UFC Fight Night 83 results: Ashlee Evans-Smith rallies for split over Marion Reneau

Ashlee Evans-Smith

PITTSBURGH – After a loss in her debut and one year on the bench, Ashlee Evans-Smith gutted out a decision after getting knocked down by Marion Reneau in the opening frame.

Gathering her wits, Evans-Smith (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) settled in to rhythm and fought a tactical bout to win two of three judges scorecards over Reneau (6-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who shared the crowd’s displeasure that the decision had gone the other way.

The women’s bantamweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 83 event at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims and a main card on FOX Sports 1.

The final scorecards were 29-27 and a sketchy 30-27 for Evans-Smith, who was knocked down and forced to cover for dear life after Reneau caught her chin on the end of a punching charge. The third judge dissented, awarding a 29-28 score to Reneau.

Evans-Smith began the bout looking sharp on her feet, throwing better combinations inside that caught Reneau. But she was badly wobbled by her knockdown and appeared to let up on the gas, allowing Reneau to surge again and nearly pull off a guillotine choke in the first round.

Advised by her corner to wrestle, Evans-Smith decided instead to stand and trade with Reneau. In a kick-heavy affair, Reneau targeted the legs while Evans-Smith attacked the body. While no single blow produced the effect seen in the first round, Evans-Smith was able to deposit Reneau on the mat.

After a loss and nine-month suspension stemming from a positive drug test at UFC 181, Evans-Smith is back in the win column while Reneau has now lost two straight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 83 results include:

• Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Marion Reneau via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-27
• Lauren Murphy def. Kelly Faszholz via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:55
• Shamil Abdurakhimov def. Anthony Hamilton via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 83, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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