UFC 131 Prelims: Stout Hook KOs Edwards

Stout (17-6-1, 5-4 UFC) weathered a takedown, walked through the Bahamian-born veteran’s punches and slammed a beautiful counter left hook into the lightweight’s jaw 3:52 into round one at UFC 131 “Dos Santos vs. Carwin” on Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The blow sent an unconscious Edwards (40-17-1, 8-5 UFC) crashing to the ground, his head bouncing brutally off the canvas.

He lay motionless at Stout’s feet, eyes open in an unsettling stare, as the Canadian raised his arms in triumph. Stout’s first UFC finish was a spectacular one.

“That overhand left always works good for me against left-handers,” he said. “Yves Edwards is a precision striker. I was trying to work my head movement in this camp. I’m trying to not get hit as much as I usually do.”

Undefeated middleweight prospect Chris Weidman dominated and submitted Jesse Bongfeldt with a textbook standing guillotine choke 4:54 into the first round.

Weidman (6-0, 2-0 UFC) secured a takedown inside the first minute and passed Bonfeldt’s guard with ease more than once, attacking with punches and elbows from the top. Bongfeldt (15-5-1, 0-1-1 UFC) returned to a standing position late in the first round, ate a stout knee to the gut and ducked into the guillotine. The Canadian struggled briefly to free himself, but there was no escape. Surrender was the only option.

A protégé of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, Weidman worked through an apparent knee injury to score the victory.

“My meniscus popped into my joint,” he said. “I’ve actually had four knee surgeries. It’s a preexisting [injury].”

Krzysztof Soszynski File Photo

Soszynski took all three rounds.

Scores were 30-27, 30-26 and 30-27, all for Soszysnki (26-11-1, 6-2 UFC).

Massenzio (12-5, 1-3 UFC), who accepted the bout on a week’s notice as a late replacement for Igor Pokrajac, was dogged in his pursuit of takedowns but found himself outgunned by the Polish-born Canadian at virtually every turn.

Soszynski trapped the decorated amateur wrestler on the ground in the third round, attacking with knees to the top of the body and threatening with a choke.

“I wish I would have finished,” Soszynski said. “I wasn’t prepared for a wrestler. All of a sudden, I get a call, and I’m fighting a wrestler.”

Unbeaten “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum Nick Ring submitted Octagon newcomer James Head with a third-round rear-naked choke in a preliminary middleweight matchup. Head succumbed to the choke 3:33 into round three.

Ring (12-0, 2-0 UFC) weathered a staggering right hand, ground-and-pound and a head kick from his foe in the first round and took control in the second. The 32-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt grounded Head in round two and punished him with strikes from the top position.

Bleeding from a nasty cut on the bridge of his nose, Head (7-2, 0-1 UFC) faded as the fight deepened; he stained the canvas red. Ring put the fight back on the ground in the third round, passed guard, attacked with elbows and forced Head into a turtled position. The choke followed, as did the tapout.

Surging featherweight prospect Dustin Poirier posted his third consecutive victory in a unanimous decision over Cage Rage veteran Jason Young. All three cage-side judges scored it for the 22-year-old Louisianan: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Poirier (10-1, 2-0 UFC) cut Young above the left eye in the first round, survived a barrage of low kicks from the Englishman in the second and scored with multiple takedowns in the third. Young (8-4, 0-1 UFC), who entered the UFC on the strength of a two-fight winning streak overseas, impressed in his promotional debut. He showed no first-fight jitters, as he attacked with kicks, threatened with a few submissions and made Poirier pay for attempted takedowns.

Joey Beltran File Photo

Beltran finished Rosa in the third.

Joey Beltran put the brakes on a two-fight losing streak, as he stopped Strikeforce and Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Aaron Rosa on third-round punches in a preliminary heavyweight matchup.

Rosa met his end 1:26 into round three, his promotional debut spoiled by a one-sided thumping.

Beltran (13-5, 3-2 UFC) had no trouble moving around Rosa, who outweighed him by some 15 pounds. He routinely pursued the clinch and hammered Rosa (16-4, 0-1 UFC) with punches to the head and body. By round three, the bout was clearly in Beltran’s hands. He split open Rosa with a knee, followed with punches and threw him to the ground.

Beltran followed him to the mat, and put away the beefy Texan with heavy ground-and-pound.

Darren Elkins upset the world-ranked Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision in a preliminary featherweight duel. All three judges scored it in favor of the the Hobart, Ind., native -- 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 -- as he won for the fourth time in five fights.

The defeat leaves the world-ranked Omigawa winless in the UFC.

The two 145-pound fighters traded liberally throughout the 15-minute encounter, as Elkins briefly dropped the judo black belt to one knee and secured a quick takedown in the first round. Still, it appeared as though Omigawa (12-10-1, 0-4 UFC) landed the cleaner, more effective strikes, which left Elkins battered and bloodied. The 2009 Sengoku Raiden Championship featherweight grand prix finalist closed strong, driving Elkins (12-2, 2-1 UFC) to the floor with a high double-leg takedown and landing his left hand with regularity in round three. His work went unrewarded by the judges.