Overview
- Cody Garbrandt defeated Xiao Long by unanimous decision with identical 28-27 scorecards after two point deductions against Long for repeated groin strikes.
- Round 3 featured three low blows, with one foul causing Garbrandt to vomit into a bucket during a timeout before the fight was allowed to resume.
- The Unified Rules note visible loss of bodily function can trigger a stoppage, but John McCarthy later explained the continuation was proper because the vomiting followed a foul during a referee-called timeout under physician oversight.
- Long secured a late takedown and full mount in the closing seconds, yet the deducted points left him unable to overcome the deficit on the judges' cards.
- The outcome snapped Garbrandt’s two-fight skid, drew widespread fighter and fan reaction online, and saw post-fight tensions escalate until UFC security entered the cage.