UFC veteran Alan Jouban returned to the Octagon on tonight’s UFC prelims for a welterweight contest with Jared Gooden.

The bout marked Jouban’s first since suffering a split-decision setback to Dwight Grant in April of 2019.

Meanwhile, Jared Gooden (17-5 MMA) was making his promotional debut when he squared off with Alan Jouban this evening.

Tonight’s Jouban vs. Gooden matchup proved to be a thrilling back and forth affair. After trading leather for the better portion of the fight, “Brahma” nearly finished the contest with a submission late in round three. However, “Nite Train” was able to survive to hear the final horn and thus the contest went to the judges scorecards for decision.

All three judges in attendance wound up scoring the fight 30-27 in favor of Alan Jouban.

After being taken to the Hospital for precautionary reasons, the victorious 37-year-old took to social media where he shared the following photo and statement.

https://twitter.com/AlanJouban/status/1330331372892798976

“Thank you Jared Gooden for bringing the war tonight! All positive vibes for you moving forward.” – Jouban captioned the photo.

It will be interesting to see if tonight’s thrilling contest between Alan Jouban and Jared Gooden receives fight of the night honors. The welterweight contest has definitely been the most exciting and competitive fight of the night to date.

Who would you like to see Alan Jouban fight next following his unanimous decision victory over Jared Gooden this evening in Las Vegas? Share your thoughts in the comments section of this post PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BPENN.com November 21, 2020