CINCINNATI – Chris Cariaso (17-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) may have given up a few inches in height against Louis Smolka (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), but he made up for it with an aggressive attack and a constantly threatening ground game, both of which helped him secure a split-decision victory (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. The flyweight bout opened the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 40 event at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 2 and UFC Fight Pass. The fight began with an almost wholly uneventful first round, but by the second frame, Cariaso had managed to put his superior ground game to work, nearly locking up a choke in the final seconds of the round. Throughout the final round, Smolka struggled to get his offense going against the busier Cariaso, and when he did finally manage to string together a few punch combinations, it was too little, too late.
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UFC Fight Night 40 results, photos: Chris Cariaso edges Louis Smolka for third straight – MMA Junkie