LAS VEGAS — For the better part of two rounds, John Dodson looked like more like a rusty fighter who missed nearly a year following knee surgery than the guy who gave flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson the toughest challenge of his title reign.
Dodson showed little in the first round of his UFC 187 bout matchup against Zack Makovsky. But the Jackson’s MMA fighter turned up the heat late in the second round and held up in the third, enough to take the decision Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The judges’ scores were 29-28 across the board.
The opening round featured little in the way of action, as the two stuck and moved, but didn’t connect much in a round conducted entirely on their feet. Makovsky initiated whatever action did happen, tagging Dodson with a couple stiff jabs, likely giving him the round.
In the second, the pace stayed the same, but Dodson scored a takedown in the final minute, then followed up a bit later with a big slam. Makovsky nearly trapped Dodson in an ankle lock, but Dodson spun out.
The fight slowed again in the third round, Dodson scored a takedown in the final minute and sprawled a Makovsky takedown in the final seconds.
The victory for was third in a row for Dodson (17-6) and his eighth in his past nine, with his only loss in that span his decision loss to Johnson in 2013. Makovsky (19-6) has dropped two of his past three.