In the headlining bout of the UFC 162 preliminary card, Andrew Craig was able to defeat Chris Leben by split decision.
At the beginning of the fight, Leben opened up as the aggressor and looked to take the fight to the ground. While the fighters clinched against the fence, Leben landed body shots and foot stomps.
They would break away from each other before Leben threw a left hand and took the fight to the ground. Craig was able to get back to his feet and the fight moved to the center of the cage. Craig landed a knee to the body and Leben followed up by landing a left hand and clinched Craig against the fence.
While they clinched against the fence, Leben continued to land body shots before Craig was able to separate from Leben. Craig ended up landing a punch and he clinched Leben against the fence. Leben was able to move away from Craig and he looked to take the fight to the ground. He was unable to get the fight to the ground and Craig attempted to get the fight to the ground as the round came to an end.
At the start of the second round, Leben once again looked for a takedown and they clinched against the cage. Once again, they would separate from each other and Leben would look for a takedown. Craig would be able to stop the attempt and he put Leben against the fence.
The fighters would separate and Craig landed a short elbow. Leben pushed forward and they once again clinched against the cage. Craig would break away from Leben and the would strike with each other for the remainder of the second round.
As the final round opened, Craig landed a series of punches that dropped Leben and it looked like the fight was about to be over. However, Leben was able to survive and get back to his feet. After clinching against the fence, the fighters separated and Craig pushed Leben to the ground.
Leben was able to get back to his feet with two minutes left in the round and once again clinched with Craig against the cage. The fight would move to the ground with Craig in top position. Leben was able to get back to his feet with 30 seconds left in the round but Craig took the fight back to the ground with 15 seconds left and the judges would decide the winner.
Two of the three judges scored the fight for Craig (9-1) and he has won three of his four fights in the UFC. Leben (22-10) has now lost three fights in a row and is in danger of being released by the UFC.
UFC 162 Results:
Andrew Craig def. Chris Leben via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Norman Parke def. Kazuki Tokudome via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Dave Herman via TKO (strikes) – Round 1 :17
Edson Barboza def. Rafaello Oliveira via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 2, 1:44
Brian Melancon def. Seth Baczynski via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:59
Mike Pierce def. David Mitchell via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:55