UFC Vegas 38: Thiago Santos Back In Winning Column With Decision Victory Over Johnny Walker, Four Performance Of The Night Bonuses Handed Out

Thiago Santos earned a decision victory in, what some fans called, a lackluster UFC Fight Night main event.

Santos (22-9) topped Johnny Walker (18-6) in the light heavyweight main event by earning the judges’ favors with scorecards (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) on October 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Brazilian fighters decided to fight carefully, which is logical since it meant a lot for both fighters after suffering several losses in their last contests.

Santos lands clean, but Walker 𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐈𝐓 👀

[ #UFCVegas38 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ycK0sBggRc

— UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2021

However, in this chess battle, Santos won three out of five rounds and stopped his three-fight losing streak. Walker suffered another loss, but he fought five rounds against a very experienced opponent.

Nothing significant will change in the rankings since the No. 5 ranked contender defended his sport against the No. 10.

In the co-main event, Kevin Holland faced Kyle Daukaus, which ended in a draw.

Holland (21-7, 1 NC) got knocked down by an illegal accidental clash of heads. He managed to survive, but soon after Daukaus (10-2, 1 NC) then hurt Holland via submission. The referee stopped the fight, but they checked it using VAR and decided to end it without a winner.

Niko Price (15-5, 2 NC) and Alex Oliveira (22-11-1, 2NC) offered MMA fans another close fight. However, in the third round, Price did a better job and added another victory to his record.

Alexander Hernandez (13-4) scored a first-round KO finish against UFC debutant Mike Breeden (10-4), who took this fight on short notice.

Four Performances of the Night were nominated in this event and all of them from the preliminary card.

Alexandro Perez opens this event with a fantastic second-round submission victory against Johnny Eduardo. A few seconds before the second-round bell, Perez finished his rival via very rear submission called scarf hold Armlock and earned an extra $50,000.

Douglas Silva de Andrade earned another brutal first-round KO victory against Gaetano Pirrello. In the first round, the Brazilian caught his rival on the movement with a massive left hook and earned a bonus for this knockout.

MY GOODNESS 😱

🇧🇷 @DSilva_MMA just DID THAT. #UFCVegas38 pic.twitter.com/iO4Zyurl8U

— UFC (@ufc) October 2, 2021

Jamie Mullarkey defended well against dangerous striker Devonte Smith.

Mullarkey received lots of punches in the first round and was bleeding. However, in the second round, he damaged his rival using knees and elbows. He finished his opponent using various combinations to the head and the body. He earned another $50,000.

Casey O’Neill defeated the sister of one of the most dominant champions of the UFC.

Antonina Shevchenko – sister of Valentina Shevchenko — opened the bout strong. Shevchenko looked stronger and sharper in the first round, landing kicks and shots and earned the first round.

However, O’Neill, the undefeated fighter, managed to takedown her rival and showed some ground skills in addition to her knowledge of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She was landing elbows and punches accurately.

She bagged an additional $50,000.

Here’s all the results for UFC Fight Night: Santos Vs. Walker:

•  Thiago Santos  def  Johnny Walker Unanimous Dec
•  Kevin Holland  vs.  Kyle Daukaus Ends in a No Contest
•  Niko Price  def  Alex Oliveira Unanimous Dec
•  Krzysztof Jotko  def  Misha Cirkunov Split Dec
•  A. Hernandez  def  Mike Breeden KO/TKO, 1:20 R1
•  Jared Gordon  def  Joe Solecki Split Dec
•  Casey O’Neill def  A. Shevchenko KO/TKO, 4:47 R2
•  Karol Rosa  def  Bethe Correia Unanimous Dec
•  Jamie Mullarkey  def  Devonte Smith KO/TKO, 2:51 R2
•  D. Silva de Andrade  def  Gaetano Pirrello KO/TKO, 2:04 R1
•  Stephanie Egger  def  Shanna Young KO/TKO, 2:22 R2
•  Alejandro Perez  def  Johnny Eduardo Sub, 4:13 R2