LAS VEGAS -Ramsey Nijem got caught at the Season 13 "Ultimate Fighter Finale." It happens, but that didn't take away from his status as a solid lightweight prospect.
He rebounded tonight to toy with Danny Downes on his way to a unanimous decision victory, 30-25, 30-26 and 30-27, in bout No. 3 at UFC 137 in the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Nijem (5-2, 1-1 UFC) landed pretty much everything he threw on the feet which led to control in the clinch. He scored seven takedowns and each time, took Downes' back. Nijem worked 10-plus chokes throughout.
Downes didn't provide much opposition overall, but he's nearly impossible to finish. Downes had the snot beat out of him against Jeremy Stephens at that TUF 13 Finale, but wouldn't give up that night either.
[Related: UFC 137: Penn, 'Cro Cop' set to retire after losses]
Nijem was a bit impatient on most of his choke attempts. He tried many of them without securing Downes' body. Although he did secure a body lock late and Downes still wouldn't give up.
Nijem lost the TUF 13 Finale via knockout against Tony Ferguson. Last month, Ferguson destroyed Aaron Riley in his first UFC fight after the show.
Vera escapes the third round to break losing streak
Brandon Vera is hanging on by a thread. He survived a difficult third round against Eliot Marshall to post a unanimous decision victory, 29-28 on all three cards, in the fourth bout at UFC 137.
"I wanted to stay in his face. He also wanted a win badly. It was a must win for both of us. I wish my performance was better. I was trying to get a knock out but it wasn't happening."
Vera escaped the chopping block earlier this year when it was discovered that Thiago Silva had submitted a false urine sample after their fight at UFC 125. Vera was actually released from his contract, but then brought back when the Nevada State Athletic Commission settled the Silva case and put him on suspension.
Vera got off to a solid start in the first behind some good leg kicks he had Marshall backing up. In the second, Vera scored a pair of takedowns and controlled Marshall on the ground for over two minutes.
The final round was nearly a disaster for Vera, who came in on a three-fight losing streak (counting the no contest vs. Silva as a loss). With a little over four minutes left in the fight, Marshall crushed Vera with a right hook. The Filipino-American was stopped in his tracks and his legs gave out. He went into survival mode grabbing for anything he could find. Vera was able to slow things down for the next two minutes before he was taken down.
That's a dangerous spot against Marshall who's a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Marshall took his back and threatened a few times with chokes. Vera was in real trouble with 40 seconds left as Marshall locked on what looked like a pretty solid armbar attempt. He survived and got the decision because of his work in the first two rounds. This was a night when Vera should thanks the fight gods these bouts are scored on a round-by-round basis. Frankly, the third round was so dominant that it was hard to imagine Vera walking away with his hand raised.
"I should have kept moving forward.� Every time I did, I made it work," Marshall said.� "I've got to get back in camp and see where�I go from here.� I felt that everything was right, but obviously I've got some work to do."
Carmont rolls past one-dimensional Camozzi
Chris Camozzi's return to the UFC wasn't what he hoped for at UFC 137.
An alum of Season 11 of "The Ultimate Fighter," Camozzi was outclassed by Francis Carmont. The Frenchman beat up Camozzi on the feet and posted a dominant second round on his way to a unanimous decision victory, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27, in bout No. 2 of the night at UFC 137.
Carmont had to fight off a persistent Camozzi along the cage for most of the first and in the early parts of the second. He changed the tone of the fight by landing a pair of flying knees with 2:15 left in the round.
Carmont (17-7, 1-0 UFC) then executed a beautiful slam of Camozzi. With less than 25 seconds left in the round, Carmont landed a big uppercut followed by a left hook that floored Camozzi. Camozzi held on from there to survive the round. Camozzi, who tried to work the clinch throughout the fight, did the same over the final five minutes.
"I just wasn't able to pull the trigger on him. His distance really threw me off the entire bout. I had a great training camp.�I really felt prepared for this. I just have to go back and work on a few things," said Camozzi.
Carmont, who trains out of Tristar Gym in Montreal, the same gym as Georges St-Pierre, has now won six straight. Twenty four fights into his career, this was his first in the U.S.
Starks wins debut over fellow UFC rookie Jacoby
Clifford Starks came away with the win in his UFC intro, but it was hard to tell what sort of prospect the former Arizona State wrestler will turn out to be.
Starks use his grappling skills to score takedowns in each round and rolled to a unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all three cards. Starks (8-0) has been fighting since 2009 and still has some work to do on his hands. His most effective punch was a right hand lead, but he looked uncomfortable throwing the jab. Jacoby (6-1) is still a mystery.
Starks deserves some major credit for taking this fight on just eight days notice.
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Get ready for some mean-mugging.
LAS VEGAS - Once again, Nick Diaz proves to be just the right kind of crazy.
The UFC's decision to scrap Carlos Condit's promised title shot to capitalize on the buzz of Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz obviously struck a nerve with fans.
LAS VEGAS - Japanese submission ace Hatsu Hioki admits his UFC 137 win over fellow featherweight George Roop wasn't the most convincing victory in MMA history.
The misdiagnosis of rape as a mental disorder has been a forensic disaster?allowing the widespread misuse of involuntary psychiatric hospitalization to facilitate a form of questionably constitutional preventive detention. Fortunately, there is now considerable hope that this sad episode will soon come to a much needed end. 
Argosy Casino in Riverside, Mo., plays host to today's official Bellator 56 fighter weigh-ins, and we're providing a live video stream of the proceedings at 5 p.m. ET. 
