backward as Silva lunges at him with a flying knee. Silva traps the “Stun Gun” against the fence and an off-balance Kim hits the floor, but the welterweights are quickly back on their feet, clinching against the cage. They separate and Kim rushes in to clinch with an awkward right hand, dodged by Silva. The Brazilin whiffs with a heavy overhand right and grabs hold of Kim’s back to try and drag him to the ground. Kim stifles the takedown by grabbing the fence, drawing a warning from referee Yamasaki. The welterweights meet in the center of the cage and both throw left hands at the same time. Kim’s is quicker, a blistering overhand which sends Silva crashing to the canvas. Kim smashes his unconscious opponent with one hammer-fist for good measure, and ref Yamasaki dives in to rescue Silva from any further punishment.

The Official Result

Dong Hyun Kim def. Erick Silva via KO (Punch) R2 3:01

Demian Maia vs. Jake Shields

Round 1

Marc Goddard is the referee for tonight’s welterweight main event. Shields lands a pair of outside leg kicks as Maia stalks forward, then the Brazilian shoots a double-leg against the fence. Maia stands and tries to grapevine the American’s leg, can’t complete the takedown and winds up holding Shields against the cage. After 50 seconds, Maia puts Shields on the canvas and lands short right hands to the head and body while Shields clings on and keeps close. Maia postures up to land a couple hard rights, gets stuffed back to Shields’ butterfly guard. Shields scrambles up and tries to use a body lock to trip Maia down, can’t finish it. Maia reverses the position and hits another trip, but again Shields uses butterfly guard to explode back to his feet. As Shields stands, Maia leaps onto his back, but Shields shakes him off and comes to the ground in Maia’s half guard. Shields lands some glancing left hands from the top as he works to maintain position.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Shields
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10

Round 2

Shields avoids a takedown try from Maia and reverses to put the Brazilian on the ground at the foot of the fence. Maia is able to control Shields’ wrists until Shields pulls his left arm free and drops a couple short elbows on Maia’s face. Shields passes to the side and the activity slows, drawing a warning from referee Goddard to get busy. Shields obliges with elbows, but he’s soon wrapped up by Maia, who is creeping his legs up for a possible triangle attempt. Shields finishes the round on top.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Shields
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Shields
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Shields

Round 3

Maia backs Shields against the cage and puts a right hand on the American’s chin. Maia gets Shields to the ground with a rear-waistlock, but it’s only about 30 seconds before Shields is able to sweep and pass to half-guard. It’s all positional fighting on the ground, with Shields working unsuccessfully to pass to side control. Shields alternates laying an arm across Maia’s throat and socking the Brazilian with very short hammer-fists. Maia puts Shields back in his full guard in the final minute, and Shields sits up to land a good punch before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Shields
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Shields
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Shields

Round 4

The welterweights go straight to the clinch on the fence, with Maia using underhooks to put Shields’ back against the cage. They trade knees inside before Shields takes the outside position, and the action slows to the point that referee Goddard breaks them up midway through the round. Shields shoots a long single-leg off the cage and gets sprawled on; the American takes a glance at the clock as he stands up from the takedown attempt. Another tired shot from Shields allows Maia to take top position, but again the pace slows and Goddard stands them up. Both men look exhausted as they spend the final half-minute of the round throwing and deflecting arm punches.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Maia
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Maia
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Maia

Round 5

Maia dodges a takedown from Shields, then sits down on a high single from the American in the center of the cage. Shields switches to a double-leg and drives Maia against the fence, but Maia defends and puts Shields’ back to the cage with double underhooks. Maia tries to trip Shields down, but Shields gets an arm inside and uses it to separate. Shields comes forward with a pair of punches, tries another takedown and can’t complete it. Maia tags Shields with a left and stuffs yet another takedown attempt against the fence as the final minute of the fight ticks away. Referee Goddard breaks them up with 25 seconds to go. Maia lands a left up top, then another to close out the fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Maia (48-48 Draw)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Maia (48-47 Shields)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Maia (48-48 Draw)

The Official Result

Jake Shields def. Demian Maia via Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) R5 5:00