American Alan Jouban won a unanimous decision over Canadian Matt Dwyer on Wednesday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 71.
The judges scored the welterweight bout 29-27, 29-27, 29-27 — despite Jouban being deducted a point in the first round for an illegal knee.
Dwyer (8-3), from New Westminster, B.C., landed a serious blow in the first round with his right hand only to have Jouban (12-3) bounce back up to his feet.
Jouban started to gain control near the end of the round and connected with a knee to Dwyer's face when he was down — costing himself a point deduction because Dwyer's left knee was on the mat.
The 33-year-old American continued to land kicks through the second round and eventually connected with a cartwheel kick to the left side of the 25-year-old Canadian's head that had serious impact.
Jouban stayed on the attack to start the third round as Dwyer's gas tank was running low.
The final minute of the third round was spent on the ground after Jouban got a takedown near the cage. Jouban went for the finishing strike but Dwyer fought back to his feet and lasted until the final bell.
Both fighters had visible wounds after the bout. Jouban had a swollen left eye while Dwyer was cut under his right eye.
On the undercard, Canadian Sarah 'Cheesecake' Moras lost a unanimous decision to Brazil's Jessica Andrade.
The judges scored the women's bantamweight bout, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 for Andrade (13-4) after the Brazilian controlled the majority of the fight.
Andrade landed 158 total strikes compared to just 23 for Moras (4-3). Despite being known for her groundwork, the Kelowna, B.C. native couldn't score a single takedown while Andrade had three.
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