Showcasing the depth of the lightweight division, longtime UFC vets Mark Bocek and Nik Lentz were tabbed for the Facebook undercard portion of UFC 140.
Bocek once again was picked to fight on his home soil, but hoped for a better outcome than his UFC 129 bout against Benson Henderson. The Canadian submission ace entered the bout having dropped two of his last three fights to Henderson and fellow contender Jim Miller.
Wrestling stalwart Lentz looked to erase the memory of a no contest in June with Charles Oliveira. Lentz has yet to taste defeat in his seven Octagon appearances and against Bocek, hoped to make it eight.
Round One: Bocek opened aggressively with a clinch, delivering knees and uppercuts. Lentz pressed the fight against the fence, but Bocek quickly reversed. Bocek scored with a trip takedown just a minute into the fight. Bocek worked to pass the guard, but Lentz locked in a guillotine attempt. Bocek stood to escape the hold and then quickly looked to pass again. Bocek moved to side control, but Lentz recovered half guard immediately and eventually his full guard. Bocek rained punches from the top as the end closed.
Round Two: Lentz threw a head kick to start the second round. Bocek dove for a takedown but Letnz easily stuffed it. Bocek slipped on a kick attempt and Lentz looked for an inverted triangle. Bocek transitioned and landed in the top position. Lentz maintained his guard, but could not threaten Bocek from his back. The Canadian pushed his head deep into Lentz’s armpit, looking for an arm triangle, but Lentz recognized the threat and scrambled. Lentz again latched onto a guillotine with a minute left in the round and Bocek was forced to stand and defend. Referee Herb Dean stood the fighters up due to inactivity at the end of the round.
Round Three: Bocek quickly shot for a takedown and scored it along the fence to begin the final stanza. Bocek tried to posture up and attack, but Lentz tied him up from the bottom. Lentz scrambled to his feet. Lentz popped the head of Bocek back with an uppercut. Bocek secured another takedown at the midway point of the round. Bocek continued to struggle to mount offense from the top, but Lentz remained on his back. The fight ended with the two fighters briefly trading on the feet.
All three judges rewarded Bocek for his performance, handing Lentz his first Octagon defeat. “He’s incredibly tough, give him credit,” Bocek said in his post-fight interview.
Official Result: Mark Bocek def. Nik Lentz by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
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Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.