The second bout of the main card is a middleweight fight pitting TUF 17’s most feared fighter against a man in the midst of a career resurgence. “Doomsday” returns to the UFC as middleweight on a winning streak, and is prepared for a stiff test in the hard-hitting Hall.

John Howard grinds down Uriah Hall for split decision victory

Round 1 did not start out how anybody expected, with Hall bullrushing Howard to the mat with a takedown. “Doomsday” held him in place with a butterfly guard, preventing the feared striker from doing too much of anything. When the fight returned to the feet, Howard took some of the best that Uriah had to offer and stayed standing, landing leg kicks from distance. Hall used his reach advantage though, and through various phases in clinch and at range, a close round must be given to the TUF alumnus, 10-9.

The second stanza was more Howard, as he managed to land cleaner strikes in the ranged phase, land significantly more in the clinch, and managed to score a proper takedown and ground’n’pound near the end of the round. Hall did impress, however, showing improved grappling, including countering a single leg attempt with a Kimura trap sweep. Still, Howard was in control, taking the round 10-9. 19-19 so far.

Round 3 was another display of well-roundedness from Howard and Hall, with each man hitting a takedown, and each showing some flashiness in the closing seconds. Hall went for a spinning, flipping heel kick and missed, only to have “Doomsday” dive on him with a punch and take mount at the close. Howard showed way more control, evading Uriah’s spinning kicks, and landing more in the clinch once again. I give this one to Howard, for a score of 29-28.

John Howard def. Uriah Hall via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)