UFC Fight Night 45 results: Persistent Joe Proctor gets TKO over Justin Salas

ATLANTIC CITY – Joe Proctor (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) fought on his heels for a good part of his fight with Justin Salas (12-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC).

At the end of the first round, it looked like a losing strategy. But in the second, Proctor turned things around in a hurry with a short left hook.

The lightweight bout was part of today’s UFC Fight Night 45 main card at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following a single prelim on UFC Fight Pass.

Salas repeatedly chased down his opponent with winging punches until Proctor’s counter took his legs out from under him. Another short left hook set the end in motion, forcing the referee to wave off the bout over a dazed Salas at the 3:27 mark of the second frame.

Proctor tried to land his left hand as Salas charged in the opening frame, but he took several hard shots to his head, one of which caused a massive hematoma above his left ear.

Salas tried on several occasions to take the fight to the mat and settled for a standup fight when Proctor resisted his efforts. While his early pace put Proctor on the defensive, his second round charges lacked control, which opened him for the counter that ultimately ended his night.

Proctor, a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 15? who competed after a year-plus injury layoff, picks up his second straight UFC win. Salas has seesawed between wins and losses since his octagon debut in February 2012.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 45 results include:

• Joe Proctor def. Justin Salas via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:27
• John Lineker def. Alptekin Ozkilic via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:51
• Lucas Martins def. Alex White via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 2:08
• Gleison Tibau def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Leslie Smith def. Jessamyn Duke via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:24
• Aljamain Sterling def. Hugo Viana via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:50
• Yosdenis Cedeno def. Jerrod Sanders via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 5:00
• Claudia Gadelha def. Tina Lahdemaki via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on UFC Fight Night 45, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Atlantic City)