UFC Vegas 117 Prelims: Ivan Erslan clubs George Tokkos

Getty Images/UFC Ivan Erslan did it about how they must have drawn it up in camp. In a light heavyweight clash atop the seven-fight undercard of UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday at the Meta Apex, the 34-year-old Croatian faced George Tokkos . It was a clash of styles of the kind that has characterized mixed martial arts for three decades and counting, as kickboxing convert Erslan faced submission specialist “Tuco.

” Despite Tokkos’ obvious need to get the action to the mat at any cost, the fight was competitive in the early going, as Erslan was clearly uncomfortable with Tokkos’ constant encroachment on the feet. Erslan may have won a competitive Round 1 anyway, but definitely found his groove in the second frame. Tokkos looked slow and suddenly tired on the feet, wading in from well outside with badly telegraphed takedown attempts.

These attempts Erslan punished with accurate, solid counters in the pocket. When the action did go to the ground, it in the place, position and time of Erslan’s choosing, and he pelted the Englishman with deliberate ground strikes. As the third round began, the fight was already becoming a slow-motion rout, with Tokkos offering little resistance but Erslan either too tired himself or too wary to truly step on the gas pedal and hunt for the finish.

Tokkos, for his part, seemed to understand that the fight was getting away from him and elected to stand and swing, while Erslan punished him over and over again in close quarters. When the final horn sounded, there was no question of who had the momentum, nor of who had show himself to be the better fighter on the night. The judges saw things the same way, awarding the fight to Erslan by unanimous 29-28 scores.