The first round should have and could have been a round to feel each other out and gain range. Instead the two fighters immediately pressed forward throwing crisp punches and kicks. Barboza's striking was a shade faster but constantly left himself open for the counter punches from Ross Pearson. The round was incredibly close and there really wasn't a clear victor going into the break.
As the second round started, Barboza landed a fantastic kick and punch combination that dropped Pearson. Pearson popped right back to his feet and pressed the attack. It was a solid second round and with the knock down, the judges should have scored it for Edson Barboza.
Going into the second round I had the fight scored 19-19 with Pearson taking the first and Barboza taking the second. It would be the round to decide the fight. Though Barboza was the faster fighter, he was taking damage from Ross Pearson who counter punched him and left Edson's eye swelling by the end of the round.
Edson Barboza is now 3-0 in the UFC and 9-0 overall in his career. He's now the fighter to watch in the lightweight division and could make waves as he continues to develop. Despite the loss, Ross Pearson doesn't come out of the fight looking bad. He put up more of a fight than many expected and pushed a more athletic lightweight to the brink. Now 4-2 in the UFC and 12-4 overall, he needs to decide if he wants to be someone people should watch or just a British brawler who puts on fun fights.
SBN coverage of UFC 134: Rio