UFC 246: Russian flyweight contender Askar Askarov half-KO's Tim Elliott before claiming decision win (VIDEO)

Undefeated flyweight contender Askar Askarov came close to scoring a spectacular knockout of Tim Elliott before eventually defeating him after three punishing rounds at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

Elliott, a former UFC title challenger, fought his usual awkward style throughout the bout. In the first round, it would be Askarov who landed the better and more effective punches. One such strike looked close to being a knockout blow, as Elliott stiffened up and appeared ready to fall flat to his back before snapping back to reality.

Elliott would end up surviving as he fought from his back for the rest of the round. A clear first round in the books for the former ACB king.

The second round saw a recovered Elliott attacking back and able to have solid success in grappling exchanges. The American hit three big hip tosses to get Askarov down thus leading to the Russian looking for submissions to no avail.

Elliott walked Askarov down in round three landing some nice leg kicks and shots to the body when he engaged in the clinch. That was about as effective as it got for his offense, however.

Askarov would be the one to consistently land his jabs on the back foot along with other power shots when Elliott's hands were down.

In the end, the unanimous decision win went to Askarov as he remained unbeaten. The judges' scores read 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.

The loss dropped Elliott's record to 15-10-1 as he's now lost two in a row and three of his last four.