UFC Fight Night 31 results, photos: Michael Chiesa survives to tap Colton Smith

FORT CAMPBELL – In a back-and-forth battle of submission grappling, “The Ultimate Fighter 15? winner Michael Chiesa triumphed over Season 16 winner and active-duty soldier Colton Smith.

A sudden shift in position allowed Chiesa to secure a rear-naked choke in the second round.

The lightweight bout opened up the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 31 event at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and MMAjunkie.com.

Smith, a Combatives instructor in the U.S. Army, wasted little time taking the fight to the ground. But Chiesa quickly replied with a masterful sweep that put him in position to secure his favorite rear-naked choke submission.

The two struggled on the mat as Smith fought Chiesa from finishing the hold. He eventually managed to turn the tides by taking Chiesa’s back, and forced the “TUF 15? winner to slam them to the mat when he threatened his own rear-naked choke.

A fight for the takedown commenced with the second round, but again, it was Chiesa who managed to capitalize. Tossing Smith with a judo throw, he quickly took the “TUF 16? winner’s back and secured a rear-naked choke that drew a tapout at the 1:41 mark of the frame.

“I felt like this was a fight to defend my ‘Ultimate Fighter’ title,” Chiesa said. “He was a champ, I was a champ. This was a big fight for me. Also, to do it in front of the troops was a huge honor. Colton is one of their guys, and I’m overwhelmed by the support they still gave me.”

“I had a good camp and everything felt great tonight,” Smith said. “We had some great back-and-forth in the first round, and I should have finished him there. He defended everything really well and was able to survive the round. I’ve never had anyone throw me like that, and it just opened the door for him to get the submission. No excuses. The atmosphere was amazing in here tonight and it was a huge honor to fight in front of the troops.”

Chiesa (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) rebounds after a submission loss to Jorge Masvidal in his previous UFC appearance, while Smith (3-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) loses his second straight since winning the reality-show.

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

• Michael Chiesa def. Colton Smith via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:41
• Bobby Green def. James Krause via TKO (kick) – Round 1, 3:50
• Francisco Rivera def. George Roop via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:20
• Dennis Bermudez def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Amanda Nunes def. Germaine De Randamie via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:56
• 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.