At UFC 158 Saturday night, Canadian Nick Ring faded down the stretch in front of his countrymen, dropping a split decision to fellow middleweight Chris Camozzi.
Camozzi (19-5) appeared to grow tired about halfway through the fight, but recovered and kept moving forward against Ring (13-2). Neither man inflicted major damage during the fight, but Camozzi ultimately did just enough to eke out the victory.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
Well, not much, if I’m being honest. It was neither a blistering brawl nor a tactical masterpiece. The fight even elicited scattered boos from the pro-Ring faithful. Ring used his athleticism mainly to stay clear of Camozzi‘s power strikes, while Camozzi looked to slug. Ultimately, the slugger won out.
What we learned about Chris Camozzi:
He’s not the fastest guy in the world, but he was the tortoise to Nick Ring’s hare Saturday night. He was fresher at the end, and that was when he used his hands to mark up Ring’s face and sway the judges.
What we learned about Nick Ring:
It might have been accentuated by Camozzi‘s sluggishness, but Ring looked to have a pretty deep gas tank at UFC 158. That is, until the very end. Ring’s strategy of endless circling was effective for much of the fight, but wasn’t exactly the stuff of legend. He’ll need to come up with a little more than that next time, especially if he’s going to gas at the end again.
What’s next for Camozzi:
I’d like to see him face the streaking and deceptively good Brad Tavares.
What’s next for Ring:
The loser between Tom Lawlor and Michael Kuiper, who face off April 6.
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