Chico Camus ekes out split decision over Brad Pickett
AUSTIN - A lot of footwork and some crisp boxing got the job done for Chico Camus as he made a successful debut at flyweight while dropping Brad Pickett to 1-2 in the division.
Camus had some up and down moments in his career as a UFC bantamweight, but he looked to even the odds by dropping down to 125-pounds where he would be the same size as most of his opponents.
The Duke Roufus prodigy showed an immediate spring in his step using quick feet to stay out of the range of Pickett's punches time and time again over all three rounds. The frustration put Pickett into an even more offensive mindset and it cost him as he pursued Camus around the Octagon and ate counter punches all night as a result.
Camus' boxing was on point although his volume of strikes didn't pick up much as the fight wore on. Where he beat Pickett was with accurate punches from the outside while playing a strong defensive game to keep the Englishman from landing much of anything all fight long.
As the second round ended and the third began, Camus' confidence grew as Pickett just got more frustrated trying to catch up to his quicker opponent. Camus could have likely avoided a close call if he would have upped his overall striking in the final five minutes, but in the end he still got the win.
The judges returned scores of 29-28 and 29-28 in Camus' favor with one judge giving Pickett all three rounds. In the end, Camus gets the win by split decision.
The tougher part might be Pickett's lack of success since dropping down to 125-pounds where he thought he would be a contender for the title in rapid fashion. Instead, he's now 1-2 in the division with a very long climb to get back to the top.
