Bocek def. de la Torre, split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
The Ultimate Fighter: Nations competitors Mark Bocek and Mike de la Torre squared off in the final Fight Pass prelim of the evening.
The usually takedown-centric Bocek landed a number of hammering blows in the fight’s opening round, drawing “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd on hand. De la Torre was game, however, and landed a number of his own impact strikes.
When Bocek did look to take the action to the canvas, de la Torre put up staunch defense, keeping things vertical.
What a round! @MarkBocek vs @SSDMIKED More please!
— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2014
In the second, Bocek looked more like his old self, swarming for the takedown. He succeeded twice early on, but neither yielded much time on the mat, as de la Torre was able to stand just seconds after landing on his back.
For the final four minutes of the frame, de la Torre looked to be the sharper competitor, routinely snapping Bocek‘s head back and opening a cut on the bridge of his nose. Bocek was able to get off a few solid punches of his own, but the tide had turned from Round 1.
Round 3 began as the Second, with Bocek scoring a quick takedown, but one that yielded very little for him. De la Torre was able to keep the fight vertical after that, only being driven into the fen and Bocek jumping his back once.
Unfortunately, he was unable to do less in space in the third round, connecting with fewer solid blows and absorbing a few in return.
In the end Bocek‘s persistence and strong finish did enough to earn him the nod on two of three scorecards.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com