LAS VEGAS - He's was dubbed "Meathead" during Season 9 of "The Ultimate Fighter" for a reason. Matt Mitrione has a goofy nature about him and tonight it cost him.
Mitrione never pressed on the gas pedal and allowed Cheick Kongo to grab a unanimous decision victory, 30-27, 30-28, 29-28 in the co-main event at UFC 137.
The former Big 10 defensive lineman had Kongo backing up for two rounds, but when he didn't throw enough punches, it opened the door for the Frenchman to get aggressive.
Kongo scored two big slam takedowns in the final round and beat up Mitrione on the ground to lock up the fight.
[Related: UFC 137: Penn, 'Cro Cop' may retire after losses]
The first two rounds were both frustrating and exciting at times.
Kongo (17-6-2, 10-4-1 UFC) is one of the most accurate strikers in UFC history, but Mitrione didn't care. He pressed forward and made the hulking Kongo look a little scared.
"I felt like I was chasing him a lot so I couldn't force anything. I'm just really dissappointed in the whole thing," said Mitrione.
One problem though, Mitrione never let his hands go. He'd throw a flurry here or there, but he spent most of the time faking and smiling. Meanwhile, Kongo landed a few well-placed punches and scored enough with leg kicks to win over the judges. According to Fight Metric, Kongo attempted 97 strikes to just 52 from Mitrione during the first two rounds.
"I wasn't sure how to react to Mitrione's movements in the beginning. I was happy with my performance, especially my striking. I wanted to make him work. My game plan was to wait and see what he did," said Kongo.
Considering he didn't fight professionally until late 2009, it's not an awful loss for Mitrione. A defensive tackle at Purdue, Mitrione (5-1) spent several years bouncing around the NFL as he struggled with foot and ankle issues. The 33-year-old is extremely athletic with good natural fighting instincts. Tonight, he was just way too patient.
Kongo's now won three of four fights. The other one was a draw against Travis Browne.
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