UFC on FX 4 Prelims Recap: Lamas upsets Hioki, Miller wins in welterweight debut, and more

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The preliminary card for Friday's UFC on FX 4 event from Atlantic City featured some impressive performances along with some expectedly less-than-thrilling action. All in all, though, the eight fights that preceded the FX broadcast made for an enjoyable start to the night's action.

The Facebook card kicked things off, with Ken Stone thwarting Dustin Pague's hopes of two wins in two weeks in the UFC. Pague took the fight on very short notice, and put in a solid effort; however, Stone edged past him in a close fight, taking the split decision with two scores of 29-28.

In a feel good moment before the Fuel TV broadcast, New Jersey's own Dan Miller made a successful welterweight debut, submitting Ricardo Funch in the waning minutes of their fight. The guillotine choke finish was necessary for Miller, as he very well could have been down two rounds to none into the final frame. However, he got the win, his first since December of 2010.

The Fuel TV card then kicked off with three straight stoppages. Matt Brown beat up Luis Ramos throughout the second round, leading to the referee stopping the fight with both fighters standing as a too-tough-for-his-own-good Ramos wouldn't go down from the assault. Chris Camozzi then pulled out a win with a third round battering of Nick Catone, opening up a nasty cut over Catone's left eye that forced doctor's to stop the fight in the third. Had they not called it there, Camozzi may have lost a decision.

Then Steven Siler continued his undefeated run in the Octagon, submitting a debuting Joey Gambino just under three minutes into the fight. Following that bout, Rick Story notched his seventh win in ten UFC fights, taking an uninspired decision win over another debuting fighter in Brock Jardine.

Ultimate Fighter runner-up Ramsey Nijem added his second straight win in the UFC's lightweight division, earning a TKO win over C.J. Keith via a questionable referee stoppage while he was in mount.

Finally, the preliminary card broadcast came to a close with an upset in the featherweight division. Hatsu Hioki turned down a title fight against Jose Aldo for this summer, hoping to continue settling into the UFC's featherweight division before going for the belt. That may not have been the best move, as he was defeated by Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision, and nearly found himself submitted by several guillotine attempts by Lamas. The loss was his first since November of 2009, and drops him down the ranks in the 145 lb. division. The win was Lamas' third straight, and he's now 7-2 in nine appearances under the Zuffa banner in the WEC and UFC.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13668.shtml

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