Dodson, Kim, Covington among winners on UFC 187 prelims

John Dodson def. Zach Makovsky via unanimous decision

It wasn't the stirring, division-altering victory expected of a top contender, but John Dodson did just enough to top Zach Makovsky in his return to the Octagon at UFC 187 on Saturday night.

Dodson was largely inactive during the opening frame, allowing "Fun Size" to take advantage with the higher volume of strikes, with Makovsky likely winning the round through sheer activity.

After doing little for large swaths of the second round, Dodson finally woke up and put an exclamation point on the waning moments of the frame, grounding Makovsky with a big slam and some ground-and-pound. Once it was clear he wasn't going to finish him, Dodson offered to help Mavoksy back to his feet as the seconds ticked down.

Dodson, as if suddenly reinvigorated, took control in the third and final frame, outworking Mokovsky on the feet with slick combinations, while sealing the fight with a late takedown.

Dong Hyun Kim def. Josh Burkman via third-round arm-triangle choke

Josh Burkman thought engaging in a clinch-fest with Dong Hyun Kim was a good idea. Josh Burkman was horrifically mistaken.

After an extended period clinched along the fence, Kim took Burkman's back standing and rode him for almost the entire opening round, forcing Burkman to wear him like an 170-pound backpack while threatening with a rear-naked choke.

Burkman, as if shot out of a cannon, hurled heavy leather at Kim to open the second round, landing a few shots before foolishly initiating a clinch. From there it was all Kim, who dominated Burkman with punches and elbows while Burkman tried to avoid punishment by turtling up with his forehead on the mat.

The third round was much the same, as Burkman blitzed "Stun Gun" with a wild flurry, landing some heavy shots before being dumped by Kim as soon as they clinched up. Once on the floor, Kim put on a clinic, snaking in an arm-triangle choke and eliciting a tap at 2:13 of the final frame.

Rafael Natal def. Uriah Hall via split-decision

The heated pre-fight exchange between Uriah Hall and Rafael Natal did not translate to the cage.

After an extended feeling out process on the feet, Hall found his range and looked completely comfortable, feeding Natal a steady diet of head kicks, and (occasionally) attempted spinning back kicks to the body.

The two men traded grappling exchanges in the second stanza, with Natal controlling with a takedown earlier in the round, while Hall took Natal down multiple times in the waning moments, but wasn't able to gain much of an advantage.

Not much happened in the third round, as Natal threw wild, looping punches, and Hall avoided the heavy artillery while not uncorking much of his own. Natal's aggressiveness, coupled with Hall's sheer inactivity, likely swayed two of the judges to give Natal the controversial decision.

Colby Covington def. Mike Pyle via unanimous decision

It wasn't pretty, but Colby Covington passed the biggest test of his UFC career.

Covington's wrestling was the difference against Mike Pyle on the UFC 187 prelims, throwing wild bombs to get into the clinch before easily taking Pyle to the floor. From there, Covington controlled Pyle with heavy top control and the occasional burst of ground-and-pound.

With a minute and a half left in the third frame, Pyle used the threat of a kimura to sweep Covington and take full mount. While in full mount, Pyle dropped a few punches before taking Covington's back and threatening with a rear-naked choke.

Alas, the miraculous comeback was not to be, and Covington survived long enough to sweep the the judges' scorecards en route to a unanimous decision victory.