UFC Fight Night Prelims: Uriah Hall Wrecks Short-Notice Newcomer Oluwale Bamgbose

Uriah Hall did not greet Oluwale Bamgbose with a warm welcome.

Hall disposed of the previously unbeaten promotional newcomer with first-round ground-and-pound at UFC Fight Night “St. Preux vs. Teixeira” on Saturday at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. A short-notice replacement for the injured Joe Riggs, Bamgbose (5-1, 0-1 UFC) yielded 2:32 into round one.

Bamgbose came out firing with winging punches and hard low kicks. Hall (11-5, 4-3 UFC) stalked and waited for an opening, shoving the taekwondo black belt to the canvas off of a caught kick. He pushed into full guard, pinned Bamgbose’s head against the cage, postured up and let his left hand fly. The Octagon rookie turtled soon after, resulting in the stoppage.

Hall, 33, has posted four wins over his last five appearances.

Camozzi Outpoints Fading Watson

Stinging jabs, an opportunistic top game and late takedowns carried Chris Camozzi to a unanimous decision over former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Tom Watson in a preliminary middleweight battle. All three cageside judges scored it for Camozzi (22-10, 7-7 UFC): 29-27, 30-26 and 29-27.

Watson (17-9, 2-5 UFC) never seemed to get in gear, and he was undercut by a second-round point deduction for repeated low blows. Camozzi fed him a steady diet of right hands, with a consistent jab tipping his spear. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum put the final touches on his third win in four fights in the third round, where he fought through fatigue to execute a pair of takedowns in the last two minutes.

The 33-year-old Watson has lost four of his past five bouts.

Ortiz Wallops Replacement Gates

Roufusport’s Dustin Ortiz disposed of onetime Tachi Palace Fights titleholder Willie Gates with third-round ground-and-pound in an undercard duel at 125 pounds. A fill-in for the injured Ian McCall, Gates (12-6, 1-2 UFC) wilted 2:58 into round three.

Ortiz (15-4, 4-2 UFC) negated the Californian’s height and reach advantages, successfully closed the distance and went to work. The Duke Roufus protégé secured takedowns and achieved full mount in all three rounds, as he ran circles around an overmatched Gates on the ground. Ortiz brought it back to the floor inside the first 40 seconds of round three, passed to side control and tore into a fading Gates with punches, hammerfists and elbows. The Tennessean then moved to mount and fired away with punches and elbows until referee Mario Yamasaki decided he had seen enough.

The 26-year-old Ortiz has rattled off seven wins in his past nine outings.

Unbeaten Wilson KOs Dempsey

Undefeated Millennia MMA export Jonathan Wilson knocked out Chris Dempsey with first-round punches in an undercard pairing at 205 pounds. A replacement for the injured Jared Cannonier, Dempsey (11-3, 1-2 UFC) succumbed to blows just 50 seconds into round one.

Wilson (7-0, 1-0 UFC) did not waste time. The former Gladiator Challenge champion got Dempsey’s attention with two straight lefts, drew him back to the center of the cage and uncorked another. The Pennsylvanian collapsed to the canvas upon impact and absorbed a pair of savage hammerfists from Wilson before referee John McCarthy could intervene.

Vera’s Triangle Armbar Taps Salazar

“The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” graduate Marlon Vera tapped Roman Salazar with a second-round triangle armbar in a preliminary bantamweight affair. Vera (7-2-1, 1-1 UFC) brought the matter to a close 2:15 into round two.

A relatively even first round gave way to the decisive second. There, Salazar (9-4, 0-2) completed a takedown but wandered into the Ecuador prospect’s full guard while attempting to move to the back. Soon after, Vera ensnared the Fight Ready rep in a triangle, attacked with jagged elbows and then transitioned to the triangle armbar, eliciting the tapout.

Holtzman Choke Submits Christodoulou

Former Xtreme Fighting Championships titleholder Scott Holtzman submitted Anthony Christodoulou with a third-round rear-naked choke in their undercard tilt at 155 pounds. Christodoulou (12-6, 0-2 UFC) conceded defeat 2:40 into round three, as he lost for the second time in as many appearances inside the Octagon.

Holtzman (8-0, 1-0 UFC) was effective at range but excelled in close quarters. He routinely sucked Christodoulou into the clinch and battered him with punches, knees and standing elbows. In the third round, Holtzman executed a trip takedown, shifted to the back, set his hooks and cinched the choke for the tapout.