Edson Barboza was simply too long and fast for Ross Pearson tonight at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro. The 5-foot-11 Barboza stayed on the move for 15 minutes and picked his shots on the way to a split decision victory 29-28 on the two cards and 28-29 on the other.
Pearson did well to survive against a guy who's looked spectacular at times in previous fights. Barboza's best weapon are his kicks. Pearson decided to push forward and close space for most of the night. His face showed the affect.
By the end of the fight, he had a good size hematoma over his left eye and a cut above his right eye. When there was space, Barboza (9-0, 3-0 UFC) did his biggest damage with some nifty spinning kicks.
Pearson, the champ from Season 9 of "The Ultimate Fighter," is now 5-2 in his official UFC fights. He looked a little beefier than normal for this one. Pearson's lack of speed made him an easy target for Barboza.
The judges were split on the fight. the number may back up the judge who chose Pearson. According to FightMetric, the Brit actually outlanded Barboza 60-55. Who landed the more significant, powerful shots? That can be debated. Check the fighter's faces at the close of the fight. Barboza wasn't showing much damage.
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