LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 38 event at the UFC Apex.

In the main event, Arman Tsarukyan (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) took on Mateusz Gamrot (21-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in a lightweight fight. In the co-feature, Neil Magny (26-9 MMA, 19-8 UFC) meets unbeaten rising star Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC).

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results below.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN 38 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Round 1 – Thirty seconds of feeling each other out is broken by a weak right hand from Vanessa, and Frey responds with a leg kick. Both women are measured with their strikes in the early going, nothing landing. Frey lands the first significant strike, a straight left hand down the middle. Frey closes distance with lefts, which causes Vanessa to slip. Vanessa lands her first big punch, an overhand right. Frey retorts with a nice combo that backs up Vanessa. Moments later, Vanessa throws a body kick that is caught, and Frey throws her to the ground, but she pops back up. Big takedown by Vanessa with 1:10 left, great explosion on the double. Nice work from Frey to get back to her feet with 50 seconds left. Frey lands two straight lefts and a hook to close out the final 10 seconds. Vanessa wearing some damage on her face. We’re going 10-9 Frey.

Round 2 – Vanessa comes out with a quick overhand right that misses. Good inside kick to follow up but also a nice counter from Frey. Vanessa shoots for a takedown with a minute left but misses. Good jabs land from Frey. Vanessa throws a high kick but nothing doing. Vanessa lands her best punch of the fight with a hard straight right hand, but Frey counters right back. Vanessa keeps throwing overhand rights without setting them up, and Frey is reading it. Another shot from Vanessa too far out fails. Vanessa has been more active throwing this round. Good read on a body kick from Vanessa, who shoots and starts landing the right. Another takedown attempt results in a clinch against the cage with 50 seconds remaining. Good knees are scoring, and then they separate. Overall, kind of an ugly round, but it goes to Vanessa 10-9. We got it 19-19 heading into the third.

Round 3 – Frey takes the center, but Vanessa is throwing, and she is throwing with high volume now. Relentlessly. The attack results in the clinch against the fence 30 seconds in. Frey had to go on the defensive with all those punches coming at her. Frey can’t get Vanessa off her as she works a single-leg attempt. Frey lands some short elbows why Vanessa works for the takedown. Vanessa looks tired now after they break from clinch. The haymakers keep coming from Vanessa. Good counter left by Frey. Another good counter left. Jab stifles Vanessa’s attack. Close round with two minutes left. Vanessa shoots in for a single, and they’re pressed against the cage again. A couple of knees to the body from Vanessa land. Final minute, and Vanessa is putting the pressure on. She essentially controlls the final 90 seconds of the fight until they break in the final 10, and Frey lands two really big left hands to close it out. Tough, tough round to score as Vanessa had that control time, but Frey landed the better punches. We’re going 10-9 Frey for the round, and 29-28 Frey overall.

Result: Vanessa Demopoulos def. Jinh Yu Frey via split decision 28-29, 29-28, 30-27 Recap: Vanessa Demopoulos surprised Michael Bisping with celebration after UFC on ESPN 38 win Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Vanessa Demopoulos (8-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Jinh Yu Frey (11-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC) Division: Women’s strawweight Broadcast: ESPN2/ESPN+ Referee: Chris Tognoni Judging: Sal D’Amato, Ron McCarthy, Jerin Valel

Round 1 – Bautista comes out attacking with jabs in the early going. Twenty seconds in, he throws a spinning back kick. And, hey, Kelleher throws a front kick in response. Flying knee misses from Bautista. Then he scores a nice takedown moments later and is in side control. A lot of maneuvering from both guys, and Kelleher tries for a guillotine that Bautista fends off. They scramble quicks, and whoa, what a transition to mount for Bautista. That gets Kelleher turning to his back, and whoa again, Bautista quickly sinks in the rear-naked choke, and the tap comes quickly. Solid ground work from Bautista to get the submission.

Result: Mario Bautista def. Brian Kelleher via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:27 Recap: UFC on ESPN 38 video: Mario Bautista turns in dominant performance, taps Brian Kelleher in first round Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Mario Bautista (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Brian Kelleher (24-14 MMA, 8-7 UFC) Division: Bantamweight Broadcast: ESPN2/ESPN+ Referee: Herb Dean

Round 1 – Durden lands the first big overhand right that wobbles Buys 30 seconds in. This forces a clinch but not for long. When they separate, they both throw, but Durden clips Buys with a right hand during a failed takedown attempt. That drops Buys, who is in survivor mode as Buys throws rapid punches to get the TKO stoppage. Fast and furious that was.

Result: Cody Durden def. JP Buys via TKO (puches) – Round 1, 1:08 Recap: UFC on ESPN 38 video: Cody Durden smokes JP Buys with 68-second TKO Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: JP Buys (9-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC), Cody Durden (13-4-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) Division: Flyweight Broadcast: ESPN2/ESPN+ Referee: Mark Smith

Round 1 – They both throw simultaneous leg kicks that land. Good jab by Morozov to follow. Paiva now wobbles Morozov with a big overhand right hand, but Morozov defends with a takedown attempt that results in the clinch to buy some recovery time. They separate, and Paiva is in the center of the cage. Again, Paiva lands a big right hand, follows up with another nice combination. Morozov is fighting back, though. They slow down in the center, nearly a clash of heads as they close distance. Nice straight right hand by Morozov off of a leg kick. Paiva cracks him again with a right, but Morozov lands a nice two-punch combo in response, which gets Paiva’s attention. Morozov’s nose is bleeding, and now both guys are trading shots. Action sequence there. Paiva is leading in with a left hook, but he gets caught. But he responds with a really nice straight right near the end. Both men had moments, but Paiva had more of them. 10-9 Paiva.

Round 2 – Both men are throwing and bouncing around. Nice two-punch combo from Morozov. What a nice level change from Morozov as Paiva closes distance with a right hand. Now Morozov is on top with 3:30 remaining. Nice elbow from Morozov, who is being calculated with how he attacks. Morozov is going on 90 seconds of control now. Paiva scrambles and tries for a leg lock but nothing doing. Morozov stays calm to fend it off, and is transitioning great as Paiva tries to get up. Paiva does get back to his feet and is met with a knee by Morozov, who is still handing on his back. Morozov still firmly has Paiva in his grasp with a minute remaining. Paiva turns the tables, though, and goes for standing guillotine that forces Morozov to escape and separate. But he immediately shoots back in, and they’re clinched against the cage with 30 seconds left. They end there. Good round for Morozov, who takes it 10-9.

Round 3 – It’s even for me heading into Round 3, so here we go. Nice left hook lands for Morozov, first strike of the round. He is the aggressor in this first minute. Shoots for a takedown, which Paiva does his best to fight off but gets down. But Paiva pops back up, and they clinch briefly before separating. As they do, nice left hand lands from Morozov. What a nice jab landing for Morozov here with three minutes remaining. Paiva isn’t throwing much anymore. Paiva tries to shoot but is stuffed. Morozov throws a spinning backfist that grazes and continues with two follow-up jabs that land. Morozov with a lazy shot, quick guillotine attempt from Paiva that does nothing. Morozov is out-striking Paiva. Both guys are trying to get a takedown probably thinking they could steal the round. Paiva does get the takedown in the final five seconds, but that was a pretty clear Morozov round 10-9. We got it 29-28 Morozov overall.

Result: Sergey Morozov def. Raulian Paiva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Sergey Morozov (18-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Raulian Paiva (21-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) Division: Bantamweight Broadcast: ESPN2/ESPN+ Referee: Jason Herzog Judging: Chris Lee, Junichiro Kamijo, Tony Weeks

Round 1 – We have fake bleach blonde hair vs. fake bleach blonde hair in this one. Shayilan is swinging for the fences early on. Both men are swining hard. Nice right hand by Shayilan as TJ closes for a kick. A big overhand right drops TJ, who pops up and shoots for a takedown in defense, but Shayilan reverses that to end up in top position. An armbar attempt from TJ that appears sunk in, but it’s not deep enough. Shayilan lifts TJ and then drops him down, and TJ is working the leg/foot. Nice work from both guys on the attack and the defense. They separate and get back to their feet. Nice spinning backfist from Shayilan. TJ responds with some shots that don’t really land hard. Shayilan is throwing an array of strikes. Good action in this one from both guys. Another takedown for Shayilan, who is in top position with 40 seconds left. Shayilan ends up this way. Overall he had control time plus landed the better strikes. 10-9 Shayilan.

Round 2 – High pace in Round1, let’s see what’s on tap for this round. They come out measured, but Shayilan gets a nice takedown 30 seconds in. Slick move. Then he takes the back, too. They’re up against the fence. A Kimura attempt from TJ goes nowhere. Shayilan is a backpack right now. He got a little too excited on a rear-naked choke attempt that TJ capitalized on with an escape. Now HE is on top with 2:45 remaining. He’s got Shayilan’s back. TJ has nice control, can’t quite figure what he’s going for. But now Shayilan turns into him and is almost on top, but TJ again has a Kimura attempt going in defense. They’re pressed up against the cage with 30 seconds left. TJ has transitioned into a triangle attempt. They end the round like this with Shayilan trapped but throwing short body punches. Very close round that we think goes to TJ 10-9.

Round 3 – We got it tied up going into this final round. They come out trading in the pocket. Big 1-2 combo for Shayilan. Then a nice left hook from Shayilan. Good body shot for TJ in response. Oh, nice speed on a takedown for Shayilan. And he’s immediately in half guard toward the middle of the octagon. A couple of short elbows from Shayilan, but so far not a lot of damge being done with 2:30 remaining. Shayilan is landing some decent ground-and-pound now with under two minutes to go. He’s been trapped this entire time until he finally pops up his hips and escapes with 1:20 left. Now HE is on top.TJ is bleeding badly from his nose. Wild ground and pound now from TJ, who is selling out for a finish. He should probably have let up Shayilan to try and knock him out, but he didn’t. Shayilan pretty easily takes Round 3 despite TJ’s best efforts late 10-9. Overall we have Shayilan winning 29-28.

Result: Shayilan Nuerdanbieke def. TJ Brown via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: TJ Brown (16-9 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (37-10 MMA, 2-1 UFC) Division: Featherweight Broadcast: ESPN2/ESPN+ Referee: Chris Tognoni Judging: Sal D’Amato, Ron McCarthy, Adalaide Byrd

Round 1 – Ulberg comes out with a couple of leg kicks to establish range. They stay measured, no early throwing. It’s Nchukwi in the center with Ulberg circling on the outside of the cage. Whoa, big left staggers Nchukwi. Sneaky short hook. And Ulberg pours it on for the finish. It’s over early.

Result: Carlos Ulbert def. Tafon Nchukwi via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:15 Recap: Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Tafon Nchukwi (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Carlos Ulberg (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) Division: Light heavyweight Broadcast: ESPN2/ESPN+ Referee: Herb Dean

Round 1 – Vieira shoots in for a takedown, and big for Curtis that he defends. At least initially, but he’s still within Vieira’s grasp in the clinch with 3:40 remaining. Vieira throws a knee to the groin that stops the fight for now. Curtis immediately reacted. He’s catching his breath, says he’s good after 45 seconds. So we’re back with 3:15 remaining, standing in the middle of the cage. Another takedown attempt for Vieira, who is deep on a single leg against the fence. Now he’s just leaning on Curtis, who does a nice job defending. Vieira isn’t wasting time continuing to chase for the takedown now. Nice straight right hand by Vieira, best strike of the round so far. Oh no, another low blow now from Vieira with a front kick, but maybe it wasn’t. Referee said “clean” when he called them back for an immediate restart. Curtis is throwing one punch at a time, and so is Vieira. Both of them landing pretty decently. Close round to score, but we’ll lean 10-9 Vieira.

Round 2 – Vieira shoots after they trade shots here and there for the first minute, but again Curtis defends, so they instead clinch against the fence. Nice left hand on the separation from Vieira. Curtis calls for a low blow that Smith doesn’t grant him. Another stuffed takedown, and Curtis is on top but escapes instead of staying down there. He lands to the body nicely. Good jab by Vieira, countered with a 1-2 from Curtis. Curtis keeps mixing in body shots with his punches up top. They’re standing in the center of the cage. Curtis just misses with a high kick to the head. Curtis finding his rhythm ow, still going to the body with success. Vieira’s nose is busted. He hasn’t shot for a takedown since the beginning of the round. Big left and right from Curtis to end it. That one goes to him 10-9.

Round 3 – We got it tied for the final round. Curtis is looking stronger to start this round. Vieira could be slowing down. Curtis keeps mixing in body punches successfully into his boxing. Vieira whiffs on a takedown attempt as he shot in from far out. He’s 0 for 10 on takedown attempts. Now 0 for 11 and 0 for 12 as Curtis stuffs two more. Vieira must be frustrated. Vieira is mouth breathing. His nose could be broken. Another nice uppercut to the body from Curtis. And then ANOTHER failed attempt. Vieira can’t buy a takedown this entire fight, 0 for 14. Curtis is getting the better of their exchanges. Vieira should just stop with the takedown attempts. He’s now 0 for 16 with one minute left. Nice jab from Vieira, but it’s countered with a big left from Curtis. Vieira is exhausted and looks defeated to end the fight. That round goes to Curtis 10-9 no question. We got it 29-28 for Curtis.

Result: Chris Curtis def. Rodolfo Vieira via unanimous decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-28) Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Chris Curtis (29-8 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Rodolfo Vieira (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) Division: Middleweight Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+ Referee: Mark Smith Judging: Chris Lee, Anthony Maness, Junichiro Kamijo

Round 1 – Feeling out process before Nate attacks from far out with a 1-2 that misses. They close again, but neither man lands. Umar goes between southpaw and orthodox stances. Nate attacks first again, but he slips up with how he closes distance there and just lands in the clinch, which Umar takes advantage of to get him down to the mat. He’s in top position with three minutes remaining. Umar isn’t going crazy with the ground-and-pound, mostly just maintaining his dominant position. Umar is attempting to posture up, but Nate is preventing it, which is limiting his damage. Umar is in half guard now as he looks to pass. Umar’s go a three-quarters mount with 40 seconds left. Umar has just smothered him this round, nothing spectacular, but he definitely wins the round on control 10-9.

Round 2 – Umar throws a high kick early that backs up Nate. He follows with another one and then a body kick. Great takedown at the 4:20 mark from Umar as Nate closes distance. Nice level change. Half guard immediately. Umar is in side control. He tried to mount, but Nate stopped it, so now it’s half guard again. Back to side control as Umar knees him in the gut. Umar is trying to attack the far arm of Nate, who is on his side defending. Umar is working for the mount but can’t quite get there. A short elbow catches Nate’s attention. Umar might be playing this safe with 50 seconds remaining. He’s controlled this entire round, but he hasn’t inflicted much damage. Now he has Nate’s back with 20 seconds remaining. He’s ending the round strong. 10-9 Umar.

Round 3 – Nate is gonna have to go for the finish this round somehow. Umar throws a head kick that partially lands to the neck. What a nice push kick to the face from Umar, who is off to a good start this round on the feet. Another push kick rom Umar to the midsection. He’s showing comfort standing. Umar with the takedown at the 2:30 mark. Big elbows being dropped now by Umar as Nate scrambles and covers. This round has been all Umar just like the first two. There’s a mouse on Nate’s forehead from those elbows. Umar is gonna win this round easily, and there should be no question about him winning the fight 30-27.

Result: Umar Nurmagomedov def. Nate Maness via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25) Recap: UFC on ESPN 38 results: Khabib’s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov dominates, moves to 15-0 Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Nate Maness (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Umar Nurmagomedov (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) Division: Bantamweight Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+ Referee: Jason Herzog Judging: Chris Lee, Junichiro Kamijo, Tony Weeks 

Round 1 – Giagos and Moises close distance at the same time, with Giagos landing, but Moises turns it into a takedown attempt. They’re clinched against the cage 40 seconds into the fight. Giagos is looking at the referee, seemingly asking to be separated, but no. Moises gets him down and then takes Giagos’ back while he’s standing. Moises is a backpack right now with three minutes left. They’re hand fighting, Giagos trying to make sure he has wrist control. It’s a strong body triangle for Moises. Now he’s got a neck crank going, but then transitions it perfectly to the other side for a rear-naked choke, and the fight is over. It didn’t take long for Giagos to submit once the choke was sunk in.

Result: Thiago Moises def. Christos Giagos via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1 Recap: UFC on ESPN 38 results: Thiago Moises wraps up, taps Christos Giagos in first Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Christos Giagos (19-10 MMA, 5-6 UFC), Thiago Moises (16-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) Division: Lightweight Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+ Referee: Herb Dean

Round 1 – Big boys going at it. Both guys come out swinging, but a low blow from Baudot halts the action. They restart, and a heavy leg kick from Parisian. Baudot just misses with a standing hammerfist, which is an interesting strike. That’s what he keeps throwing. None of his punches are straight. Parisian responds with heavy leg kicks. They clinch in the center of the cage but nothing doing. Baudot tried to throw an up elbow while standing. Baudot throws a spinning back fist and then gets caught with a short hammerfist in close that drops him. Baudot is on top now with 2:20 remaining. Baudot is choosing not to pass half guard and ends up in full guard. Not ideal, but he’s still dominating. Hammerfists are raining down on Parisian. Heavy damage to the left eye as they stand back up,a dn Parisian is showing heart as he pressures against the fence. But his eye looks bad. Parisian drops for a double and gets it, and how he’s standing over him just throwing punches at Baudot who is on his butt. It’s 20 seconds of this to end the round. Strong finish for Parisian, but don’t think it was enough to steal it. 10-9 Baudot.

Round 2 – Feel like this is the round where this fight ends. Baudot eats a mean uppercut, but he’s good. And then he gets the takedown moments later, and he’s on Baudot’s back just dropping bombs. Baudot is covering up and not fighting back, but the referee let’s them keep fighting. He keeps warning Baudot to fight back, though. Another hard warning has Parisian keeps throwing punches with his left hand, but WOW Baudot somehow survives and gets back to his feet. Now they’re exhausted. Parisian again gets Baudot down the ground, and he’s raining punches again. They’re not very hard, but Baudot isn’t fighting back, and Smith stops it. Nice show of resilience from Parisian overall.

Result: Josh Parisian def. Alan Baudot via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:04 Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Alan Baudot (8-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC), Josh Parisian (15-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) Division: Heavyweight Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+ Referee: Mark Smith

Round 1 – Thirty seconds in, and Rakhmonov puts Magny on his back. He’s controlling him nicely and postures up to rain down some punches. Magny trying to defend and even lands an upkick to the face. But now Rakhmonov is in mount, but it’s only briefly. Rakhmonov is able to posture and throw more punches down to the body. He drops down and tries for a guillotine but gives it up. Still in control. Now Magny has a hold of Rakhmonov’s left leg still from bottom. This is at least mitigating the offense. Magny isn’t letting go of that leg. Rakhmonov was briefly in a dangerous situation with a heel hook but nothing major. This ends up being a big first for Rakhmonov, who takes it 10-9.

Round 2 – Rakhmonov gets creative with a spinning back kick near the cage and ends up in the clinch with Magny backed against the fence. Rakhmonov gets the fight down to the mat again with 3:50 remaining, basically back in the same position as the first. He’s postured up trying to find an opening for punches but then decides to go chest to chest in half control. Magny can’t push off the fence to escape. Rakhmomov ends up on the back, which forces Magny to roll. He’s still on the bottom. Magny is moving and defending decently, but Rakhmonov has been in control with 90 seconds remaining. Rakhmonov lands two punches and then Magny throws upkicks that miss when there’s some space, but he can’t get to his feet as Rakmonov is still in top position. Magny does manage to sit up, but Rakhmonov transition into a guillotine and BOOM it’s over. Magny taps with just a few seconds remaining!

Result: Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Neil Magny via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:58 Recap: UFC on ESPN 38 results: Shavkat Rakhmonov secures buzzer-beating submission on Neil Magny in second round Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Neil Magny (26-8 MMA, 19-7 UFC), Shavkat Rakhmonov (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) Division: Welterweight Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+ Referee: Chris Tognoni

Round 1 – Tsarukyan level changes as Gamrot closes the distance, it’s stuffed, almost reversed, and now they separate. Quite a little scramble there. Gamrot tries for a takedown but doesn’t follow through. They’re in the middle at the 3:30 mark. Now a perfectly timed takedown by Tsarukyan off a Gamrot leg kick. These scrambles are wild. Great rolls by Gamrot to get back to standing and now they clinch with 2:20 left. Off the break, they’re standing in the center again. A head kick by Tsarukyan grazes Gamrot’s dome. Gamrot catches a kick, but Tsarukyan’s flexibility allows him to escape any danger and keep his balance. Big body kick from Tsarukyan followed by a kick to the head that just misses. Wow, another wild scramble to close out the round. A lot of action, close, but we’ll lean 10-9 Tsarukyan as he landed the most memorable strikes of the round.

Round 2 – Another instance of a body kick caught by Gamrot, but Tsarukyan keeps his balance. He follows up with a leg kick that lands. Tsarukyan keeps coming with the kicks, and they’re landing to the body. Gamrot is swinging from far away and missing his punches so far, struggling to find range. Wow, the sound of that body kick to Gamrot. Yikes. Tsarukyan keeps blasting those kicks and is landing hard. Tsarukyan shoots in for the first time this round, but he can’t get it. Nice defense by Gamrot. Another takedown attempt by Tsarukyan ends with them tied up side by side, stalemate, so they’re back to the feet. Oh man, another body kick from Tsarukyan looks like it hurt Gamrot. Big right hand for Gamrot in the final seconds. Those kicks from Tsarukyan are the difference in an otherwise close round, so he gets it 10-9 and is up 20-18 on our card.

Round 3 – Immediately Tsarukyan throws a body kick that lands. Neither guy appears to be fatigued. Nice right hand from Gamrot. Nice couple of jabs from Tsarukyan and then lands a hard right hand to the face, his best of the night. Gamrot tries to take him down with a single but again, Tsarukyan’s flexibility wins out. Nice counter punches from Gamrot. Another takedown  from Gamrot, which is successful but only momentarily. They’re on their feet with Gamrot as a backpack, but Tsarukyan will not stop moving and scrambling to escape. He’s working the wrists to break the grip. Gamrot finally gets it down to the mat, but Tsarukyan is back up and finally turns in to face Gamrot. They break and are at the center of the cage with 90 seconds remaining. Nice sprawl from Gamrot on a takedown attempt, and he’s showing his balance. No takedown. Tsarukyan hits a hard spinning back ick to the chest, but Gamrot absorbds it nicely. Another heavy body kick from Tsarukyan. Man, that was a pretty action-packed round. Gamrot had some good control time, but again the more impactful shots were landed by Tsarukyan, who we give it slightly 10-9. He’s up 30-27 on our card.

Round 4 – They both come out firing to open the round. Nice left hand by Gamrot. There’s a bit of swelling and a cut under Tsarukyan’s left eye. Tsarukyan throws a kick, misses, but uses his momentum to land a big spinning backfist that drops Gamrot. Somehow Gamrot recovers and gets a takedown, but again it’s brief after they separate. Two good punches from Gamrot, but Tsarukyan responds with a nice attack. Another stiff 1-2 from Tsarukyan, followed by another heavy kick. But Gamrot absorbs it and gets another takedown. Tsarukyan gets back to his feet quickly, though, but Gamrot is on his back and drags him down. Gamrot has Tsarukyan in an awkward position now, dangerous, with his leg trapped underneath and bent backwards. But somehow Tsarukyan escapes it. Another wild round of action, and we’ve got that one for Gamrot but close. 10-9.

Round 5 – Good leg kick from Tsarukyan knocks down Gamrot. Another one, too. Nice right cross from Gamrot. Tsarukyan shoots in and is stuffed. Nice takedown by Gamrot, who circles immediately to the back. Tsarukyan looks a little lost and keeps staring at the clock. He could be tiring with Gamrot on him against the fence. Now he’s up to his feet with Gamrot on his back. Tsarukyan circles to escape, and they are in the center with 2:40 left. A telegraphed spinning backfist almost leads to a Gamrot takedown. Nice kick by Tsarukyan. Good combo to follow and then a body kick. A big right hand from Gamrot finds a home. Gamrot tries for a takedown but is stuffed. Tsarukyan attacks with a combo that backs up Gamrot. Neither man is slowing down here. They’re just throwing and both landing. Such a close round with 30 seconds left. Gamrot gets a takedown and is on Tsarukyan’s back with 20 seconds left. Unsuccessful roll to escape. Tsarukyan with one more reversal and gets in a few final punches. Such a close round, and we’re going 10-9 for Gamrot. Close close CLOSE fight that we have 48-47 overall for Tsarukyan.

Result: Mateusz Gamrot def. Arman Tsarukyan via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) Recap: UFC on ESPN 38 results: Mateusz Gamrot emerges victorious in high-paced battle against Arman Tsarukyan Photos: UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas Records: Arman Tsarukyan (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), Mateusz Gamrot (21-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) Division: Lightweight Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+ Referee: Jason Herzog Judging: Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee, Ron McCarthy

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