Not surprisingly, the two veterans took their time getting acclimated to the Octagon, but once they found their rhythm, a fight broke out, with the action really picking up as they traded at close range in the final 30 seconds.
Bloodied in the previous round, Peterson came out strong in the second, tagging Erosa with several hard right hands. With just over two minutes to go, Peterson rattled Erosa with another right hand and the two went toe-to-toe. Erosa landed a spinning shot on Peterson that scored a flash knockdown on the Texan, and after a brief pause, it was back to brawling for the two gritty 145-pounders.
An Erosa takedown attempt early in round three was met by a guillotine choke attempt by Peterson, but Erosa escaped and the two got back to their feet, still swinging for the fences with each blow. More impressive than those intentions, though, was the heart shown by both men, as they slugged it out before a takedown by Erosa with a minute to go. Once on the mat, Erosa controlled the action until a final wild exchange on the feet marked an end to a memorable scrap.
Official Result – Julian Erosa def. Steven Peterson via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)