There's nothing quite like a battle between two British heavyweights but this wasn't your stereotypical battle of brawling football hooligans, instead Philip De Fries succeeded in making it a ground battle and took a unanimous decision win over Rob Broughton at UFC 138.
UFC 138 results: Philip De Fries defeats Rob Broughton by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
In the first round, De Fries (8-0, 1 NC) struggled to take Broughton down but did eventually manage it. He didn't do any damage from the top position and seemed content to control position and wrack up points on the judges cards.
De Fries' game plan nearly came back to bite him in the ass in round two. Going for another take down, he left an arm hanging out and Broughton managed to lock on a nasty kimura attempt. Broughton couldn't get the tap but he did use the hold to reverse position and spent the remainder of the round on top of De Fries and punching him in the face.
Unfortunately for Broughton, De Fries was able to capitalize on his weak take down defense again in the third round. This time there were no mistakes and De Fries rode out the fight on top and took the decision.
Broughton falls to 1-2 in the UFC and could well be cut. De Fries should return although he did little or nothing that makes me think he'll be able to contend in the UFC's heavyweight division.