Barao retains gold in London

Renan Barao defended his Interim UFC Bantamweight championship against Michael McDonald at UFC London 2013.

Barao's unbeaten run continues at Wembley Arena

Renan Barao defended his Interim UFC Bantamweight championship with a submission victory over Michael McDonald at UFC Wembley 2013. Barao, who went 30 fights unbeaten with the win, locked in an arm triangle towards the end of the fourth round and McDonald tapped out, making it only the second loss of the Canadian's career. "Mayday" would have become the youngest champion in UFC history with success in London, but the night belonged to Barao as he continued his unbeaten eight-year run in mixed martial arts. McDonald landed some hard shots on Barao up against the cage in the first round, but it was the Brazilian who was mostly dictating the pace of the fight, especially on the ground. With McDonald looking to keep the fight standing up, Barao was the one pressing the issue, with a succession of punches wobbling "Mayday" in the third. Barao will now be looking to face incumbent UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz following his London triumph, as the Brazilian attempts to unify the two titles.

Impressive

In the night's co-main event, Cub Swanson displayed his UFC Featherweight title credentials after taking a unanimous decision victory in a closely fought battle with Justin Poirier. Swanson stormed out of the traps from the off, connecting with some powerful shots while resisting many of Poirier's takedown attempts, before "The Diamond" finally managed to ground Swanson towards the end of the first round. An attempted spinning backhand from Swanson failed to find its target in the second, but Poirier continued to struggle with his opponent's relentless and immense striking. While both had their moments in the third, it was Swanson who got the win with a thoroughly impressive performance to seal his fourth consecutive win at 145 pounds.

Injury

Jimi Manuwa's hand was raised against Cyrille Diabate after the Frenchman declared he was unable to continue and pulled out through injury after the first round. Manuwa caught his opponent with an array of powerful kicks and punches, and it was during a clash of legs that Diabate suffered the injury which resulted in the contest being stopped soon after. The London-born Manuwa had previously finished all of his previous 12 fights, and the light heavyweight ensured that it wasn't unlucky number 13 as he extended his unbeaten run via TKO in front of his home fans. Gunnar Nelson also kept his own winning streak alive with a unanimous decision victory against Jorge Santiago, continuing his rapid ascent up the welterweight rankings. Nelson dominated the Brazilian from start to finish, with Santiago offering little threat to the rising star, whose movement and anticipation constantly frustrated "The Sandman". Despite Nelson landing several blows, Santiago showed creditable resiliency to last the full three rounds, and even found Nelsen's chin in the dying embers of the fight. Nelson was rarely troubled otherwise, and with the vocal crowd inside the Wembley Arena fully behind him, "Gunni" won his 11th straight fight in comprehensive fashion.

Decision

James Te Huna went the full 15 minutes for a second straight fight before emerging with a unanimous decision triumph against Ryan Jimmo. Having performed a routine from Will Smith's "Men in Black" video on his way to the Octagon, Te Huna found the pre-fight shenanigans ended swiftly after being struck with a left kick early in the first round. Jimmo, who needed just seven seconds to beat Anthony Perosh in his UFC debut in July, failed to capitalise though after flooring Te Huna, and the Australian's supreme wrestling saw him edge the second and third rounds. In the night's final main card action, Matt Riddle earned a split decision win over Gloucester-born Che Mills. Riddle lost the last time he was on English soil, but the talented American largely dominated Mills with his superior grappling, much to the frustration of the London crowd. While Mills did connect with a stunningly acrobatic kick in the second round, it was not enough for "Beautiful" to secure all three of the judges' votes.
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