Vera controlled the whole bout, starting by showing in the first round that he had a significantly superior stand-up game. Vera spent the first sticking and moving and making Soszynski look futile when he tried to give chase.
The pace slowed down in the second round, and neither fighter looked particularly impressive. Vera continued to get the better of the stand-up exchanges, and although Soszynski took Vera down with 50 seconds left in the round, he wasn'ta ble to do anything on the ground before Vera stood back up.
Vera tried to mix things up in the third, opening the round with a spinning back elbow and a body kick. He later secured a takedown of his own and landed a vicious elbow on the ground, and overall simply looked like the better fighter.
"It was a good fight," Vera said afterward. "Krzysztof is a tough dude."
Calling it a good fight is a bit of a stretch; the pace was slow for much of the fight, and the crowd booed at the end. But it was a good result for Vera, who won the fight 30-27 on all three judges' cards, and on my scorecard. Vera still has a long way to go before he's a title contender, but this win was a necessary step toward his goal of earning a UFC belt.
For full UFC 102 coverage, also check our UFC Twitter updates and full UFC 102 results.
UFC 102 Photos
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Nate Marquardt (L) knocks out UFC fighter Demian Maia (R) during their Middleweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nate Marquardt;Demian Maia
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Nate Marquardt (L) knocks out UFC fighter Demian Maia (R) during their Middleweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nate Marquardt;Demian Maia
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Nate Marquardt (L) knocks out UFC fighter Demian Maia (R) during their Middleweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nate Marquardt;Demian Maia
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Nate Marquardt (L) battles UFC fighter Demian Maia (R) during their Middleweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nate Marquardt;Demian Maia
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Mike Russow (L) battles UFC fighter Justin McCully (R) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Russow;Justin McCully
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Mike Russow (R) battles UFC fighter Justin McCully (L) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Russow;Justin McCully
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Mike Russow (L) battles UFC fighter Justin McCully (R) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Russow;Justin McCully
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Mike Russow (L) battles UFC fighter Justin McCully (R) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Russow;Justin McCully
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Mike Russow (L) battles UFC fighter Justin McCully (R) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Russow;Justin McCully
Getty Images
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Mike Russow (L) battles UFC fighter Justin McCully (R) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Russow;Justin McCully
Getty Images
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