Justin Edwards went into enemy territory and fought to a decision but came up short on the judges scorecards tonight.
Edwards, a native of Mansfield, OH, took on England native John Maguire at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.
As the first round opened, Edwards landed two kicks below the belt and the fight was stopped to give Maguire a chance to recover.
Once “The One” recovered, Edwards landed a spinning back kick to the body followed by an overhand right that dropped Maguire to the mat. Edwards quickly jumped on top but was unable to finish.
Maguire was able to recover and reverse the position and land on top. Maguire was unable to do any damage and “Fast Eddy” was able to work his way back to his feet but took a couple knees to head from the clinch position.
In the final two minutes of the round, Maguire was able to control the grappling aspect of the fight and ended the round on top.
In the first two minutes of the second round, both fighters exchanged strikes until Maguire was able to take the former “Ultimate Fighter” down and take his back. Maguire locked in a body triangle but was unable to take advantage of the dominant position.
As the second round ended, Maguire rolled for an armbar but the clock ran out before he could sink it in.
Edwards came out throwing to start the third but was quickly taken down. After the takedown, Edwards quickly rolled for a heel hook but Maguire countered with a foot lock of his own. Edwards was able break loose and stand back up.
Trying to finish the fight, Edwards charged in with a spinning back to the head but Maguire was able to clinch up and land knees to the head of Edwards.
From the clinch position, Edwards was able to drag the fight to the ground but Maguire once again quickly reversed the position and landed on top. Maguire was able to take Edwards' back but once again was unable to take advantage of the dominant position as the round ended.
After three rounds the fight would go to the judges. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Maguire.
With the win, Maguire picks up his first UFC win and moves his record to 17-3.
With the loss, Edwards drops to 1-2 in the UFC and 7-2 overall.
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