UFC Fight Night 84 results: Brad Pickett takes questionable decision from Francisco Rivera

There was no big mystery why bantamweights Francisco Rivera and Brad Pickett were matched up in London on Saturday.

The duo can just bang, bro, with 15 knockouts between them. And while it wasn't a bell-to-bell barnburner at UFC Fight Night 84, the duo gave the crowd enough of what they wanted to make them happy.

In the end, the judges went for a little hometown cooking, giving Picket a highly questionable split decision. Pickett got two out of three 29-28 cards for the win.

"I would have thought of retiring if I lost tonight," said an emotional Pickett (25-7), who snapped a three-fight losing streak.

After a feeling out period in the opening round, Rivera and Pickett went for broke, winging wild punches. Rivera, who landed often on counters, got the best of the exchanges, as he dropped Pickett on several occasions.

The frenetic pace slowed in the second, but still, Rivera dictated the tempo and initiated more of the action. Pickett's best shot in the round was a punch straight to the groin. After the timeout for the foul, the two let loose another wild exchange, this time to a stalemate.

The third round was undoubtedly Pickett's, as he went for broke and got the best of the action against the fading Rivera.

It was a hard-luck decision for Rivera (11-6, 1 NC), who lost for the fourth time in his past five fights.

"He's a very tough opponent," said Pickett. "He's one tough guy."