Dan Ige wanted to make the most of his spot on the pay-per-view main card at UFC 247 but his split decision win didn’t come easy.
The Hawaiian engaged in a back-and-forth war with Mirsad Bektic over three rounds but in the end, he still managed to get the nod. Two judges saw the fight 29-28 for Ige with the third dissenting official giving the fight 29-28 to Bektic.
“That was a very tough fight,” Ige said after his hand was raised.
With a chance to shine on Saturday night, Ige was sharper than ever in the early going, connecting with crisp punches and doing maximum damage with every combination. It seemed like Bektic was struggling with his timing as Ige was connecting with much more regularity whenever they started launching strikes at each other.
After coming up short on the feet, Bektic decided to slow Ige down by taking him to the mat. Once he got the fight on the ground, Bektic was methodical with his attacks before locking up a head and arm choke that had Ige locked underneath him.
While he didn’t secure the submission, Bektic managed to put the momentum back on his side as the fight shifted into the final five minutes.
From there it was a battle of attrition with Ige searching for strikes on the feet and Bektic attempting to slow him down by dragging the action back to the ground. Ige opened the final round by displaying his strong striking but then he spent the last couple of minutes fighting off Bektic’s grappling game.
A razor close result that could have gone either way ultimately earned Ige his fourth win in a row as he looks to establish himself in a deep and dangerous featherweight division.