UFC on ESPN 10 results: Charles Rosa bounces back with split decision win over Kevin Aguilar

Barely a month after suffering a loss in his last fight, Charles Rosa returned to the win column with a split decision over Kevin Aguilar at UFC on ESPN 10.

In what turned out to be a stand-up battle, Rosa was able to connect with the better strikes over three rounds to get the nod on the scorecards. A pair of 29-28 cards went Rosa’s way with the third judge giving the fight to Aguilar by the same 29-28 score.

“I was fighting to finish him the whole time,” Rosa said while also revealing he just inked a new contract with the UFC. “I went in there for the kill the whole time. I got the win, that was the mission so mission accomplished.”

Rosa seemed content trading shots on the feet with Aguilar, which can a dangerous proposition considering the kind of power “The Angel of Death” packs with his punches. Aguilar didn’t get overly aggressive while respecting Rosa’s ground game but he was definitely connecting with the better strikes in the early going.

It appeared perhaps Aguilar got a little too comfortable countering Rosa rather than really pressing the action, which slowed his offense down several times throughout the fight.

With time running out in the second round, Rosa and Aguilar upped the intensity with both fighters throwing a series of hard shots. While Rosa came away with a cut over his eyebrow, it was Aguilar who seemingly got the worst of those exchanges after being wobbled by a pair of punches.

The real difference in the fight was Rosa’s left hand, which continuously found a home on Aguilar’s chin as he was coming up just short while swinging for the fences. As each minute passed, Rosa’s ability to land on target helped him edge out Aguilar in virtually every exchange.

After a disappointing performance in his last outing against Bryce Mitchell, Rosa returned just a few weeks later and got the job done with the split decision nod while Aguilar has now dropped three fights in a row.