Main Card Results | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira

Morono came out of the gates quickly, landing sharp counters and getting the better of the striking exchanges with Rodriguez. But as the fight progressed, “D-Rod” warmed into the contest, seemingly drawing level in the second before connecting with more force and frequency in the third.

They went the distance, and when the tens and nines were added up, it was Rodriguez that came out ahead, snapping a three-fight slide in the process. This was a quality win for the 37-year-old, who has been a stable presence in the “Second 15” in the welterweight division for a number of years and should maintain that role after getting back into the win column here.

Dawson was more comfortable on the feet in the early moments of the contest, but when he got into his grappling, the American Top Team product completely dominated, putting Garcia on the deck and punishing him from top position. While he couldn’t connect with anything significantly damaging in the first, that was the case in the second, as Dawson put Garcia on the canvas early, busted him up with elbows, and continued raining down punishment until referee Chris Tognoni was forced to step in.

That’s now consecutive victories for Dawson, who continues to look like a promising, emerging name in the lightweight division. That loss to Bobby Green last year appears to have lit a fire under “KGD” and it’s going to be interesting to see how he continues to progress going forward.

The veteran Muay Thai fighter battered Jared Gooden from the clinch throughout the first and second rounds, utilizing all his weapons while keeping Gooden pinned to the fence for long stretches. While he got taken down in the opening seconds of the third, Njokuani quickly worked back to his feet, hurting Gooden with a knee up the middle before finishing the round working from top position.

After dropping three straight at middleweight after a quick start to his UFC tenure, Njokuani has now garnered consecutive decision wins in the 170-pound ranks. His diverse striking arsenal makes him a threat on the feet, and he should garner a step up in competition after completely out-classing Gooden in this one.

Tavares dropped Park early in the first, but the South Korean was able to recover quickly and go on the offensive, taking the fight to his Hawaiian counterpart and trying to goad him into a brawl. After a competitive second, Park staggered Tavares in the opening seconds of the third before dragging him to the canvas midway through the frame, grinding out the remainder of the round.

Two of the three judges scored this fight in favor of Park, who has still never lost consecutive contests in his career. Now 8-3 inside the Octagon, “The Iron Turtle” remains one of the more consistent figures in the “Second 15” of the 185-pound weight class.

In the championship rounds, Taira controlled the entirety of the fourth from Royval’s back before the Factory X man battled back in the final stanza, finishing the frame working from back mount himself.

The judges were called upon to determine a victor, and when the scores were added up, it was Royval that came away on the happy side of the split decision verdict. That’s consecutive wins for “Raw Dawg” who remains squarely in the title mix, while Taira showed in defeat that he’s a legitimate threat in the division.