Brian Ebersole halted Claude Patrick's win streak by winning a razor-close split decision at UFC 140 in Toronto on Saturday. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Ebersole.
After the last two fights on the card ended in under a minute, this one started a bit more slowly. Ebersole pushed Patrick back to the fence to work a takedown. Ebersole got Patrick to the ground, but Patrick grabbed a guillotine. Ebersole survived, and the two returned to their feet. The first round finished with more clinching, but no serious damage for either fighter.
The pair returned to the clinch in the second round. Neither man could get get an advantage as they pushed into each other until the final 20 seconds of the round. Patrick landed four big strikes, which constituted most of the offense for the round.
After showing good takedown defense for much of the fight, Patrick was finally taken down by Ebersole. He held onto Patrick's back, landing strikes the whole time. The even match continued as Patrick maneuvered Ebersole into a choke, and then Ebersole rolled out. They returned to their feet, and Patrick landed more strikes. As the round came to an end, Patrick stuffed a takedown, then tried for one more choke, but couldn't hold on. The horn to end the round sounded with Ebersole on top of Patrick.
Ebersole, who has been fighting since 2000, said that the guillotine wasn't close to taking him out. "In my experience, the guillotine is a myth," Ebersole said after the bout of a submission that is quite effective.
He now has a record of 49-14-1. Patrick, who was fighting in front of a home crowd, lost for just the second time in his career. He is now 14-2.
