Too little, too late for Andrew Craig in loss to Cezar Ferreira
SAN ANTONIO -- A bloodied Andrew Craig put the crowd on its feet with an incredible flurry over the final minute, nearly finishing Cezar Ferreira. But it ended up being too little, too late.
Ferreira held on for a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) win over Craig at UFC Fight Night on Saturday at AT&T Center. Neither competitor really stood out, but Ferreira was clearly the better fighter over the first 14 minutes of the bout. Craig just waited too long to pull the trigger.
The wild sequence occurred after Ferreira came up with a huge slam and took Craig's back. That position held for awhile, with a cut on Craig's opening up into a full pour. With just over a minute left in the fight, Craig was able to get to his feet and rock Ferreira with a head kick. He followed up with a hard right, dropping Ferreira. Craig pounced, but Ferreira was able to survive the onslaught until the bell.
After a listless first two rounds and change, the crowd went crazy when Craig, a Texas native, showed some signs of life. It just wasn't enough to earn a decision -- he had to actually finish "Mutante" if he was going to win. The comeback was not to be.
Ferreira (8-3), the protégé of Vitor Belfort and an Ultimate Fighter Brazil winner, has now won four of five fights in the UFC at middleweight. He was coming off a knockout loss to C.B. Dollaway in March. Craig (9-3) has now lost two straight after a signature win last year over Chris Leben.
