Two talented bantamweights took to the Octagon yesterday (April 6, 2013) as British standout Brad Pickett battled Mike Easton on the UFC on Fuel TV 9 main card in Stockholm, Sweden.
Both men were coming off tough recent defeats which had knocked them out of contention and were looking to not only bounce back but also put themselves back in the mix in the thin 135 pound division.
With both fighters promising to utilize their entire skill-sets instead of relying on their boxing, fans were pleasantly surprised to see a very well-rounded three round war between two evenly-matched foes.
Early on, Easton did a great job of mixing up his attack and finally going back to utilizing his powerful leg kicks, but Pickett responded with crisp punching combinations. Whenever either fighter started to get something going on the feet, one would clinch and mix in takedown attempts, smartly stifling their opponents momentum.
Pickett did a terrific job of mixing up his boxing attack, throwing jabs, hooks and particularly uppercuts whenever Easton started to hunch over in a defensive stance. He also unloaded some sharp body shots when Easton covered up his head.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Pickett's attack was his ability to maneuver Easton towards the fence where he would fire away with big flurries of strikes and force Easton into a "fight or flight situation."
Thankfully for the fans, Easton chose "fight" and fired back with heavy shots of his own. The clinch was just as dangerous for both men as the pocket as both fighters mixed in dirty boxing and knees on the inside.
With the fight still potentially up in the air, Pickett's pace began to wear down Easton, who slowed in the third round as Pickett continued his offensive onslaught both standing and with takedowns.
In the end, Pickett's high pace and aggression paid off as two of the three judges awarded him all three rounds and "One Punch" walked away with a split decision.
For complete UFC on Fuel TV 9 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here and here.