Gray Maynard will face Nate Diaz in the main event of tonight’s UFC Ultimate Fight Night 20. Brad Blackburn will fight Amir Sadollah, Tom Lawlor fights Aaron Simpson and Evan Dunham versus Efrain Escudero will round of the televised card at 9pm ET on Spike TV (U.S.) and Sportsnet (Canada).
In the preliminary fights:
Nick Catone defeated Jesse Forbes via split decision
Gerald Harris defeated John Salter via TKO in Round 3
Rafael Dos Anjos defeated Kyle Bradley via unanimous decision
Rory MacDonald defeated Mike Guymon via submission in Round 1
Nik Lentz v. Thiago Tavares was declared a majority draw
Rick Story defeated Jesse Lennox via majority decision
Chris Leben defeated Jay Silva via unanimous decision
Main Card
Amir Sadollah v. Brad Blackburn (170 lbs.)
Round 1
Blackburn and Sadollah exchange punches and Sadollah lands a jab. Sadollah lands some leg kicks and push kicks as Blackburn throws punches. Sadollah is blocking Blackburn and countering with leg kicks. Sadollah clinched and landed some knees to the body but Blackburn pushed him off. Blackburn landed some solid body punches and the fighters clinched up against the cage. The fighters separate and continue to exchange, Sadollah lands a straight right hand that wobbles Blackburn. Sadollah tries to swarm in and finish him and scores a takedown. Blackburn recovers and pushes Sadollah off and back to his feet. Blackburn stands up and they clinch against the cage as the round comes to an end. Ringside Report scores Round 1 for Amir Sadollah: 10-9
Round 2
Blackburn lands a body kick and throws some punches but Sadollah lands a body kick of his own. Blackburn pushed Sadollah against the cage and they exchanged knees to the body. Blackburn moved back and Sadollah hit a leg kick. Blackburn pushed him up against the cage and they grappled for position. The referee separated the fighters and Sadollah landed more leg kicks. Blackburn caught a kick and tripped Sadollah to the mat but Sadollah quickly rose to his feet. Blackburn pushed his opponent against the cage but Sadollah was able to push away. Both fighters landed some punches, Blackburn lands some body punches and Sadollah lands leg kicks. Blackburn landed a right hook on Sadollah but Amir came back with an uppercut that rocked his opponent as the round came to an end. Ringside Report scores Round 2 for Amir Sadollah: 10-9
Round 3
Sadollah landed a leg kick and a body kick followed by a high knee that rocked Blackburn. Sadollah took him down to the mat and landed two stiff elbows but Blackburn was able to get him into his guard. Sadollah postured up and landed a punch and improved his position into side-control. Blackburn blocked Sadollah’s mount attempt and Sadollah wound up back in guard. Sadollah landed an elbow but Blackburn was able to keep him tied up. Sadollah stood up and came down with several punches before getting down to the mat and attempting a choke but Blackburn blocked the hold. Blackburn held Sadollah’s leg in half-guard while Amir worked at slamming down with elbow shots. Sadollah stood up and threw several punches as the final seconds wound down. Ringside Report scores Round 3 for Amir Sadollah: 10-9
Amir Sadollah def. Brad Blackburn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Tom Lawlor v. Aaron Simpson (185 lbs.)
Round 1
Tom Lawlor rushes in and lands a big uppercut to finish a punching combination that wobbles his opponent. Aaron Simpson recovered but took more punches from Lawlor and was dropped with a big punch. Simpson got back up and circled away after taking several hits and they continued to box. Lawlor landed a big counter-right hand that rocked Simpson and he backed up against the cage. Lawlor swarmed in and landed several more punches. Simpson appeared to recover but took another huge punch that rocked him again. Simpson survived and ate some knees and punches as Lawlor dominated. Simpson was able to circle away and regain some composure and he landed a body kick. Simpson tried to land an uppercut but Lawlor hit a counter- right hand. Ringside Report scores Round 1 for Tom Lawlor: 10-8
Round 2
Aaron Simpson and Tom Lawlor continued to box through the first minute of the round. Simpson struggled to land clean punches and Lawlor was able to score on some counter- right hands. Simpson pushed Lawlor against the cage and scored a single-leg takedown. Simpson worked from side-control and Lawlor gave up his back and stood up. Simpson tried to hold his opponent but Lawlor escaped and they squared off. Lawlor landed a right hook that rocked his opponent and allowed a brief takedown for Lawlor but Simpson was quick back to his feet. Lawlor pushed Simpson against the cage and they exchanged punches. Simpson pushed away and Lawlor landed a left uppercut but Simpson pushed Lawlor into the cage. Tom Lawlor attempted a standing guillotine but Simpson slipped out after eating a knee to the face. Simpson fought back, landing a left and right and pushing Lawlor into the cage. Lawlor attempted another guillotine and pulled guard as the round came to an end. Ringside Report scores Round 2 for Tom Lawlor: 10-9
Round 3
Tom Lawlor and Aaron Simpson exchange, each landing some punches. Lawlor landed a good right hand and blocked a takedown attempt. Simpson landed a knee to the face in a Muay-Thai clinch but Lawlor escaped and pushed him against the cage. Simpson reversed the position and landed a big takedown but Lawlor quickly got to his feet. Lawlor scored a big double-leg takedown of his own and Simpson popped back to his feet. Simpson went to a takedown but Simpson dropped to the mat in a kimura attempt that was quickly escaped. Simpson was able to mount his opponent and land some punches, Lawlor turned to his back and Simpson tried to get the back mount but failed. Lawlor rolled out and went for a single-leg but Simpson stepped away and took Lawlor’s back. Simpson landed some punches and tried for a rear-naked choke but was unable to secure the hold. Lawlor pushed from his knees to his feet and back to his knees, pulling on Simpson’s leg. Simpson was able to spin around and take Lawlor’s back again but Lawlore escape and got to his feet. Lawlor and Simpson grappled against the cage and swung at each other with punches as the fight came to an end. Ringside Report scores Round 3 for Aaron Simpson: 10-9
Aaron Simpson def. Tom Lawlor via split decision (29-28 Lawlor, 29-28 Simpson , 29-28 Simpson)
Efrain Escudero v. Evan Dunham (155 lbs.)
Round 1
Dunham scored with a jab early on and Escudero landed a hard leg kick. Escudero led with a punch and followed up with a nice body kick before pushing Dunham into the fence. Dunham pushed off and they circled each other. Dunham landed a straight right hand and Escudero hits a jab and grappled Dunham against the cage. Dunham pushed away but Escudero landed a good uppercut and a jumping knee. Escudero rushed in with several left and right hands and eventually dropped his opponent. Dunham wrapped Escudero in his guard but Efrain stood up and dropped down with a punch. Escudero quickly attempted a guillotine choke on the mat but Dunham fought off the hold and they got to their feet with 30 seconds remaining in the round. Escudero and Dunham collided in the air as they both appeared to throw knees and Escudero fell to the mat. Dunham got on top of Escudero but was unable to do any damage as time wound down. Ringside Report scores Round 1 for Efrain Escudero: 10-9
Round 2
Dunham rushed in with a punching combination but Efrain circled away. Dunham stayed aggressive and landed a good body kick followed by a punching combo. Dunham and Escudero both landed punches with Dunham getting the better of the exchange. Escudero landed an uppercut but Dunham landed a takedown and found himself in half-guard. Dunham was able to land several punches from the top position. Escudero pushed Dunham back into his guard and back to his feet. Dunham tried to drop down with some punches and locked Escudero in a body triangle. Dunham landed several punches to the body and head and continued to assault Escudero on the back-mount as the round came to an end. Ringside Report scores Round 2 for Evan Dunham: 10-9
Round 3
Evan Dunham attempted a takedown early in the round, Escudero attempted a guillotine choke but Dunham escaped. Dunham and Escudero stood up and grappled with Dunham scoring a takedown and landing in side-control. Dunham transitioned into mount, Escudero turned over and gave up his back for Dunham to attempt a rear-naked choke. Escudero got out and Dunham transitioned into a triangle attempt into an armbar. Escudero tried to hold on but was unable to do so and forced to tap.
Evan Dunham def. Efrain Escudero via submission (arm-bar) at 1:59 in Round 3
Nate Diaz v. Gray Maynard (155 lbs.)
Round 1
Gray Maynard throws a looping combo that Diaz evades. Diaz urges Maynard to “come on,” as both men appear to be taunting each other in the cage. Diaz lands a nice right hook and a leg kick but Maynard fires back with a right hand. Maynard has a cut that was opened early just under his right eye. Maynard lands a nice uppercut and a knee to the body. Diaz lands some leg kicks and a punch but Maynard counters with a punch and a leg kick of his own. Diaz and Maynard continue to connect with punches and taunt each other with hand gestures and trash talk. Diaz lands a leg kick and they exchange punches as the round comes to an end. Ringside Report scores Round 1 a draw: 10-10
Round 2
Maynard lands a right hand and Diaz lands a leg kick in the first 30 seconds of the round. Diaz landed a left hook when Maynard rushed in and hit some body punches. Maynard landed a big right hook but Diaz scored with his own right hand. Maynard and Diaz exchanged punches and Maynard dropped Diaz with a knee to the face. Maynard let Diaz back up and staggered him with another punch. Maynard lands another right hand but Diaz maintains his composure and lands some punches and leg kicks. Diaz and Maynard continued to taunt each other and talk trash with one minute remaining in the round. Diaz tries to clinch Maynard but is pushed off. Maynard lands a body punch and the fighters stare each other down as they walk to their corners at the end of the round. Ringside Report scores Round 2 for Gray Maynard: 10-9
Round 3
Diaz and Maynard collided with some punches and knees. Diaz landed a head kick but Maynard was unfazed and backed away. Diaz landed a right hand and tried to clinch Maynard who slipped away and avoided Diaz. Nate Diaz landed a big left hand that dropped Gray Maynard who quickly popped back to his feet. Diaz landed an inside leg kick and a straight right hand. Diaz lands a right hook, both fighters clinch and exchange punches but push off and continue to box. Maynard landed a right hook but Diaz landed a left-right combo that he initiated with an inside leg kick. Diaz landed some jabs but Maynard smacked his opponent with a right hand. Diaz went for a takedown that was stuffed and Maynard landed a left hook when they got back to their feet. Ringside Report scores Round 3 for Nick Diaz 10-9
Gray Maynard def. Nate Diaz via split decision (29-28, Diaz, 30-27 Maynard, 29-28 Maynard)
