411’s UFC Fight Night 83 Report: 2.21.16

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC Fight Night 83. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be relaying all of the action to you just as I see it. Before going further I need to publicly thank Mark Radulich again for covering Bellator on Friday, it saved me from doing three nights in a row of coverage and turns it saved a huge chunk of my sanity given how that event went down. While you’re all here please check out the Radulich in Broadcasting Network, it’s got a lot of quality on demand audio including the 411 Ground and Pound radio show on Sunday’s when I don’t have to cover a UFC event. Tonight’s show has an extremely fan friendly main event as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone moves up to welterweight and takes on Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira. Sadly the tagline for this event isn’t “There can be only one” or some derivation there of, also no word on if the loser will have to pick a new nick name. The only issue with weight on the card came from Augusto Mendes who took a fight with Cody Garbrandt on very short notice and missed what I believe was intended to be a catchweight fight at 140 lbs. though it might have been intended as a bantamweight fight the whole time. This event comes to us from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Incidentally Brian Stann mentioned on Twitter yesterday that the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission treated the fighters very poorly and that would hurt the state’s chances at getting more events in the future. We’re also going to be listening to Jon Anik and Brian Stann on commentary tonight.

Anthony Hamilton has been trading wins and losses lately but is coming off of a win over Daniel Omielanczuk from April of last year, despite the long layoff he’s after his first set of consecutive UFC wins tonight. Shamil Abdurakhimov lost his UFC debut in April of last year against Timothy Johnson and looks for the all important first UFC win here.

Heavyweight Bout: Shamil Abdurakhimov (15-3, 254 lbs.) vs Anthony Hamilton (14-4, 260 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Hamilton has two inches of height on Abdurakhimov but they have identical reaches. Touch of gloves to get us going. Abdurakhimov circling early. Hamilton reaches for a takedown, Abdurakhimov avoids it and lands an uppercut. Abdurakhimov lands a jab. Abdurakhimov lands a couple of rights that wobble Hamilton a little. They clinch and Abdurakhimov again lands a couple of uppercuts before they separate. Another right uppercut lands for Abdurakhimov but Hamilton lands a counter right this time. Abdurakhimov doing a good job of landing short uppercuts in the clinch to help him disengage. Hamilton misses a couple of hooks. They clinch up and break without incident. Abdurakhimov lands a right and they clinch. Abdurakhimov lands a left as they break. Hamilton has really been ineffective with his offense. Abdurakhimov lands a leg kick then another uppercut in the clinch. They trade some body shots in the clinch while Hamilton tries to get a body lock takedown. Abdurakhimov avoiding Hamilton’s grappling, Hamilton lands a right as they break. The round ends after they break another uneventful clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Abdurakhimov

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves to start the second round. Abdurakhimov lands a right uppercut then a right as Hamilton struggles to get close. Hamilton misses with a wild hook but that thing had some heat on it. They clinch again and Abdurakhimov lands a left hook as they separate. Abdurakhimov lands a right then a left and a right uppercut. Abdurakhimov lands a right uppercut again. Abdurakhimov lands a couple of more uppercuts in close after Hamilton avoided a double leg attempt. They clinch again, trade some body work and knees to the thigh. They break and both miss punches as they do. Lefts land for both men. Hamilton bulls into the clinch on the fence, Abdurakhimov lands a couple of uppercuts and spins off of the fence and out of Hamilton’s grip. They circle the last ten seconds away.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Abdurakhimov, 20-18 Abdurakhimov overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the last round. Hamilton misses a right but gets the clinch. They trade knees to the body, a cut opened up on the forehead of Abdurakhimov, likely an accidental clash of heads there. Abdurakhimov lands a solid jab. They clinch again then Hamilton lands an elbow as they separate. Abdurakhimov lands a leg kick then an uppercut, Hamilton landed a right between those two strikes. Abdurakhimov lands a glancing spinning back kick. Hard right from Abdurakhimov, Hamilton lands a right to the body. They clinch again, Abdurakhimov lands a knee to the head then a couple of uppercuts before they break. They trade in close, Abdurakhimov’s right is still finding the target. Stiff jab from Abdurakhimov lands. They clinch again and trade some body shots. We get a brief time out because Abdurakhimov lost his mouth piece, they get it back in and we’re back to fighting in the clinch. Abdurakhimov lands some rights to the body and head before they break apart. Abdurakhimov lands a spinning back fist. Another hard jab lands for Abdurakhimov. Abdurakhimov lands another right as Hamilton pushes into the clinch. They jockey for position then separate. Hamilton lands a leg kick then a body kick as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Abdurakhimov, 30-27 Abdurakhimov overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Shamil Abdurakhimov via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

Well that was the best heavyweight fight of the last three days. No interview for the winner but a solid enough start to the evening.

This fight was supposed to be between Lauren Murphy and Sarah Moras, but Moras got injured late last week and Kelly Fasholz took this fight on short notice. Faszholz is unbeaten as a professional and a win here would announce her arrival in the UFC in impressive fashion. Lauren Murphy is a former Invicta bantamweight champion but vacated that belt to compete in the UFC where she has gone 0-2. Murphy needs a win tonight to avoid the dreaded three fight losing streak.

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Kelly Faszholz (3-0, 135 lbs.) vs Lauren Murphy (8-2, 135.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Faszholz has three inches of height on Murphy but they have the same reach. Faszholz trying to circle early, Murphy the aggressor. Faszholz lands a couple of counter rights, Murphy lands a leg kick. Faszholz has some good straight punches. Faszholz lands a combination of punches and they clinch. Faszholz gets Murphy on the fence. They trade knees to the body while jockeying for position. Faszholz lands some short lefts in the clinch. They separate without incident. Rights traded, Faszholz using good combinations while Murphy is using more single shots. Faszholz lands a right that drops Murphy for a moment. Faszholz using a good one two combination when Murphy tries to kick. Faszholz lands a body kick and a right. Faszholz lands another straight right. Murphy lands a right, she lands another and gets the clinch on the fence. Both women bleeding from the nose. Murphy lands a few short lefts and some knees to the thigh. Faszholz lands a knee to the body as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Faszholz

ROUND TWO: Murphy comes out aggressively again, Faszholz circling. Faszholz lands a right and they push into the clinch. Faszholz gets Murphy on the fence and they start jockeying for position along the fence. Murphy with some knees to the body. They break without incident. They push forward and trade rights. Faszholz lands a super man punch. Faszholz stuffs a takedown from Murphy. Faszholz lands a right then a left. Murphy lands a right. Faszholz lands a hard right, Murphy just ate it. Murphy lands a left then a right. Leg kicks traded, Murphy’s pace is starting to get to Faszholz a little. They clinch after Faszholz lands a leg kick. Murphy has Faszholz on the fence, lands a few knees to the thigh and some short lefts. They both miss rights as they break. Faszholz just misses a spinning back fist. Faszholz catches a kick and gets the back standing then drags Murphy to the mat. Murphy tries to scramble up but the round ends before anything can come of it.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Murphy, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Faszholz lands a right to start the third, Murphy is undeterred and continues moving forward. Murphy ducks a right and gets a takedown into the guard of Faszholz. Faszholz doing a good job of keeping Murphy tied up, Murphy lands an elbow. Murphy with some shots to the body. Faszholz trying to work a high guard now, gets to rubber guard. Faszholz bails on rubber guard, Murphy able to posture up but can’t get any strikes off. Murphy lands some more elbows. Murphy passes to side control, tries to take the back but winds up in the mount. Murphy postures up and lands some punches and elbows. Faszholz holding on trying to defend but Murphy keeps swarming with punches and elbows and the ref stops this with maybe two seconds left in the fight.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Lauren Murphy via TKO, strikes, at 4:55 of Round 3

Good fight especially considering Faszholz took this fight on eight days notice, interview time for Murphy. She puts over Faszholz for taking the fight on short notice then says this feels great being her first win in the UFC. She mentions being prepared for a tough first round but she’s tough too. She says she was hoping for a bonus worthy finish but at this point is just happy to get the win.

Ashlee Evans-Smith has been out of action for a little over a year and lost to Raquel Pennington in her last fight, she looks for her first UFC win tonight. Marion Reneau is 2-1 in the UFC with that loss coming to current champion Holly Holm but a rebound win here could set her up to move further up the ranks at bantamweight.

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-1, 135.5 lbs.) vs #12 Marion Reneau (6-2, 135 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Evans-Smith has two inches of height on Reneau but Reneau has an inch of reach on her. Reneau lands a front kick to the body. Evans-Smith lands a bit of a body kick. Reneau lands a jab. Both women still trying to get a feeling for the range. Reneau lands a leg kick. Evans-Smith lands a body kick. They clinch and trade in close then separate. Evans-Smith lands a few punches in close. Reneau pushes forward and lands a right that hurts Evans-Smith. Reneau tries to unload but Evans-Smith able to cover up and recover. Evans-Smith lands a body kick. Reneau lands a leg kick. Reneau lands another leg kick. Evans-Smith lands a hard body kick. Evans-Smith lands a bit of a right. Evans-Smith lands a body kick, Reneau catches it and lands a right while getting a takedown. They scramble and Reneau grabs a tight guillotine, rolls to full mount with it but time runs out before Evans-Smith either taps or goes out.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Reneau

ROUND TWO: Reneau lands another front kick to the body. Evans-Smith flashing the jab now. Reneau lands a leg kick, Evans-Smith lands a body kick. Another body kick from Evans-Smith. Reneau lands a jab to the body. Reneau lands a body kick. Evans-Smith lands a left hook. Reneau avoids a knee and lands a jab. Right lands for Reneau. Reneau lands a leg kick, Evans-Smith’s offense has dwindled. Reneau hits another leg kick. Evans-Smith lands a body kick, Reneau lands a hard leg kick. Reneau lands a body kick then a leg kick. Evans-Smith lands a body kick. Reneau lands a right. Reneau lands a leg kick, Evans-Smith lands a right then a body kick. Reneau lands a jab to close out the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Reneau, 20-18 Reneau overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the final round. Reneau lands a hard leg kick, Evans-Smith lands a body kick. Body kicks traded, Reneau lands a right as well. Hard leg kick from Reneau. Reneau lands a left kick, Evans-Smith catches a kick and gets a takedown but stands and lands a couple of leg kicks. Reneau lands an up kick to the body then the ref stands them back up to boos from the crowd. Evans-Smith lands a right, Reneau lands another hard leg kick. Evans-Smith lands a body kick, Reneau lands a front kick to the body. Both women falling short with their strikes now. Reneau lands a leg kick, Evans-Smith lands a body kick. Body kicks traded, Evans-Smith gets Reneau on the fence. Evans-Smith lands an elbow in the clinch. Evans-Smith lands an elbow, Reneau lands a right as they break. Evans-Smith lands a body kick as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Evans-Smith, 29-28 Reneau

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ashlee Evans-Smith via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-27)

Some odd scores there, but round 2 was close and I’m shocked a judge gave her the first round. Evans-Smith says she’s getting better all the time, puts over Reneau and says women’s MMA is here to stay.

That wraps up Fight Pass, we’ll be on Fox Sports 1 for the remained of the evening.

Nathan Coy is on a two fight losing streak including his UFC debut when he was choked out by Danny Roberts, he’s hoping to right the ship here and get the critical first UFC win. Jonavin Webb lost a closely contested split decision to Kyle Noke in his debut for his first professional loss and tonight he’s also looking for that first UFC win.

Welterweight Bout: Nathan Coy (14-6, 170 lbs.) vs Jonavin Webb (8-1 1 NC, 169.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Coy fighting southpaw. Webb circling, Coy flashing the jab. Coy lands a left, Webb responds with a combination. Webb lands a right to the body. Webb lands a hard right to the jaw of Coy then a body kick. Webb misses a couple of rights, he’s firing wide with those. Webb has a high kick blocked. Coy trying to work the jab, he’s falling short thus far. Coy lands a left. Webb ducks a right and tries a double leg, sprawled on by Coy who tries to lock of a d’arce choke. Coy bails on that and lands a couple of knees in the clinch before they break. Coy avoids a kick then lands a body kick. Webb lands a front kick to the chest as the last blow of the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Coy but hardly definitive either way

ROUND TWO: Coy misses a front kick. Webb lands a right then gets the back and drags Coy down. Webb trying to set up an armbar from the back, he’s close but Coy able to escape and get to a front head lock against the fence. Coy trying for another d’arce choke position, Webb breaks the grip and regains his feet. They trade knees in the clinch then Webb lands a right as they separate. Coy lands a counter right, Webb tries a double leg but Coy defends it. They clinch and trade knees before Coy gets Webb on the cage. Coy drops for a takedown, Webb threatens with a guillotine to get him to bail on that, Coy drops down again and gets Webb down this time. Webb to a knee, Coy has the back as Webb regains his feet, Coy drags him down again and lands in side control. Webb back to a knee against the fence with Coy trying to take the back. Webb turns into him and gets half guard while Coy is on top. Coy passes into full mount and looks to set up an arm triangle choke. Webb able to get out of that position. Coy lands a bit of a right. Webb spins and tries to attack with a heel hook, Coy stands out of that as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Coy, 20-18 Coy overall

ROUND THREE: Coy lands a left to start the round. Webb just misses an uppercut. Coy lands a left then a jab. They clinch and Webb avoids a trip then gets a crucifix position, Coy able to spin out and Webb has a guillotine but Coy takes him down and lands in half guard on the safe side of Webb’s body. Webb to full guard now. Coy lands a couple of short blows to the body and head. Coy with some more short blows, Webb tries to regain his feet against the fence and Coy is now on his back. Webb rolls again, Coy winds up in the ride position and lands some knees to the body. Webb to his back, Coy into side control. Webb to his knees, Coy in the ride position. Webb back up to his feet but Coy drags him back down and lands some more rights to the body. Webb rolls under and tries a kneebar but Coy gets his knee out of danger. Webb reaches for a guillotine, Coy to side control and works a few more body shots as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Coy, 30-27 Coy overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Nathan Coy via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Coy gets some mic time now. He says he worked hard for this opportunity and winning is important, puts over his team and coaches and Dan Lambert for being “the man”. He says he feels good but wants more cage time, hoping for four or five fights this year and calls out Rick Story who apparently called him out years ago. He mentions his right knee might be a little injured but says it doesn’t matter that much, he’ll be training soon and very hard at that.

Quick note on the scoring of Reneau vs. Evans-Smith from earlier, the judge who went 29-27 for Evans-Smith didn’t give her a 10-8 round, he simply failed to correctly add up 10 + 9 + 9. Also two judges gave Evans-Smith the first round of that fight. Professional judging in MMA ladies and gentlemen, and if you don’t believe me here’s proof.

@SBNLukeThomas pic.twitter.com/xYTm2YCCCk

— Daniel Bradley (@PowerfulDBE) February 22, 2016

This next fight was supposed to feature Trevor Smith but he got injured and is being replaced here by Anthony Smith. Anthony Smith has fought once before for the UFC in 2013 when he was submitted by Antonio Braga Neto, now he brings a seven fight winning streak into his return to the UFC and hopes to get this stint off and running with a win. Leonardo Guimaraes brings a four fight winning streak into his UFC debut tonight and looks to get his UFC tenure started with an impressive win.

Middleweight Bout: Leonardo Augusto “Leleco” Guimaraes (11-1 1 NC, 184.5 lbs.) vs Anthony Smith (24-11, 185.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Smith has four inches of height and reach on Guimaraes. Smith fighting southpaw, both men switching a lot early though. Smith lands a leg kick then a jab. Body kick from Smith. Guimaraes lands a counter right that landed solidly. Smith lands a left and just misses a knee to the head of Guimaraes. Smith avoids a right and lands a high kick then a left. Smith lands a glancing right uppercut, he’s doing a great job of fighting long here and avoiding the offense of Guimaraes. Smith lands a combination and a couple of rights. Smith lands a right then a body kick. Smith lands a right then misses a right elbow. Guimaraes is constantly backing up and not throwing much of anything. Smith lands a body kick then a right to the body as well. Smith lands a leg kick. Smith lands a jumping knee to the head of Guimaraes. Smith with a couple of body kicks. Guimaraes misses a right hook. Smith lands a good right hand. Another right from Smith, he’s picking Guimaraes apart here. Smith lands a right and a couple of knees to the head from the clinch. Guimaraes is bleeding from the head now, Smith lands a one two combination to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-8 Smith, that was very one sided.

ROUND TWO: Smith moving forward early, Guimaraes lands a leg kick. Smith lands a knee and a left, then the two trade punches in close. Guimaraes lands an overhand right, Smith shoots a double leg and gets Guimaraes down. Smith into the butterfly guard of Guimaraes. Smith lands a right. Guimaraes working to stand against the fence, Smith to the ride position and lands a hard right. Guimaraes tries to sweep, Smith avoids that and gets on top in half guard. Smith lands another right from the ride position while Guimaraes tries to roll. Smith lands some more rights, he’s trying to get full back mount but settles for the ride position. Smith lands a hard knee to the body then another right. Guimaraes back to his feet, Smith hits a big suplex and lands in the ride position again. The ref separates them for inactivity and Guimaraes lands a couple of lefts, Smith misses a takedown and Guimaraes has the ride position now to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Smith, 20-17 Smith overall

ROUND THREE: Guimaraes opens up with a left to the body and a leg kick, Smith lands a left hook. Guimaraes walking forward, lands a couple of hard body shots against the fence. Guimaraes lands to the body again then a knee, Smith desperately reaches for a single leg, Guimaraes avoids it and winds up in the ride position. Smith on his knees, Guimaraes locks up an arm between his legs and tries to set up a crucifix position. Smith trying to pick the ankle, Guimaraes keeps his top position. Guimaraes with some hammer fists. Smith fighting for wrist control now, Guimaraes looking for positions to land punches. The ref stands them up, questionable stand ups in this fight. Guimaraes lands a couple of body punches and a leg kick. Smith lands a left hook, Guimaraes lands to the body. Both guys visibly tired and technique is going away for both of them. Smith reaches for a double leg, Guimaraes sprawls out and moves to the ride position. Smith holding a wrist, rolls to guard but Guimaraes passes quickly to side control. Smith sits up, Guimaraes rotates to the back and lands a few more punches as time exipres.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Guimaraes, 29-27 Smith overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Anthony Smith via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Crowd boos given how strong Guimaraes finished but he clearly won the first two rounds. No interview for Smith.

Oluwale Bamgbose lost his UFC debut against Uriah Hall but was undefeated prior to that and is after his first UFC win here. Daniel Sarafian hasn’t fought since December of 2014 when his opponent injured a finger and caused the fight to be stopped, but that win halted a two fight losing streak and Sarafian is after his first UFC winning streak with a win tonight.

Middleweight Bout: Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1, 185.5 lbs.) vs Daniel Sarafian (9-5, 186 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Bamgbose has two inches of height but a substantial five inches of reach on Sarafian. Bamgbose fighting southpaw, but likely to switch frequently. Bamgbose lands a jab. Bamgbose lands a high kick that drops Sarafian, Sarafian tries to recover but Bamgbose lands a couple of hard punches and Sarafian goes out.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Oluwale Bamgbose via KO, head kick and punches, at 1:00 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Bamgbose for his contributions to the evening. Interview time for Bamgbose. He says he gave everything to God and this is the result. He says he’s the fastest guy at middleweight and if you’re fighting him you better work on your speed because if not he’ll catch you and feels he has power. He talks us through the finish, mentioning he wanted to box but saw the opening for a head kick and went for it. He closes by saying “I’m coming for you” without specifying who that’s directed at.

Alex Garcia is 3-1 in the UFC, his only loss is to Neil Magny and he’s coming off of a win over Mike Swick he’s looking to continue that momentum here and resume climbing the ranks at welterweight. Sean Strickland is in an identical situation, 3-1 and coming off of a win also trying to climb the ranks at welterweight.

Welterweight Bout: Sean Strickland (16-1, 170.5 lbs.) vs Alex Garcia (13-2, 171 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Strickland has four inches of height and reach on Garcia. Touch of gloves to get things going. Both men pawing with the lead hand. Garcia grabs a low single leg takedown, Garcia able to kick him over and get the back standing against the fence. Strickland with some knees to the thigh while holding Garcia on the fence. Strickland able to trip Garcia down, Garcia kicks him off, Strickland standing and eats an up kick from Garcia before dropping into Garcia’s half guard. Strickland lands a right as he stands and comes down, Strickland throwing heat as he goes into the half guard again. Strickland with some rights to the body and head. Strickland lands an elbow. Strickland postures up and lands a series of punches, Garcia survives that and hits a takedown into Strickland’s guard. Garcia struggling to get offense going here, Strickland’s defense is solid. Round ends as Garcia postures up and lands a couple of hard rights.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Strickland

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Strickland lands a bit of a left hook. Garcia lands a right that momentarily wobbles Strickland. Strickland keeping range now, lands a couple of rights to the nose of Garcia that get it bleeding. Garcia lands a right hook then a left, Strickland lands a short left. Strickland lands a jab, Garcia struggling with the distance a little right now. Both men miss a couple of hooks. Strickland lands another jab and a leg kick. Garcia misses a couple of hooks, Strickland lands a right. Strickland lands a leg kick, then another one that gets Garcia to switch stances for a moment. Garcia chargers into a double leg and gets Strickland down, landing in his closed guard. Strickland prevents Garcia from landing anything significant before the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Strickland, 20-18 Strickland overall

ROUND THREE: They touch gloves to start the final round. Strickland lands an inside leg kick, he’s fighting well at range here. Garcia grabs an inside leg kick and gets a takedown against the fence into the guard of Strickland. Strickland kicks Garcia off and regains his feet. Strickland resumes jabbing, Garcia backing up now. Strickland’s jab is keeping Garcia at distance. Garcia reaches for a takedown, can’t finish it but lands a knee to the body before Strickland gets free. Strickland landing a lot of straight punches while Garcia tries to wade forward. Strickland defends a takedown attempt and lands a series of rights that wobbles Garcia. Strickland teeing off, a final straight right drops Garcia and the ref stops the fight.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Sean Strickland via TKO, punches, at 4:25 of Round 3

Impressive technical striking from Strickland, who gets an interview now. He says he feels he’s getting better all the time, he thanks the crowd for being loud and supporting him. He says he’s never had a standing KO and hopes to get one soon, mentions he should have hit Garcia harder. He says he’s feeling more confident in the UFC now, he expresses sympathy for the families in Michigan.

Shane Campbell is a multiple time champion in Muay Thai kickboxing and coming off of his first UFC win and is 4-1 in his last five overall, a win here would help him move up the ranks of the stacked lightweight division. James Krause submitted Daron Cruickshank his last time out and a win tonight would give him his first UFC winning streak.

Lightweight Bout: Shane Campbell (12-3, 156 lbs.) vs James Krause (22-7, 155.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Krause has two inches of height and two and a half of reach on Campbell. Touch of gloves to get us going, Campbell lands a leg kick. Campbell lands a body kick. Krause into the clinch and looking for a takedown. Campbell defends then reverses one and lands on top but Krause immediately scrambles to his feet but Campbell has him on the fence now. Krause tries a trip, Campbell defends. They trade rights, both landed solidly. Krause lands a right and tries a double leg on the fence, Campbell defending well and remains up right and they separate. Campbell lands a body kick. Krause lands a right uppercut then a left. Krause lands a double jab and a right, Campbell lands a body kick. Campbell lands another leg kick then a left to the body. They trade hard rights and Krause gets the clinch on the fence. They break without incident. Krause lands a stiff right. Krause lands a body kick. Krause slips on a high kick attempt but Campbell can’t capitalize. Campbell has a high kick blocked. Campbell lands a hard right then a body kick. Campbell lands a couple of leg kicks. Krause ducks a punch and gets a takedown along the fence. Campbell back up quickly, Krause jumps to take the back and drags Campbell to the mat with full back mount. Krause goes for a choke, it’s pretty tight but Campbell is saved by the bell.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Krause

ROUND TWO: Campbell opens the second round with a body kick then a leg kick. They clinch, Campbell hits a foot sweep and lands in the guard of Krause. Krause tries for an armbar, can’t finish but uses the motion to regain his feet and lands a right to Campbell. Krause into the clinch now, keeping Campbell on the fence. Krause jumps to the back again but has to settle for side control as Campbell drops to the mat. Campbell to his knees, Krause has the back again looking for the choke. Krause riding Campbell, flattens Campbell out and gets the choke again, somehow Campbell breaks the grip and lands a knee to the chest after escaping and they scramble back up, this time Campbell is holding Krause on the fence. Krause able to get Campbell on the fence. They separate without incident. Campbell lands a body kick, Krause tries a double leg that Campbell is able to roll him over during and they stand again. Krause lands a knee to the body and then Campbell sweeps him down but Krause quickly back to his knees and takes Campbell down. Round ends with Krause in Campbell’s guard.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Krause, 20-18 Krause overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the final round. Krause lands a right but eats a leg kick. Campbell lands a leg kick then a body kick. Krause into the clinch now looking for a takedown. Campbell able to spin Krause, they separate and Campbell just misses a wheel kick. Leg kicks traded. Krause lands a jab, Campbell lands a body kick then a leg kick. Krause gets the back standing, looking to drag Campbell down but Campbell remains upright. Campbell spins but Krause tries a double leg that Campbell keeps his balance through. Krause lands a left as they separate. Krause lands a right, tries a double leg that stalls out on the fence. Campbell spins Krause to the fence, Krause out of the clinch and misses an elbow. They clinch again, Campbell lands an elbow as they break. Krause lands a right and fails another takedown attempt. Campbell sweeps Krause down and lands on the back of Krause. Campbell has back mount looking for the choke, Krause defends and gets his knees under him. Krause tries to spin, Campbell lets him and lands in mount on Krause. Krause holding Campbell close, Campbell with some shoulder strikes. Campbell postures up and lands some punches but time expires before he could land anything fight ending.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – James Krause via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Mic time, Krause says he isn’t happy because he always wants to finish for the fans and that he wanted a first round finish and is disappointed he couldn’t get it. He puts over his coaches, says again that he’s not happy with his performance and has no preference for his next opponent.

Joe Riggs is coming off of his first UFC win since 2006 when Ron Stallings was DQ’d against him. Riggs is after his first UFC winning streak ever here if he can defeat Chris Camozzi. Camozzi is in his third UFC stint and coming off of a win against Tom Watson and a win against the veteran Riggs would help Camozzi rebuild his momentum in the division.

Middleweight Bout: Joe Riggs (41-16 1 NC, 186 lbs.) vs Chris Camozzi (22-10, 185.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Camozzi has two inches of height but a massive six and a half inches of reach on him. Touch of gloves to get us going, both men are fighting southpaw. Camozzi lands a leg kick, then an inside leg kick. Hard right jab from Camozzi rocks Riggs, Riggs bends over covering up, Camozzi lands a series of knees until Riggs falls over unconscious.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Chris Camozzi via TKO, knees, at :26 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Camozzi for his efforts his evening. Camozzi gets some mic time now, he says this feels amazing and says that fighting for fifteen minutes is overrated and he’s looking for more finishes in the future. He talks us through the finish, puts over his team for getting him ready and his new strength and conditioning guys, then jokes that he was planning on having someone to call out but this feels so great he’s going to go on vacation with his wife and get back to the fans on who he wants next.

Dennis Bermudez is still ranked in the top ten at featherweight despite being on a two fight losing streak mostly on the strength of a seven fight winning streak but if he wants to remain in the top ten he has to win here and avoid a three fight losing streak. Tatsuya Kawajiri is a long time veteran of MMA and riding a two fight winning streak in the UFC, if he wants to crack into the top ten at featherweight and a subsequent run towards the top of the division this is a must win for him.

Featherweight Bout: #12 Tatsuya Kawajiri (35-8-2, 146 lbs.) vs #8 Dennis Bermudez (14-5, 146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Kawajiri has three inches of reach on Bermudez. Kawajiri fighting souhtpaw, they touch gloves to get things going. Bermudez moving forward early, Kawajiri circling. Bermudez lands a leg kick. Kawajiri lands a glancing spinning back fist. Bermudez into the clinch and takes Kawajiri down and jumps on his back while Kawajiri stands. Bermudez is a human back pack. Kawajiri removes on hook as he goes to his knees, he gets free but Bermudez is trying to attack with an armbar which is the only thing keeping Kawajiri from getting top position secured. Kawajiri with some body shots while Bermudez holds the arm. Kawajiri gets his arm out, Bermudez tries to scramble but Kawajiri cradles him and keeps him on the mat. Kawajiri lands some knees to the body before Bermudez wall walks but he can’t get free of the grip of Kawajiri. Kawajiri drops for a takedown, Bermudez defending so Kawajiri switches to an outside trip and gets Bermudez down. Bermudez trying to wall walk again, Kawajiri holding the legs and gets Bermudez down again. Kawajiri mounts the legs of Bermudez. Kawajiri with some lefts to the body before Bermudez gets back up but he still can’t get free of Kawajiri who takes him down again. Bermudez back up but still not free and the round ends in the clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Kawajiri

ROUND TWO: Bermudez lands a right and Kawajiri fires back and they clinch with Bermudez getting Kawajiri on the fence. Kawajiri spins him, Bermudez looking for a guillotine but his grip slips. Kawajiri holding a leg on a knee, Bermudez trying to spin to the back. Bermudez lands a couple of rights. Kawajiri back to his feet, Bermudez lands a knee to the body before Kawajiri spins him into the fence. They jockey for position before separating without incident. Bermudez lands an inside leg kick then ducks a spinning back fist. Kawajiri shoots a double leg, Bermudez quickly gets double under hooks and sprawls but Kawajiri pushes him into the fence where they start wrestling. Bermudez with some lefts while Kawajiri fights for the takedown. Bermudez defends another takedown and lands some rights and elbows while Kawajiri looks for the takedown. Bermudez can’t get free, Kawajiri holding a leg and Bermudez spins to the back but Kawajiri dumps him off and Bermudez winds up in the ride position. Bermudez looking for the back, lands some lefts while he’s got one hook in. Kawajiri tries to roll into him but Bermudez gets the back. Kawajiri just rides out the round while Bermudez lands some arm punches.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bermudez, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the last round. Bermudez dives on a double leg that Kawajiri defends against the fence. Bermudez keeps at it and gets the takedown into the guard of Kawajiri. Kawajiri trying to wall walk, back up and looking for a takedown. Bermudez sprawling but Kawajiri is stuck to him like glue. Bermudez back up, sprawls a takedown attempt and gets Kawajiri in the clinch on the fence. Bermudez with some rights to the body, Kawajiri wrapping up a guillotine that Bermudez pulls out of. Kawajiri lands a knee as they break, Bermudez slips and Kawajiri tries to grab a guillotine but his grip slips and Bermudez is on top. Kawajiri up quickly and just blocks a high kick from Bermudez and they clinch again. They separate without incident. Kawajiri lands a spinning back fist but Bermudez lands a leg kick then a right. Bermudez in on a single leg, high crotch takedown follows and he’s in the ride position while Kawajiri wall walks. Kawajiri to his feet, eats a knee from Bermudez. Bermudez with some punches and dives on a double leg into the guard of Kawajiri. Bermudez lands some punches while standing, then a couple of elbows. And time runs down in that position.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bermudez, 29-28 Bermudez overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Dennis Bermudez via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Mic time for Bermudez now, he says he feels good and is happy to avoid a third loss. He apologizes for a lackluster fight but he needed the win. He talks about getting in trouble because of his aggression in his previous two fights and how he wanted to be patient here. Asked who he’d like next he says he wants a rematch with Ricardo Lamas or a fight with BJ Penn if Penn comes out of retirement.

The broadcast team talks a bit about the late Kevin Randleman then they are a really well done highlight package on his career.

This fight was to be Cody Garbrandt taking on John Lineker, then Lineker contracted dengue fever and had to pull out leading to Augusto Mendes taking this on short notice. Mendes missed weight because of the short notice but is undefeated as a professional and a former jiu-jitsu world champion and despite missing weight a win over the prospect Garbrandt would be a great way to begin his UFC career. Garbrandt is also unbeaten as a professional including two wins in the UFC and a third straight could get him into the top fifteen of the bantamweight division and continue his rapid ascension through the ranks.

Catchweight Bout: Augusto Mendes (5-0, 142 lbs.) vs Cody Garbrandt (7-0, 140.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Garbrandt moving forward, just misses a right then a left. Garbrandt lands a leg kick then a body kick. Mendes lands a leg kick. Garbrandt lands a looping left hook. Garbrandt lands a right and just misses a follow up left. Mendes lands a leg kick. Mendes pulls guard and tries to lock up an omoplata, Garbrandt quickly out of that and away and makes Mendes regain his feet. Garbrandt’s hooks are falling just short but he’s getting closer. Mendes lands a leg kick, Garbrandt lands a left hook then a leg kick. Garbrandt lands a left hook after missing a right. Mendes lands an uppercut in close and Garbrandt backs away. Hard right left right from Garbrandt drops Mendes, a few follow up blows gets the ref to wave this one off.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Cody Garbrandt via TKO, punches, at 4:18 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Garbrandt for his contributions to the evening. Garbrandt gets an interview now. He thanks God first then thanks the military men and women who are overseas. He puts over Mendes for taking the fight on such short notice, he mentions he thought it was a knockout when Mendes fell but if the ref wants him to keep going he will. He thanks the crowd, who have been very supportive as Pittsburgh is close to his hometown, he says he hopes Lineker recovers but he’s got an ass whipping for him when he’s ready. He puts over the Zuffa brass and the guys working behind the scenes for getting everything set up.

Derek Brunson is riding a three fight winning streak, in fact his only UFC loss is to top ranked contender Yoel Romero, and a fourth win over a ranked opponent would set him up nicely for bigger and better things. Roan Carneiro has a six fight winning streak going including absolutely dominating and finishing Mark Munoz in his previous fight, a win over a fighter ranked above him here would keep him moving up the ranks en route to the top of the division.

Middleweight Bout: #15 Roan Carneiro (20-9, 184.5 lbs.) vs #13 Derek Brunson (14-3, 186 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Brunson has two inches of height and two and a half of reach on Carneiro. Brunson fighting southpaw, they touch gloves to get us going. Both guys feinting a lot. Carneiro has a right blocked. Brunson moving forward, Carneiro circling. Brunson lands a left while rushing forward but refuses to engage Carneiro in the clinch. Carneiro lands a right. Brunson’s chin is way up in the air when he throws his punches. Carneiro slips in close and Brunson starts teeing off from the guard, Carneiro covering up well but Brunson is throwing a lot. Carneiro blocks most of those punches but Brunson gets a hard right through and a couple of more punches get the ref to end this one.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Derek Brunson via TKO, punches, at 2:38 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Brunson for his efforts this evening. Mic time for Brunson, he says he’s an animal and puts over his coaches then thanks his family for supporting him. He gives a shout out to the members of the Pittsburgh Steelers in attendance then says he’ll be back to the drawing board and back in the gym getting better tomorrow. He talks us through the finish then says he’ll fight anyone who wants to get TKO’d and asks the fans to follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Alex Oliveira has fought at both lightweight and welterweight in the UFC, he stepped up to take this fight when Cerrone’s original opponent had to bow out. Oliveira has a three fight winning streak going and beating the top ranked and highly respected Donald Cerrone here would easily be the biggest win of his career. Donald Cerrone is coming off of a loss in a lightweight title fight but had an impressive eight fight winning streak going before that and he’s announced his intentions to stay at welterweight so a win in his new weight class would be incredibly important for his career.

Welterweight Bout: Alex Oliveira (14-2-1 1 NC, 171 lbs.) vs Donald Cerrone (28-7 1 NC, 170 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Cerrone has two inches of height on Oliveira but Oliveira has three and a half inches of reach on Cerrone. Touch of gloves to get us going. Oliveira lands a right and gets the Thai clinch then lands some knees to the body and pushes Cerrone into the fence. Oliveira working knees to the body while Cerrone is on the fence. Cerrone able to spin off of the fence. Oliveira has a spinning back kick blocked. Cerrone lands a leg kick. They clinch and both miss as they break. Oliveira lands a left then a right. Cerrone ducks a left and takes Oliveira down and lands in half guard. Cerrone passes to mount and locks up a triangle then rolls to his back, tightens it up and Oliveira taps.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Donald Cerrone via Submission, triangle choke, at 2:33 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Cerrone for his contributions, and I thank him for keeping this event from going too long over six hours. Mic time for Cerrone now. He notes that was the best he felt walking to the cage and feels this fight was for him and he felt no pressure. He says he felt Oliveira tap and had to point it out to the ref, he puts over Oliveira for taking the fight on short notice and says the UFC needs more guys like that. He says he’s happy to fight at lightweight and welterweight and “If anyone wants to get hurt I know a guy”.

That wraps up UFC Fight Night 83, thanks for being here for a Sunday night of fights. I’m back this Saturday for Fight Night 84 when Anderson Silva takes on Michael Bisping, I hope you’ll join me then. Until next time keep checking 411mania for all your pop culture needs.