UFC Fight Night 66 results: Yao Zhikui takes split after chasing down Nolan Ticman (original) (raw)

PASAY, Philippines – When he was announced the winner of a split decision over Nolan Ticman, the look of shock and surprise on Yao Zhikui’s face told the whole story.

Zhikui (2-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was by far the more aggressive fighter over the course of three rounds, even if Ticman (4-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) seemed to be the more effective. In the end, two of the three judges rewarded the man who took more forward steps, even if he may have also absorbed more punches.

The flyweight bout opened up the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 66 event at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims and a main card on FOX Sports 1.

The tone for the bout was set in the opening seconds, as Zhikui followed a circling Ticman all around the cage, looking for an opportunity to strike. Ticman, on the other hand, spent almost the entire fight moving backward, looking to counter with single-punch salvos, and using his wrestling primarily to negate Zhikui’s attempts at takedowns.

It seemed to be an effective strategy for Ticman, who took few punches and managed to land a few sharp combos before resuming his backpedal.

In the final round, the fighters broke from this habit long enough for Ticman to work on Zhikui’s legs and body with knees from the clinch. As the final horn sounded with Ticman landing punches in Zhikui’s open guard, Ticman let out a triumphant roar, seemingly confident of victory via the judges.

The judges, however, were apparently more impressed with Zhikui’s forward movement than Ticman’s strategy of retreat and counter. Even Zhikui seeming surprised, albeit pleasantly, as he was declared the winner via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). Ticman, on the other hand, seemed caught between confusion and anger as he again paced the octagon, this time in frustration.

“I wasn’t too confident going into the judges’ decision because my opponent kept running from me,” Zhikui said. “I won the fight because I was the aggressor. I felt great fighting in the Philippines, as there’s not much difference from fighting in China. There’s no time difference, and the weather is great.”

Ticman, not surprisingly, had little to say about coming up short.

“I won the fight – that’s it,” Ticman said.

Zhikui gets his first win in the UFC with the decision, and only his second victory as a professional. Ticman has now lost two straight in the UFC.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 66 results include:

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 66, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in the Philippines.)

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