Lightweight Gauge Young positioned himself to be public enemy number one ahead of UFC Winnipeg on Saturday, after calling the host city “a dump.”
Taking on Brazilian Thiago Moises on the Fight Night event’s main card, it remained to be seen how the crowd would react. Probably not all that enthusiastically.
Moises started the fight by using his physicality to set the tone against Gauge Young, finding some success early in the grappling. Young tried to stay active while remaining defensive, but was quickly brought back to the ground through a series of chain takedowns.
The Brazilian grew more dangerous as the round progressed, tying Young up in several vulnerable positions before landing some nasty elbows to close round one.
Round two was much more defensively sound for “Gee Money,” as he denied a number of takedowns from the pressuring Moises. The two began trading in the middle of the octagon, but Young started to lead the dance, directing where the fight was going.
Forced to counterstrike, Moises was accurate, landing a few hooks in range of Young and ending the round well with a clean combination after being denied on the ground once again.
Young’s success continued into the third round, with momentum fully shifted in the American’s favor. Moises attempted a number of takedowns, but ended up on his back, which drew a rain of boos from the Canadian crowd. Young began celebrating in response, but he was in for a surprise when Moises fired back – ruining his chances at a finish bonus and perhaps letting him back into the fight.
The two men threw down as the final round came to a close, and with the fight going to the scorecards, Gauge Young earned his second consecutive victory in the UFC.
Official Result: Gauge Young def. Thiago Moises via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
