UFC on Fox 2 Prelims: Dunham Scores TKO on Lentz

Evan Dunham beat up Nik Lentz to headline the UFC on Fox 2 prelims. | File Photo: Sherdog.com

Dunham (13-2, 6-2 UFC) weathered a heavy dose of takedowns, turned the tide with a dominant second round and defeated Lentz by technical knockout at UFC on Fox 2 “Evans vs. Davis” on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. Referee “Big” John McCarthy called a halt to the bout in between rounds two and three, when it became clear to the ringside physician that Lentz could no longer see out of his eye.

“The first round I felt like I was a little flat [and] came out slow,” Dunham said. “It wasn’t going the way I wanted. I came out in the second round knowing that I had him on the ground and needed to be more aggressive, and I felt like I was.”

Lentz (21-5-2, 5-2-1 UFC) landed multiple takedowns and held his own in the striking department through the first five minutes. The second round was a different story altogether.

After a wild exchange left both lightweights smiling, Dunham delivered a takedown of his own and turned up the heat, carving up his foe with elbows and standing-to-ground punches. Later, he threatened with a guillotine choke but abandoned the submission in favor of more ground-and-pound. When Lentz emerged at the end of the period, his left eye was a mess. Not long after, the doctor advised McCarthy to stop it.

Mike Russow File Photo

Russow has won 11 straight.

Russow (15-1, 4-0 UFC) swept the scorecards by 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 counts. He has won all four of his fights inside the Octagon.

“I apologize,” Russow said. “It was a bit of a boring fight, but this guy’s a world champion jiu-jitsu player.”

A Pride Fighting Championships veteran like his opponent, Russow grounded Einemo repeatedly and wore down the 36-year-old Norwegian with his heavy top game, picking his spots with punches and elbows. Outside of a brief instant in the first round, where he swept into mount, Einemo’s world-class grappling skills did not come into play. By the time round three rolled around, fatigue had become a serious factor, as Einemo (6-3, 0-2 UFC) could barely stand, much
less stage meaningful offense.

Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts mainstay Cub Swanson stopped George Roop on second-round punches in a featherweight showdown on the undercard. A succession of punches, starting with a clubbing overhand right, forced referee “Big” John McCarthy to intervene 2:22 into round two.

Swanson (16-5, 1-1 UFC) emptied his playbook, as he broke through Roop’s reach advantage with a variety of strikes: punches, low kicks and even a pair of wheel kicks, one of which struck Roop (12-9-1, 2-5 UFC) near the armpit. In the second round, Swanson closed the distance and delivered the overhand right, sending Roop’s mouthpiece ricocheting of the cage. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 semifinalist and former two-division Rage in the Cage champion collapsed, as Swanson swarmed with standing-to-ground punches for the finish.

Brazilian prospect Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira made a seamless move to featherweight, as he submitted Strikeforce veteran Eric Wisely with a first-round calf slicer in their preliminary encounter at 145 pounds. Wisely (19-7, 0-1 UFC), his face contorted by pain, asked out of the match 1:23 into round one.

Oliveira (15-2, 3-2 UFC) went after Wisely’s legs from the start, as he drilled him with a series of kicks. Wisely returned fire, only to be taken down when the Brazilian caught his kick and drove him to the ground. From there, Oliveira dropped for a heel hook and deftly locked Wisely’s leg in the calf slicer. With the limb in place, he then transitioned to the Iowan’s back and wrenched him backwards, putting unbearable pressure on Wisely’s limb. The tapout came soon after.

Hand speed, footwork and stellar defensive wrestling carried “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 finalist Michael Johnson to a unanimous decision over WEC veteran Shane Roller in an undercard bout at 155 pounds. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Johnson (10-6, 2-2 UFC).

Johnson was the more consistent fighter through two rounds, as he thwarted Roller’s advances and peppered the three-time NCAA All-American wrestler with punches, kicks and knees. Eager to test his foe on the ground, Roller (10-6, 1-3 UFC) resorted to pulling guard in round two. The tactic did not work, as Johnson ripped into him with elbows, returned to a standing position and finished the frame with a strong multi-punch combination and low kick.

The third round belonged to Roller, as he transitioned to Johnson’s back in a scramble, flattened out the Imperial Athletics representative and uncorked a series of punches, more than one of them to the back of the head. Referee Herb Dean hit the pause button to warn Roller, giving Johnson a brief but welcomed respite. When the bout resumed, Roller turned to repeated rear-naked choke attempts. None of them were successful, and his inability to close out Johnson on the mat cost him when it went to the scorecards.

Lavar Johnson File Photo

Johnson lit up Joey Beltrran.

Strikeforce veteran Lavar Johnson made a stirring Octagon debut, as he battered and abused the durable Joey Beltran en route to a first-round knockout in a one-sided heavyweight affair. It was over 4:24 into round one.

Johnson (16-5, 1-0 UFC) set the tone with a crushing body shot in the opening seconds and never relented. He stuck Beltran (13-7, 3-4 UFC) with stiff jabs, bullied his way into the clinch and unleashed a series of hellish uppercuts -- complimented beautifully with a heavy right hook -- for the finish. An unconscious Beltran went face first to the mat at the base of the cage, stopped via strikes for the first time in his career.

“He’s a tough fighter,” Johnson said. “He took a lot of good shots. As soon as I hurt him, I went after him.”

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum Chris Camozzi submitted Dustin Jacoby with a third-round guillotine choke in a preliminary middleweight matchup. The tapout came 68 seconds into round three.

Camozzi (16-5, 3-2 UFC) bloodies his foe’s nose in the third round, floored him with a well-timed low kick and slapped on the guillotine choke as Jacoby (6-2, 0-2 UFC) rushed to his feet. Still winless inside the Octagon, the 23-year-old Fort Morgan, Colo., native fought to free himself but was unsuccessful.