UFC Pittsburgh Quick Results: Cerrone Taps Oliveira in Cowboy Duel

Thanks to a series of injuries, illnesses and failed drug tests, the UFC's return to Pittsburgh was a far cry from the product we initially expected. Thankfully, some clever scrambling by the UFC's matchmaking team meant that replacements were found for all absent parties, including Tim Means, who was forced to withdraw from a main event bout with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone on just a few weeks' notice.

Means' replacement was Brazil's Alex Oliveira, who also fights with the nickname "Cowboy," which gave Pittsburgh an interesting, if unexpected, Wild West style main event. Elsewhere on the card, viewers witnessed action at heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, and women's bantamweight—making this the first UFC card to feature a women's bout since UFC 195 on January 2.

Packed to the edges with all the wild finishes and back-and-forth wars we hope for, the UFC's return to Steel City was a good one. Here's a recap of the action for those who missed it!

The Main Card:

Cerrone Taps Oliveira in Cowboy Duel

In the main event of the evening, fan-friendly lightweight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone jumped up to welterweight in an outing that marked his 30th bout under the Zuffa umbrella and 20th in the UFC. His opposition in this landmark bout was Brazil's Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira, who replaced Tim Means on short notice to fight on a day that also happened to be his birthday.

Unfortunately for Oliveira, the birthday gamble didn't pay off. While he was able to muscle his opponent around with apparent ease in the bout's opening moments, it wasn't long before Cerrone grounded the fight. From there, the American rolled into position for a triangle choke. The tap came at 2:33 of the first.

With the win, Cerrone moves to 1-0 as a welterweight and now sits at 29-7 overall. As for what the future holds, the fan favorite used his post-fight interview with Jon Anik to put both the welterweight and lightweight divisions on notice.

"If you wanna get hurt, I know a guy."

With the loss, Oliveira falls to 3-2 inside the Octagon, and 13-4-1 overall. That said, he flaunted some sizable cojones getting in there with Cerrone on short notice, and will surely return to the win column soon.

Brunson Swarms Jucão in One

The co-main event of the evening came courtesy of the middleweight division. In one corner, we had Strikeforce import Derek Brunson, who looked to extend his win-streak to four. In the other, we had Roan "Jucão" Carneiro who, after winning a one-night tournament outside the UFC, returned to the organization with an early-2015 destruction of Mark Munoz.

This one was all Brunson. After Jucão fell to his back in hopes of encouraging a grappling match, the Strikeforce vet dove right into his guard to polish him off with a hell-storm of ground-and-pound. The end came at the 2:38 mark of the first.

With the win, Brunson explodes onto a 4-fight streak, and continues his rise up the middleweight ranks. He's now 15-3 in sum and 6-1 in the UFC. Jucão, meanwhile, loses for the first time since March of 2011. The 37-year-old is now 20-10 overall and 1-1 in his second run in the UFC.

Garbrandt Flattens Mendes in the First

In Pittsburgh, Team Alpha Male's Cody Garbrandt was originally expected to meet Jon Lineker in an exciting bantamweight clash. When Lineker withdrew from the pairing with Dengue fever, however, Garbrandt received a last-minute replacement in Augusto Mendes, who he met at a 142-pound catchweight.

Despite the last-minute change, Garbrandt delivered a fantastic performance. After a few slow moments to begin the bout, the 24-year-old striker planted a blistering right hand on Mendes' chin. Moments later, he was finishing things off with a slew of ground strikes as an indecisive Mario Yamasaki struggled to decide if the fight should actually be called or not.

With the first-round TKO win, Garbrandt stays perfect at 8-0 overall, and now owns a UFC record of 3-0. All but one of his victories have come by way of knockout. Mendes, meanwhile, loses for the first time. He's now 5-1 overall.

Bermudez Batters Kawajiri to Unanimous Decision

The lone featherweight bout of the night paired Tatsuya Kawajiri with Dennis Bermudez. Both featherweights have long been members of the top-15, but have failed to crack the division's uppermost reaches. In Pittsburgh, they looked to take another step toward that end.

The fight unfurled almost entirely on the ground, as Kawajiri relentlessly attempted to smother his foe. Unfortunately for the Japanese veteran, that strategy backfired, as Bermudez was able to create space and land dozens of nasty ground strikes, before turning it on in the third with a knockdown and a slam. By the time the final horn sounded, the American had out-struck his foe by a stark 122-24 margin—more than enough to earn the unanimous nod.

With the win, Bermudez rebounds from a pair of losses to Ricardo Lamas and Jeremy Stephens. He's now 15-5 overall, and reaffirms his status as one of the world's best featherweights. Kawajiri, meanwhile, has a two-fight streak snapped by the loss, coming up short for the first time since April of 2014. He's now 35-9-2 overall.

Camozzi Blitzes Riggs with First-Round Knees

In the second bout of the main card, middleweight veteran Chris Camozzi looked to construct a two-fight win-streak in the midst of his fourth stint with the UFC. His opposition on this mission was Joe Riggs, a 57-fight veteran who, after winning Bellator's Fight Master, returned to the UFC to lose to Ben Saunders and Pat Coté, and defeat Ron Stallings by DQ.

Camozzi delivered in the biggest way possible. After stunning his opponent with a jab in the fight's opening seconds, the former TUF contestant sealed the deal with a series of missile-like left knees. The end came just 26 seconds into the fight.

With the win, Camozzi continues to affirm that he does, in fact, belong in the UFC. He's now 23-10 overall. Riggs, meanwhile, looks like a fighter on the way out. He'll leave Pittsburgh with an overall record of 41-16 and a broken forearm.

Krause Edges Campbell in Exciting Scrap

After a short tribute to late MMA legend Kevin Randleman, Pittsburgh's main card was kicked off by an intriguing lightweight duel. In one corner, we had James Krause, a well-rounded veteran whose UFC career was preceded by bouts in the WEC, Bellator, RFA and Titan FC. In the other corner, we had Canada's James Krause, who has competed more than 70 times as a kickboxer.

While Campbell showcased big heart by fighting through a pair of tight rear-naked choke attempts, this one ultimately came down to Krause's pressure. Though the American completed just 3 of 12 attempted takedowns, he was moving forward for the vast majority of the bout which would earn him a just unanimous decision win.

Post-fight, Krause admitted to Jon Anik that he wasn't happy with his performance. Nonetheless, he will leave Pittsburgh with a two-fight streak and a commendable overall record of 23-7. Campbell, on the other hand, will return to Canada with a 12-4 overall record, and a 1-2 mark inside the Octagon.

The Prelims:

Patient Strickland Snipes Garcia in the Third

The Pittsburgh prelims were wrapped up by Tristar talent Alex Garcia, who took on the rangy Sean Strickland in a compelling clash of welterweight prospects. Both fighters last appeared in July, having defeated Mike Swick and Igor Araujo respectively, and looked to kick of 2016 with a win.

Over the course of the first two rounds, Strickland surrendered a pair of takedowns and ate a handful of Garcia power punches. Despite these shaky moments, however, the 25-year-old stuck to his game plan, worked his jab, and kept his range until he found his opening and put his opponent away with a salvo of third-round punches.

With the win, Strickland moves to a fantastic 17-1 overall, and now sits at 4-1 in the UFC. Garcia, in contrast, now sits at 13-3 overall and owns a new UFC record of 3-2.

Bamgbose Snuffs Sarafian with First-Round Head Kick

The second last bout of the prelims saw 28-year-old Oluwale Bamgbose look to rebound from a short-notice loss to Uriah Hall in his UFC debut. Opposite the Nigerian-American was TUF Brazil veteran Daniel Sarafian, who returned to the Octagon after well over a year on the bench.

Bamgbose spoiled his opponent's return in a big way, shattering the Brazilian's defenses with a thudding head kick, and polishing him off with a series of rocket-fueled ground strikes in the subsequent seconds. The end came at 1:00 of the first round.

The win is Bamgbose's first inside the Octagon, and moves him to 6-1 overall. Post-fight, he called out a nameless "you"—logic suggests the barb was directed at Uriah Hall or reigning champ Luke Rockhold. The vanquished Sarafian, meanwhile, slips to 10-6 overall, and a tough 2-4 on the sport's biggest stage.

Smith Survives Late Scare to Defeat Guimaraes

In the first of Pittsburgh's three middleweight bouts, 33-year-old Brazilian prospect Leonardo "Leleco" Guimaraes made his UFC debut against late-replacement Anthony "Lionheart" Smith, a UFC veteran who returned to the Octagon after 7-straight wins outside the organization.

Despite a pair of extremely questionable referee stand-ups, and a third-round scare under a bombardment of Leleco body shots, Smith's successes in the first two rounds—based largely on a pair of takedowns—proved enough to earn him a unanimous nod.

The victory marks the first UFC triumph of Smith's 36-fight career. The veteran, who spent some time at SBG Ireland in preparation for this bout, is now 25-11 overall. Leleco, on the other hand, tastes defeat for the first time since April of 2011. He's now 11-2 overall.

Coy Decisions Webb, Calls out Rick Story

The first televised bout of the night paired 37-year-old American Top Team veteran Nathan Coy with 26-year-old prospect Jonavin Webb. The fight marked Coy's opportunity to bounce back from a pair of losses in the Bellator and UFC cages, while Webb looked to distance himself from a recent split decision loss to Kyle Noke.

As many expected, this one came down to Coy's wrestling and experiential edge. After a tough first round, the former MFC welterweight king dug deep to steal the judges' favor in rounds two and three.

The win is Coy's first since joining the UFC in late 2015. The veteran is now 15-6 overall, and made his hopes for the future clear with a post-fight callout of Rick Story. Webb, meanwhile, is now 8-2 overall and an ugly 0-2 in the UFC.

Evans-Smith Scores Debatable Split Decision Over Reneau

The Fight Pass Prelims were closed out by a fight in the women's bantamweight division, as Marion Reneau and Ashlee Evans-Smith looked to rebound from losses to Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington respectively.

After three rounds of action, the judges' awarded this one to Evans-Smith. And while the Reign MMA rep did seem to win the third round, she lost the first fairly decisively, and probably gave up the second too. MMA's judging problem strikes again.

Debatable as the verdict was, however, Evans-Smith will leave Pittsburgh with a massive win, having defeated the women's bantamweight division's 11th-ranked fighter. She's now 4-1 overall, and 1-1 in the UFC. The 38-year-old Reneau, meanwhile, enters the first 2-fight losing streak of her career. She's now 6-3 overall, and 2-2 in the UFC.

Murphy Bloodies Faszholz to Third-Round TKO

Pittsburgh's second bout saw women step into the Octagon for the first time since UFC 195, as Lauren Murphy and Kelly Faszholz mixed it up in an intriguing bantamweight matchup. The fight marked a short-notice UFC debut for Faszholz, and Murphy's opportunity to bounce back from a pair of razor-close losses to Sara McMann and Liz Carmouche.

The story of this one was the grit and experience of Murphy, who weathered an early storm to steal the momentum in rounds 2 and 3, bloodying her debuting foe en route to a third-round TKO.

With this impressive performance, Murphy will leave Pittsburgh with her first UFC win, and an overall record of 9-2. Faszholz, meanwhile, tastes defeat for the first time. She's now 3-1 overall.

Abdurakhimov Out-Strikes Hamilton to Unanimous Decision

For a fleeting moment in late 2015, Anthony Hamilton was scheduled to co-headline the UFC's debut in South Korea opposite Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. When Cro Cop made a surprise retirement from MMA however, Hamilton was relegated to the sidelines until the Octagon touched down in Pittsburgh, where he would kick off the Fight Pass Prelims against Shamil Abdurakhimov.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, Abdurakhimov's pinpoint striking was simply too much to handle. For the duration of the three round affair, the Dagestani heavyweight zapped his American foe with jabs and force-fed him uppercuts in the clinch, culminating in a sound unanimous decision win.

With the victory, Abdurakhimov improves to 16-3 in total and 1-1 inside the Octagon. Hamilton, meanwhile, falls to 14-5 overall and 2-3 across five UFC bouts.