Craig tried to drag Oezdemir to the mat in the early going, nearly locking up a leg as he got his foe down. Oezdemir was now forced to defend, and he did so effectively, finding his way upright in the second minute. Craig didn’t let him stay on his feet for long, and he worked from his back to secure a submission, but again, Oezdemir eluded trouble and returned to his feet, where he looked to have some success, but it was unclear if his strikes were hurting Craig or if the Scotland native was playing possum.
In the second, Craig showed off his standup attack as Oezdemir calmly fired back to stay busy, and in the third, Oezdemir rattled Craig in the first minute of round three. But after landing a couple hard shots on his grounded foe, Oezdemir let him up in order to avoid a submission attempt. Craig did pull the fight to the mat in the second minute, but only briefly, and it was Oezedmir who stuck to his guns and kept it standing for the rest of the bout. | Official Scorecards