UFC on ESPN 9 Results - Female fighter creates history, Tyron Woodley gets dominated, Heavyweight fighter gets away with illegal move

#2. Blagoy Ivanov vs. Augusto Sakai (Heavyweight)

Ivanov vs. Sakai.

It was time for the big boys to play in the penultimate fight of the evening!

Esta noche, Sakai la estrella en ascenso de Brasil da otro paso adelante con la meta de disputar el título mundial y arriesga su récord perfecto en la UFC de 3-0 #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/oVrcyygTwV

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) May 31, 2020

Ivanov e uno de los peleadores más duraderos de la división, ha ido a la guerra con contrincantes de la talla de Tai Tuivasa, Ben Rothwell, Junior Dos Santos y Derrick Lewis #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/z4ItNaeefq

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) May 31, 2020

Augusto Sakai picks up a controversial win against Blagoy Ivanov at UFC on ESPN 9

Round 1: Ivanov began in southpaw as Sakai took the orthodox position. Sakai loosened up his feet as he landed with kicks to the legs and body.

Blagoy looked for the opening and he was patient enough for the left-hand haymaker. Sakai peppered Ivanoc's feet with outside leg kicks. Ivanov got into the pocket and went for the straight left hand. He followed it with a quick three-piece combo. The straight lefts were a big weapon in his arsenal.

Sakai kept landing the heavy kicks to the outside. Ivanov cut the cage off and then looked to go to work. He engaged in a scrap but settled for the clinch. Sakai pushed Ivanov against the cage.

Ivanov e uno de los peleadores más duraderos de la división, ha ido a la guerra con contrincantes de la talla de Tai Tuivasa, Ben Rothwell, Junior Dos Santos y Derrick Lewis #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/z4ItNaeefq

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) May 31, 2020

These boys are THROWING! #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/uTqhOly0gv

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 31, 2020

Blagoy escaped and landed a left on the exit. They got in the Thai clinch and Ivanov landed a few shots before the broke up. Ivanov buckled up a bit as a result of an outside leg kick. Sakai cracked Ivanov with a body kick. They clinched and broke away as the round came to a close. That was a close round but Sakai's kicks and a slight edge in the clinch work may have done it for him.

10-9 Sakai

Round 2: Blagoy started with a massive left. He began to find the target and connected with two big lefts. Sakai responded with a counter right.

Ivanov attempted a takedown but Sakai stuffed it with ease. Blagoy entered for a wild exchange but Sakai swung his hands too. Sakai pushed Blagoy against the fence. They broke up after a few seconds and circled the cage.

Sakai was the one who cut the cage off and he was landing some really good shots. He connected a massive body kick but ate a left from Ivanov, which had some good pop on it.

They clinched and Sakai connected with knees to the body. He connected with a backhand on the break. The outside leg kicks kept landing unchecked on Blagoy. Ivanov's lead leg had been clobbered with kicks and his mobility had taken a hit.

Ivanov caught a front kick and executed a takedown. He took side control with 30 seconds on the clock.

10-9 Sakai

Round 3: Blagoy landed a left but Sakai was the more diverse and technical striker as his counter strikes were combinations. Sakai landed a front kick and a big jab. He followed it with a flying knee, and another body kick. Sakai was busy and looked the fresher fighter in the final round.

They got in the body lock and went to the fence. Sakai showcased some fine dirty boxing along the fence. Blagoy almost landed a takedown but Sakai used the fence to avoid going down. That was clearly illegal and Daniel Cormier was shocked. A warning was issued and the fight resumed without any interruptions.

.@DC_MMA with the assist from the booth! 😂#UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/mX6unthVlV

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 31, 2020

Ivanov showed some urgency as he avoided many shots with some smooth head movement before cracking Sakai with a left to the jaw. They ended the fight in the clinch along the fence. The controversial fence-grab was the biggest talking point right after the final buzzer. A point deduction was what DC felt was the right thing to do.

Result: Augusto Sakai def. Blagoy Ivanov via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Split decision for @AugustoSakai! How'd you score it? #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/9TDTAUUhBf

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 31, 2020

Es una decisión dividida que va para @AugustoSakai 🇧🇷 #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/dK6wIhWnHO

— ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) May 31, 2020

#UFCVegas Official Result: @AugustoSakai (29-28, 29-28) def Blagoy Ivanov (30-27) by split decision.Live Results: https://t.co/7TcS46oED1 pic.twitter.com/cSd9zZxjVf

— UFC News (@UFCNews) May 31, 2020

Augusto Sakai should count himself lucky that the judges didn't deduct a point for the fence grab as the fight could have easily ended in a draw.

Good on @dc_mma for acknowledging the severity of that fence grab. Gotta take a point there. #UFCVegas

— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) May 31, 2020

The Brazilian, however, continues to be undefeated in the UFC heavyweight division.