UFC Fight Night 96 results: Short-notice underdog Zak Ottow takes split from Josh Burkman

PORTLAND, Ore. – In the second straight short-notice upset by a fighter making his UFC debut, Zak Ottow left Josh Burkman walking away disappointed.

Ottow (14-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took a split decision from Burkman (28-14 MMA, 6-9 UFC) with a pair of 29-28 scores. Burkman got a 29-28 card from a dissenting judge, but it wasn’t enough against the UFC newcomer.

The welterweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 96 event at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS2 and UFC Fight Pass.

The two traded kicks in the first minute of the fight, then traded right hands 90 seconds into the frame. Midway through the frame, Ottow caught Burkman with a low kick, but on the restart neither fighter was shy about continuing his kicking attack. Both fighters switched stances, continuing to look for openings, and Ottow landed a solid overhand right. With 25 seconds left, Ottow landed another good right and followed it up with a right elbow and an outside leg kick.

In the second, the two kept with thir kicking attacks. Each fighter went to the body, then the lead legs. Neither fighter seemed to have the advantage, but with 45 seconds left, Burkman landed nicely – though a spinning back fist 30 seconds later was off the mark.

The third round was more of the same – but with 75 seconds left, Burkman found a way to put himself a notch ahead. He took Ottow down, which had to score him some points. But Ottow got back to his feet with 30 seconds left – and Ottow gothis own takedown late in the fight and put a guillotine choke on just before the horn. It made the round a close one – again.

But the late takedown and choke may have been enough for Ottow, who became the third debuting fighter to pick up an upset win on the card.

“I think for guys making their UFC debut, it can be pretty nerve-wracking,” Ottow said. “You don’t have all those weeks weighing on you, so short-notice fights can be beneficial. I was training – I wasn’t just laying on my couch. So in that case, I really think short notice helps. I knew coming in that it was going to be a tough fight to finish. He’s really durable and savvy. I have a lot of finishes on my record, so I had to fight a little different stylistically and just be patient.”

Ottow won for the fifth straight time and got the victory in his UFC debut. Burkman lost for the second straight time and has dropped four of his past five fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 96 results include:

• Zak Ottow def. Josh Burkman via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brandon Moreno def. Louis Smolka via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:23
• Luis Henrique da Silva def. Joachim Christensen via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:43
• Andre Fili def. Hacran Dias via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Shamil Abdurakhimov def. Walt Harris via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Keita Nakamura via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Nate Marquardt def. Tamdan McCrory via knockout (head kick) – Round 2, 4:44
• Ion Cutelaba def. Jonathan Wilson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Curtis Blaydes def. Cody East via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 2:02
• Ketlen Vieira def. Kelly Faszholz via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 96, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on site in Portland.)