Without knockouts or submissions, Damm's controversial victory over Ivan Batman is highlighted on the preliminary card

R. Damm (photo) defeated I. Batman in a controversial decision by the judges. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Those who arrived early at Arena Jaraguá, in the interior of Santa Catarina, to watch UFC Fight Night 36 hoping for knockouts and submissions ended up disappointed. Of the seven fights in the preliminary program, all ended in the judges' decision. Although no fight ended before the regulatory 15 minutes, the program featured balanced and closely contested duels. Highlight for the 100% Brazilian fight between Rodrigo Damm and Ivan Batman. In a controversial decision by the judges, Damm defeated the home athlete in a split decision by the judges.

The fight

The duel started evenly with Batman dominating the center of the octagon and landing more blows. However, Damm was always dangerous on the counterattack. In the second round, Ivan maintained his good momentum and took the initiative. But Rodrigo managed to recover in the final half and land more hard-hitting punches.

With the dispute completely undefined, the third round could decide the dispute. Ivan Batman started better, when he reversed a position in the ground fight and tried to land a fair katagatame, very well defended by Damm. Excited, Ivan opened the game and landed good blows again in his open exchange. However, fatigue prevented the continuation of the blows.

At the end of 15 minutes, both fighters raised their arms, but the side judges scored 29×28 for Rodrigo Damm, who seemed to be surprised by the result. The public did not like the decision and booed the judges of the dispute.

Check out the results of the UFC preliminary card in Jaraguá do Sul below

Preliminary Card 

Joe Proctor defeated Cristiano Marcello via unanimous decision;

Rodrigo Damm defeated Ivan Batman via split decision;

Francisco Massaranduba derrotou Jesse Ronson in the unanimous decision of the judges;

Yuri Marajó derrotou Wilson reis in the unanimous decision of the judges;

Felipe Sertanejo defeated Maximo Blanco via unanimous decision by the judges;

Ildemar Marajó defeated Albert Tumenov via unanimous decision;

Zubair Tuhugov defeated Douglas D'Lima in a unanimous decision by the judges;