After playing defense for the first five minutes, Daniel Marcos did enough in the final 10 minutes to take a split decision over Davey Grant at UFC London.
Daniel Marcos is an undefeated Peruvian fighter who earned a second-round knockout in his UFC debut back in January. Facing him at UFC London is longtime veteran Davey Grant, who has been making appearances in the Octagon for nearly a decade. He’s coming off a pair of stoppages.
Davey Grant started the fight by establishing his range with leg kicks in the center of the Octagon. Daniel Marcos was off to a tentative start, allowing Grant to find a rhythm on the feet. Grant was able to mix in some punches, but it was an oddly quiet first round for a Grant fight.
Marcos stepped forward and whiffed on a jumping knee to start the second round and Grant answered with a wheel kick that was deflected by Marcos. The first punch that landed for Marcos came soon after, and it was a hard left hook that got Grant’s attention. Marcos started to open things up, landing a looping right. The uptick in aggression from Marcos opened things up for Grant, who threw a four-punch combination at a shelled-up Marcos. Grant then landed a knee up the middle and unfortunately, the next strike that landed was a kick below the belt by Marcos. After a brief pause, the second round continued to change the complexion of the fight. Both fighters picked up their volume significantly, but the damage was still leaving a bit to be desired.
Marcos sat behind a strong jab as Grant came out frantic in the third round. He shot for a takedown to no avail against the cage. Marcos landed a knee, as he seemed to be in control after not using any offense in the first five minutes of the fight. A backwards elbow connected for Marcos following a combination by Grant. Grant continued to keep a high pace in the third round, keeping Marcos on the back foot. Marcos made him pay briefly for that with a quick single-leg takedown. Grant popped right back up and was firing combinations to the end, getting caught by a big shot from Marcos near the bell.
Daniel Marcos def. Davey Grant by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
