UFC on FOX 19 results: Cezar Ferreira outgrinds Oluwale Bamgbose after wobbly start

Cezar Ferreira

TAMPA, Fla. – Cezar Ferreira found himself clinging to consciousness and dodging blows off his back after being dropped by Oluwale Bamgbose in the first round.

But after surviving a rough start against a powerful foe, Ferreira (9-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) managed to drag the fight into a territory more befitting his skills, wearing Bamgbose (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) down before ultimately claiming a unanimous decision victory by scores of 29-28, 29-28, 29-27.

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC on FOX 19 event at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of the rest of the card on FOX.

Bamgbose began the fight like a man who didn’t plan to be there long, attacking Ferreira with sharp leg kicks before flooring him with a heavy right hand midway through the opening round.

Though Ferreira seemed dazed as he hit the floor, he kept moving and kept his wits about him as Bamgbose went all out in search of the finish. Soon Bamgbose’s attack began to slow, and just as Ferreira seemed to have recovered.

Ferreira would spent the next two rounds exploiting his opponent’s failing gas tank, using Bamgbose’s lunging attacks as openings for his own takedowns. Once he planted Bamgbose on his back, he stayed patient from the top position, gradually chipping away with punches and elbows as Bamgbose continued to lose both energy and blood.

By the final round, Bamgbose could barely stand under his own power, while Ferreira remained committed to a game plan of takedowns and strikes from the top. When it went to the judges after the final horn, it wasn’t difficult for them to name Ferreira the winner, with all three judges giving him the nod.

The win snaps a two fight losing streak for Ferreira, giving him his first UFC victory since June 2014. Bamgbose has now lost two of his last three.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 19 results include:

• Cezar Ferreira def. Oluwale Bamgbose via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Omari Akhmedov via TKO (knees) – Round 3, 3:03

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 19, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on site in Tampa.)