In his first fight since losing to Anthony Pettis last year at WEC 48, UFC and WEC veteran Alex “T-Rex” Karalexis (10-6) took on Tiawan “The Iron Dragon” Howard (9-7) in the main event at “CES MMA: Nowhere to Run” Friday night, June 10, at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I.
Karalexis started strong by scoring a trip takedown early in round one, but Howard bounced back by catching him in a very tight kimura that Karalexis said afterward probably either broke his arm or tore his shoulder.
In round two, Karalexis used effective leg kicks and avoided most of the big shots from Howard, although he did get caught with a nice overhand right with a little over a minute left in the round.
Following that, Karalexis scored a big slam on Howard and was able to lay on some ground and pound before Howard got back to his feet. Karalexis got one more takedown, but Howard reversed it and ended the round on top.
In round three, Karalexis scored multiple takedowns and was able to take Howard out of his stand-up game for the most part. In the end, the judges awarded a split decision victory to Tiawan Howard.
Karalexis was absolutely dumbfounded at the decision. Check out the fight and see if you agree.
The Boston Herald has a nice write up on the fight with some quotes from Karalexis. They also report that a brawl broke out in the cage between the camps afterward.
Rounds 1 & 2
Round 3