UFC Fight Night 31 results, photos: Lorenz Larkin picks apart Chris Camozzi

FORT CAMPBELL – After falling short in his UFC debut, Lorenz Larkin picked up his first UFC win, downing Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision.

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 31 event at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. It streamed on MMAjunkie.com ahead of the additional prelims and a main card on FOX Sports 1.

Larkin opened the fight with a kick to the leg before going to the body and also upstairs.Wit both unable to capitalize early with punches, they settled for kicks, until Larkin found the mark and sent Camozzi to his butt. Rather than engage on the floor, Larkin backed away. On the restart Camozzi started to make better use of his reach, also taking the opportunity to chop Larkin’s legs. Larkin’s output slowed in the end of the round, but he continued to throw with power.

Both fighters continued to work the legs to open the second. Camozzi turned up the aggression with a flurry and a flying knee, but Larkin scored with well-timed counterpunches, busing up Camozzi’s nose in the process. The gritty Camozzi never stopped walking forward, but Larkin was the better striker in the exchanges and continued to batter his opponent’s face.

Larkin opened up his arsenal in the third, rattling off spinning kicks to start the frame. Camozzi didn’t fall for the tricks, and Larkin returned to a more traditional approach. Camozzi continued to trade in the pocket as the blood flowed from his nose. Larkin battered him with hooks and elbows in close, sealing the win. In the end, all three judges awarded him the fight with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

“I was feeding off the energy there in the third round,” Larkin said. “It’s crazy to be a part of something like ‘Fight for the Troops.’ I’ve been watching prior ones, and then to be a part of it myself was special.”

Larkin (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) rebounds successfully from his first career loss. Camozzi (19-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has now dropped consecutive fights for the first time in his career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 31 results include:

• Lorenz Larkin def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Yancy Medeiros def. Yves Edwards via KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47
• Seth Baczynski def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Derek Brunson def. Brian Houston via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:48

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 31, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

Dann Stupp contributed to this report on-site at Fort Campbell.