UFC Fight Night 50 results: Rafael Natal survives third to earn split over Chris Camozzi

LEDYARD, Conn. – In a battle of two fighters in desperate need of a win, Rafael Natal (18-6-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) earned a tightly contested decision win over Chris Camozzi (19-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC).

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 50 event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn. It aired on FOX Sports 1.

Camozzi took the center of the cage to open the bout, and the pair exchanged low kicks in the early going. Showing plenty of movement early, it was Natal show scored the first significant blow with a sharp left hand, but Camozzi immediately battled back with a flurry of his own. Camozzi’s nose was bloodied by Natal’s early work, and the Brazilian actually took the fight to the floor in the final two minutes. Camozzi wisely worked his way back to his feet, and he continued to chop the leg until the end of the frame.

The two continued to trade leg kicks in the second, and while Natal again looked to take the action to the canvas, Camozzi did an admirable job of adjusting his stance and defending such an effort to start. Natal did get a takedown two minutes into the round, but Camozzi stood right back up and returned to work on the feet. Still, Natal remained the busier fighter throughout, always pushing the action and seemingly just a step ahead of Camozzi at every turn.

Camozzi was a little more aggressive in the third. As Natal seemed to tire, Camozzi pushed forward with punches in bunches. Natal tried to slip and move and counter, but it was Camozzi who was setting the tone at range and also by scoring with knees during their exchanges in the clinch. Camozzi put an exclamation point on the performance in the final minute, tagging Natal with strikes that saw “Sapo” stagger. At the close of the contest, both fighters raised their hands in victory, but it was only Natal who earned the right to do it, earning a razor-thin split-decision win with scores of 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28 – a result that was met with quite a few boos.

With the result, Natal snaps a two-fight losing streak. Meanwhile, a gritty Camozzi has now dropped four consecutive bouts, two coming by way of split decision.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 50 results include:

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 50, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Connecticut.)