Simpson dominated Schafer in the opening frame, landing a stiff right that cut open Schafer early. He continued the onslaught from the remainder of the round, brutalizing the head and midsection of the Wisconsin native. Schafer produced little offense and even less opportunity for himself to take Simpson into his world on the ground. A round clearly won for Simpson.
Simpson continued to brutalize Schafer in the second, landing heavy right hands early. Schafer landed a few counter shots, but he was unable to ward off the aggressive Arizona State wrestler, succumbing to constant brutality for the remainder of the round. Simpson put emphasis on his dominance by landing a downing shot in the final seconds of the round.
The third round was a bit more subdued from Simpson. Schafer showed his toughness by eating everything that Simpson threw at him. Unfortunately, he couldn't produce any offense that put Simpson in danger. Simpson easily took the third, although not as dominant as the first two rounds.
The 37-year-old NCAA Division I wrestler Simpson entered tonight's contest riding a two-fight win streak, defeating both Brad Tavares and Mario Miranda via unanimous decision in his last two appearances. He had previously dropped bouts to Mark Munoz at UFC 123 and Chris Leben at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale. He came into tonight's bout sporting a 5-2 record with the promotion.
Eric Schafer was previously in the UFC back in 2006, amassing a 1-2 record in 3 appearances with losses to Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar. He returned in 2008, beating Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes at UFC Fight Night 15 and UFC 93 respectively. He followed those wins up with losses to Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz, earning him a release. He returned for his third stint with the promotion tonight.
