A bantamweight bout between veteran John Dodson and surging division contender Petr Yan took place at today’s UFC Prague event. John Dodson (20-10 MMA) was last seen in action at September’s UFC 228 event, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jimmie Rivera. Prior to the setback, “The Magician” was coming off a split-decision win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 222. Meanwhile, Petr Yan (11-1 MMA) has gone 3-0 since joining the UFC ranks in June of 2018. In his most recent performance at December’s UFC 232 event in Los Angeles, Yan defeated Douglas Silva de Andrade via TKO. Round one begins and John Dodson comes out with a flurry of left hands. Yan circles away and avoids any real damage. Dodson goes to the body with a left hand. Yan counters nicely with a right. “The Magician” circles and then leaps in with another body punch. Yan clinches up and directs Dodson towards the cage. John breaks free. Yan with a leaping right hand. He follows that up with a kick but Dodson catches it and takes the fight to the floor. Dodson is complaining about something to the referee. Yan back to his feet now and he clips Dodson with a pair of right hands. Dodson catches another kick and scores a takedown but once again Yan is right back up to his feet. Petr with a combination now. He leaps in with a flying knee but Dodson avoids and ties him up. Yan breaks free and throws a left hand. Dodson returns fire with a body kick but then eats a pair of shots for his efforts. Yan with another nice combination that ends with a right hand over the top. The fighters clinch and Yan lands a knee. They break and Dodson lands a crisp left. Round one comes to an end. Round two of this UFC Prague main card fight begins and Dodson lands a body kick to get things started. Yan immediately begins to pressure and forces Dodson to move. John fires off some shots to avoid being backed up into the cage. Dodson with a nice left but Yan counters with a straight right. Dodson shoots in for a single leg takedown but it is not there. Petr with a nice kick to the body. John fires a left that misses. Yan with a big right hand followed by a heavy left hook. Dodson circles and then fires off a low kick. Yan with a right hand but Dodson lunges in with a punch that drops him. Yan scrambles back to his feet and Dodson hits him with a knee. Yan returns fire with a big combination that appears to land flush. The fighters clinch but Yan quickly forces the break. Petr with a good right hand from the pocket. He lands an elbow and then an overhand right. Another hard left hand from Yan and Dodson’s knees buckle. Dodson forces the clinch and Yan fires off some knees from the position. Round two comes to an end. Dodson clips Yan in round 2 and drops him! What a back-and-forth, fast-paced fight! #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/oqv6z5PYwr — UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2019 Now Yan lands on Dodson and buckles him! What a round! #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/37a5TfyO7N — UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2019 Round three begins and Petr Yan comes out quickly. He lands a combination and then steps in with a left hook. Dodson responds with a flurry of punches followed by a low kick. Yan with a jab and then another. He comes forward with a big right hand. Yan with a flying knee attempt that just misses. Dodson shoots in for a single leg but it is not there. The fighters clinch along the fence. Yan with some hard knees and the fighters break. Dodson once again attempts to shoot for a takedown but it is not there. Yan takes Dodson’s back and forces him down to the canvas. John appears to use the cage to assist in getting back to his feet but the referee didn’t see it. Yan with a big right hand and then another. He connects with an uppercut. Dodson shoots in for a takedown and then complains to the referee that he was having his hair pulled. Yan takes his back and lands punches to close out the final round. Official UFC Prague Result: Petr Yan def. John Dodson via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM<doc-sep>Russian bantamweight prospect Petr Yan passed a big test during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena in Prague on Saturday, as he cruised to a decision win against talented veteran John Dodson. "My game plan was to use my kicks and then counter with punches," Yan (12-1) said afterward. "He's a tough guy and very experienced. I knew if he didn't go down, I'd have to go the distance." All three judges scored it in favor of Yan, 30-27. The 26-year-old walked down Dodson (20-11) the entire fight and hurt him with a left hook in the second round. Dodson did score a flash knockdown of his own in that same round, but Yan immediately recovered and went on to win the frame. play 1:29 Carmouche tops Pudilova by unanimous decision UFC women's flyweight Liz Carmouche outlasts Lucie Pudilova and gets the unanimous decision victory. According to UFC Stats, he out-landed Dodson 47 to 39 in total strikes, but the weight of his shots was also visibly heavier. "Everything went well," Yan said. "I won. That's important. John was a very difficult opponent. He is very short, which makes the fight more complicated. I wanted to attack the body, but he was always moving, so it was very difficult. I was ready for this challenge. I was always keeping him in my range. He is No. 9 in the rankings. I'm always glad to fight and win against somebody who is higher-ranked than me." The UFC is now on ESPN and ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ to get: exclusive live UFC events, weigh-ins and more; Ariel and the Bad Guy; Dana White's Contender Series; and more exclusive MMA content. Yan has been surging up the bantamweight rankings ever since his UFC debut last June. He is now 4-0 in the UFC and knocking on the door of a top-10 ranking. "This is my fourth win in the UFC, so I'm perfect here," Yan said. "I have to talk to the UFC, but I would like to fight against Jimmie Rivera in June." In other action from Prague: play 1:31 Ankalaev controls Abreu for unanimous decision victory UFC light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev goes the distance with Klidson Abreu and wins via unanimous decision. Stefan Struve vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima Heavyweight Stefan Struve (29-11) picked up his first win since October 2016, submitting Marcos Rogerio de Lima (16-6-1) via arm-triangle at 2:21 of the second round. Struve survived an ugly opening frame, in which he ate a big shot and spent the majority of the time on his back. He recovered in the second round, taking de Lima down and eventually securing the choke. The win snaps a three-fight skid for the 31-year-old Struve. After the fight, an emotional Struve removed his gloves and left them in the center of the Octagon, which fighters often do as a symbol that they are retiring. "I lost my last two before this, and to get a win like this ... a lot of people end their careers too late," Struve said. "This is not 100 percent, but I feel this is a great moment." play 1:18 Naurdiev handles Prazeres in unanimous decision Ismail Naurdiev dominates Michel Prazeres to win their welterweight fight by unanimous decision. Michal Oleksiejczuk defeats Gian Villante by first-round TKO In his first appearance since December 2017, Polish light heavyweight Michal Oleksiejczuk (13-2) made quick work of Gian Villante (17-11) in a 94-second knockout. The finish began with a nasty left hook to the body. Villante took a step back from the shot, then dropped to a knee and covered up. Oleksiejczuk went in for follow-up shots, and it was clear the fight was over. It is Oleksiejczuk's ninth career knockout, and he has not lost since November 2014. play 1:32 Ferreira dominates to unanimous decision UFC lightweight Diego Ferreira controls his fight vs. Rustam Khabilov and takes the victory by unanimous decision. Liz Carmouche defeats Lucie Pudilova by unanimous decision Ranked flyweight Liz Carmouche (13-6) is now on a two-fight win streak, following a unanimous decision victory over Lucie Pudilova (8-3). Carmouche won the bout via official scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. Carmouche's wrestling proved key in what turned into a very close, competitive fight. Carmouche, of San Diego, scored a handful of takedowns and had some success controlling Pudilova on the floor. She did suffer a cut near her hairline from Pudilova elbows, but responded with strikes on the ground. She is 4-1 in her last five. play 1:04 Ismagulov tops Alvarez by unanimous decision Damir Ismagulov handles Joel Alvarez, winning via unanimous decision in their lightweight fight. Magomed Ankalaev defeats Klidson de Abreu by unanimous decision Russian light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev (10-1) defeated Klidson Abreu (14-3) via unanimous decision, by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Ankalaev out-landed Abreu in total strikes 66 to 32, per UFC Stats, in a mostly stand-up fight. It's Ankalaev's second win in a row, following a TKO finish in September. Dwight Grant defeats Carlo Pedersoli Jr. by first-round TKO Welterweight Dwight Grant (9-2) scored a highlight-reel knockout against Carlo Pedersoli (11-3) in the waning moments of the opening round. With just seconds left in the frame, Grant landed an overhand right that sent Pedersoli's mouthpiece flying across the cage. Pedersoli fell face forward to the canvas, and Grant landed several follow-up shots to secure the finish at the 4:59 mark. A former contestant on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, Grant gets his first official win in the UFC. Chris Fishgold defeats Daniel Teymur by second-round submission Featherweight Chris Fishgold (18-2-1) delivered a spectacular performance in a second-round submission of David Teymur (6-3). Fishgold, of Liverpool, England, finished the bout at 1:10 of the second round via rear-naked choke. Fishgold was simply too much for Teymur on the ground, as he nearly secured an armbar finish in the first round as well. It's a nice bounce-back result for Fishgold, 26, who suffered a TKO loss to Calvin Kattar in his UFC debut last October. Gillian Robertson defeats Veronica Macedo by second-round submission Canadian flyweight Gillian Robertson (6-3) earned her third submission win in the UFC, tapping Veronica Macedo (5-3) via rear-naked choke at 3:27 of the second round. The entire fight felt like one prolonged scramble at times, so it was fitting it ended in one. As the two jockeyed for position on the floor, Robertson seized control of Macedo's back and slipped her right arm under her opponent's neck. Robertson is now 3-1 in the UFC. Damir Hadzovic defeats Marco Polo Reyes by second-round TKO Lightweight Damir Hadzovic (13-4) finished Marco Polo Reyes (8-5) via TKO at 2:03 of the second round, after moving to back mount and raining down shots. Hadzovic, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, improves to 3-2 with the finish, and it is his seventh career knockout. Hadzovic did some nice work on the feet before finishing Reyes on the floor in the second frame. Ismail Naurdiev defeats Michel Prazeres by unanimous decision Austrian welterweight Ismail Naurdiev (18-2) cruised to a decision win against Michel Prazeres (26-3), snapping the Brazilian's eight-fight win streak in the process. Naurdiev, 22, nearly submitted Prazeres in the opening round and came close to a TKO finish in the third. His work rate was fantastic, as he out-struck Prazeres 121 to 20, per UFC Stats. Judges awarded the Austrian scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27. Diego Ferreira defeats Rustam Khabilov by unanimous decision Brazilian lightweight Diego Ferreira (15-2) dominated Rustam Khabilov (23-4) in a unanimous decision, earning judges scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Ferreira defended Khabiolov's attempts to get the fight to the floor, and managed to get right back to his feet any time he surrendered a takedown. It's four wins in a row now for Ferreira, 34, who has fought in the UFC since 2014. Damir Ismagulov defeats Joel Alvarez by unanimous decision Russian lightweight Damir Ismagulov (18-2) improved to 2-0 in the UFC with a unanimous decision win against Joel Alvarez (15-2). All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Ismagulov, who outworked Alvarez on the feet.<doc-sep>5 Things You Should Know About the UFC’s John Dodson Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images) John Dodson has been a fixture in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the better part of a decade, but the two-time title challenger now more or less serves as a gatekeeper at 135 pounds. “The Magician” will tackle former Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Petr Yan in a three-round bantamweight showcase at UFC Fight Night 145 on Saturday at the O2 Arena in Prague, where he hopes to slow the rise of the red-hot Russian prospect. Dodson has alternated wins and losses in each of his past seven appearances and last competed at UFC 228 in September, when he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Jimmie Rivera. The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 winner has compiled a 9-5 record under the UFC banner, with two of those losses coming to onetime flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. As Dodson nears his confrontation with Yan, here are five things you should know about him: 1. Despite his strong strength of schedule, durability has never been an issue. A pro since September 2004, Dodson has never been finished in his 30-fight career. All 10 of his defeats have resulted in decisions, four of them of the split variety. Dodson’s losses have come against Johnson (twice), Rivera, Marlon Moraes, John Lineker, Pat Runez, Mike Easton, Bill Boland, Joe Doherty, and Yasuhiro Urushitani — men with a cumulative record of 153-36-8. 2. Known for his acrobatic standup skills, the roots of his success can be traced to amateur wrestling. Dodson was a two-time state wrestling champion at Moriarty High School in Moriarty, New Mexico, where he also played football and ran track. 3. Statistically, he made his mark as a flyweight. Even though he moved to 135 pounds after two failed bids to unseat Johnson, Dodson left his imprint on the flyweight division — a weight class known more for blinding speed than brute strength. According to FightMetric, he still ranks second all-time among UFC flyweights with six knockdowns. Only Lineker (seven) has accumulated more. 4. No one can question his resume. Dodson has defeated current or former titleholders from the UFC (T.J. Dillashaw), World Extreme Cagefighting (Eddie Wineland), Bellator MMA (Zach Makovsky), Shooto Americas (Jussier da Silva), Tachi Palace Fights (Darrell Montague), Resurrection Fighting Alliance (Pedro Munhoz) and Titan Fighting Championship (Tim Elliott). 5. Lesser strikers have found it virtually impossible to neutralize him through other means. The 5-foot-3 Dodson has successfully defended 82 percent of the takedowns attempted against him in Ultimate Fighting Championship competition. In fact, only Johnson, Munhoz and Moraes have managed to get him to the ground. In Dodson’s 10 other UFC bouts, opponents are a combined 0-for-33 on takedowns. Find more content like this at<doc-sep>
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - FEBRUARY 23: (L-R) Petr Yan of Russia punches John Dodson in their bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at O2 Arena on February 23, 2019 in the Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Petr Yan shows John Dodson no mercy in decision victory at UFC Prague on Saturday. Petr Yan defeated John Dodson via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) at UFC Prague on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, live from the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. “My gameplan was to use my kicks first and counter with the punch,” he said during his post-fight interview through a translator. https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1099398679545274368 ROUND 1 Dodson comes out hot coming forward on Yan landing a flurry of strikes before backing back up to the center of the Octagon. Dodson comes forward again and briefly puts him against the cage before they separate and go back to the center of the Octagon again. Yan goes for a body kick and Dodson grabs his ankle and throws him to the ground. They get back up to their feet and not its Yan coming forward with the combinations. They enter the clinch in the center of the Octagon. Yan tosses Dodson off him and they exchange strikes again. Yan lands another one-two and Dodson body locks Yan trying to take him to the canvas but Yan defends and after a brief clinch they separate again. Yan tried for another sequence but Dodson slips and evades the strikes. Dodson trades with Yan and Dodson goes for another takedown. Yan puts Dodson against the cage and they separate in a flurry of punches. Dodson lands a massive strike to end the round. We give the round to Yan. ROUND 2 They start trading immediately at the bell. Yan is still controlling the Octagon but Dodson is not giving up the intensity. Dodson tries for a takedown but Yan is able to stay on his feet and they separate again. Yan lands a series of right hands and Dodson answers back with kicks and strikes to stop the barrage from Yan. Dodson lands a massive left that dropped Yan clean. Dodson jumps on top of Yan but he gets back to his feet and they trade strikes against the cage. Dodson tried for another takedown but Yan stuffs it with a body shot. Yan is coming back from the near knockout with massive strikes and clean scrambles trying to prove to the judges the knockdown was of no effect. Yan lands uppercuts and knees to Dodson who has slowed a bit with his defense. Yan lands a strike that out Dodson on his butt, though he bounces right back up to end the round. We give the round to Yan. Dodson clips Yan in round 2 and drops him! What a back-and-forth, fast-paced fight! #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/oqv6z5PYwr — UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2019 Now Yan lands on Dodson and buckles him! What a round! #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/37a5TfyO7N — UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2019 ROUND 3 They exchange early again, though both are missing more than they are landing. Yan is coming forward on Dodson and Dodson slows him down with low kicks. Dodson comes forward with strikes to Yan’s face but he seems unphased and continues to push him back against the fence. Yan lands a massive strike and a huge smile spreads across his face. It’s clearly his fight to lose. Dodson grabs a massive knee attempt by Yan and drags him to the mat. They get back to their feet again. Yan lands more massive strikes and they head to the canvas where Yan takes Dodson’s back before they get back to their feet. Dodson grabs the fence to stuff a suplex attempt but no point was taken and the fight continues. Dodson gets back to his feet looking tired. Yan unloads a flurry against the cage and Yan takes Dodson to the mat to end the final round with intense ground and pound. It goes to the judge’s scorecard. We give the final round, and the fight, to Yan. Dodson was looking to get back in the win column after a devastating loss to Jimmie Rivera at UFC 228 last year. He was hoping to get a win over the rising star on Saturday. Yan came into the bout undefeated in the UFC and on a six-fight win streak.