Rising bantamweight Montel Jackson faced off against Raoni Barcelos as part of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 116 main card.
Jackson has been one to watch, putting together a 9-3 record in the UFC and most recently competing against ex-flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo. While that fight didn’t go his way, he remained inside the top 15 and was getting a solid matchup with Brazil’s Barcelos, himself 10-4 inside the Octagon.
Jackson got the party started immediately, knocking Barcelos to the ground with a quick short shot to the 14 fight veteran. Referee Jason Herzog did an excellent job of allowing Barcelos to recover from the massive strike from Jackson, as the Brazilian quickly returned to his feet to recover.
Back at range, Barcelos was susceptible to the straight punches from Jackson, seemingly still out of sorts from being knocked down in the first 30 seconds of the round. After a shaky sequence on the feet, the Brazilian finally found some success in the back half of round one, finding a double-leg shot to bring the American down, then picking him up and slamming him back down to the mat.
Jackson was able to survive at first, though he was again brought back to the ground with a gorgeous level change. As the final seconds ticked off the clock in round one, Barcelos started cinching in a deep rear-naked choke. Saved by the bell, Jackson continued on to the second round with no significant damage after a back-and-forth first round. Barcelos, on the other hand, was wearing some of Jackson’s power straights.
Round two was more of the same from the two bantamweights, with Montel Jackson attempting to keep the fight at a distance while Barcelos searched for level changes to bring the opposition to the mat. The Brazilian got much better results this time, repeatedly winning positioning along the cage and taking Jackson to the ground. Once again, the two ended the round with Barcelos tying up a rear-naked choke submission on Jackson’s back, the veteran finding himself coming closer to the finish.
It was potentially anyone’s fight as the two bantamweights entered the final round of their three-round affair. Jackson continued to fight well on the feet, trying to deter Barcelos from coming inside on him. With around a minute and a half left, Montel Jackson landed his best strike of the round: a flush head kick directly upstairs on Barcelos. Though the momentum quickly faded for the American, as Barcelos was able to grab hold of Jackson in the final seconds, pulling off a beautiful trip and ending the third round in a row on Jackson’s back.
With the fight going to the scorecards, both bantamweights felt they had done enough to earn the decision victory. Ultimately it was the veteran Raoni Barcelos who got his hand raised via split decision over Montel Jackson. Potentially big things are ahead for the Brazilian, as he’ll likely hold a ranking come next week.
Official Result: Raoni Barcelos def. Montel Jackson by split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)
