Dennis Siver earned a very close unanimous decision win over Matt Wiman at UFC 132 Saturday in Las Vegas, NV.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28, giving Siver the first and third rounds. This writer scored the fight a draw with a 10-10 third round. Wiman threw his hat in disgust at the decision and walked out of the cage without shaking Siver's hand.
In the first round, Siver stuffed Wiman's takedown attempts and got a takedown of his own, landing a few strikes but nothing impactful.
The second round was owned by Wiman who grounded Siver and laid in a slew of elbows, cutting Siver's forehead open badly with a left slicing strike. Wiman continued on the attack with elbows and clearly won the round.
In the third, Wiman attempted another takedown early but was blocked. He consistently tried to get the fight to the ground throughout the fight with mixed results. Wiman did get a guillotine choke in, transferring to a shoulder lock attempt late but Siver matched with his own choke, keeping pace in the final five minutes.
The decision was heavily booed, but wasn't a robbery.
Siver (19-7) has won four straight and eight of his last nine fights. This is his second stint in the UFC after a 1-3 mark in 2007-08. He's 7-1 in this latest run and 8-4 in the UFC overall.
Wiman (13-6) was on a three-fight win streak and has been in the UFC since 2007, now carrying a 7-4 Octagon record. The 27-year-old is an alum of the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Josh Nason (@JoshNason) is a New England-based MMA journalist that contributes to Bloody Elbow, FIGHT! Magazine and Wrestling Observer/Figure 4 Online. He co-hosts the weekly MMA Show on New Hampshire ESPN Radio affiliate WGAM 900.
