The preliminary portion of UFC on FOX 10 concluded with Alex Caceres taking his fight with Sergio Pettis out of the hands of the judges by submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the third round.
A failed takedown attempt by Pettis led to the finish as Caceres was able to get the back of Pettis following a scramble of leg submission attempts.
The finish was on track to lose a decision. Prior to the finish, Pettis was able to slightly get the better of Caceres on the feet.
The rear-naked choke was Caceres’s (10-5, 1 NC) fifth submission victory, and Pettis (10-1) has now lost for the first time in his career.
Wineland impresses with finish against Jabouin
After winning the first round with superior boxing, Eddie Wineland, the number four ranked bantamweight in the UFC, scored a TKO victory in the second round against Yves Jabouin.
Late in the second frame, Wineland dropped Jabouin with a stiff straight right and proceeded to score with ground and pound from Jabouin’s back until referee Rob Madrigal stopped the fight.
The win was the the eleventh KO/TKO win in the career of Wineland (21-9-1), and Jabouin (19-9) was finished for the fourth time via strikes.
Camus takes decision over Meza
In a bantamweight bout, Chico Camus displayed his grappling control to win a unanimous decision against Yaotzin Meza.
The fight took place predominately on the ground, and in spite of a pair of sweeps from Meza, Camus had a huge advantage in time of dominant position. The most dominant round for Camus was the third as he was able to spend the majority of the round working from full mount and Meza’s back.
Camus’s (14-4) last six wins have come by decision. With the loss, Meza’s (20-9) UFC record has regressed to 1-2.
Viana wins a lackluster decision
In spite of suffering a significant reach disadvantage, Hugo Viana was able to clearly out-strike Junior Hernandez in the first two rounds to take home a clear 29-28 unanimous decision.
Hernandez dropped the first two rounds, but he was able to take advantage of a tired Viana to take the third. The entire fight was rather uneventful, as Hernandez was hesitant.
Viana (8-1) got back on the winning track after losing to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on FOX 7, while Hernandez (13-6) has lost two straight.
Cruickshank finishes Rio with strikes
Daron Cruickshank ended the second round like he did the first. He rocked fellow TUF alumn Mike Rio with a clean head kick, but in the second round, Cruickshank was able to put Rio away with punches.
Throughout the fight, Cruickshank controlled the striking with a diverse set of strikes. He ran into a bit of trouble in the second when he surprisingly opted to take Rio down. Rio took advantage of the opportunity by attempting a heel hook, although Cruickshank was able to escape and eventually get the finish.
The last time Cruickshank (14-4) finished an opponent with strikes was against Henry Martinez at UFC on FOX 5 and the loss is Rio’s (9-4) third straight in the UFC.
Sullivan ekes out close decision over Rhodes
The welterweight fight between George Sullivan and Mike Rhodes went the distance, and Sullivan took home a close decision.
All three rounds were relatively close and played out in similar fashion. On the feet, Sullivan did a better job as far as punch quantity as he was constantly throwing bursts of heavy barrages, while Rhodes picked his shots and landed nice, clean counter-strikes (in particular his right). The grappling game was also even as they traded takedowns and time of dominance in the clinch.
Sullivan (15-3, 1 NC) has won eleven of his last twelve, while Rhodes (6-2) has now lost for the second time in his career.
Krylov opens night with a swift finish
For the first time since UFC 165, the heavyweights opened the card as Nikita Krylov made short work of Walt Harris, finishing the fight with strikes in half a minute.
The beginning of end for Harris started when Krylov landed a head kick and then followed up with a right that dropped him. Krylov polished Harris off with ground strikes until the fight was called.
In all sixteen of his wins, Nikita Krylov (16-3) has finished his opponent in the first frame. The 25 second bout was the second shortest bout in the Krylov’s career (12 seconds is the shortest). Walt Harris (5-3) has now lost two in a row and was finished for the first time in his career.
UFC on FOX 10 Preliminary Card Results:
Alex Caceres def. Sergio Pettis via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:39
Eddie Wineland def. Yves Jabouin via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:16
Chico Camus def. Yaotzin Meza via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Hugo Viana def. Junior Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Daron Cruickshank def. Mike Rio via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:56
George Sullivan def. Mike Rhodes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Nikita Krylov def. Walt Harris via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, :25