All three rounds looked eerily similar. Nijem controlled the standup for a bit, then took the fight to the floor. He'd soften him up with punches and threaten with a sub, Downes would persevere, and it would begin all over again. It was overall pure domination from Nijem, and the judges reflected that on their cards. The final scores were 30-25, 30-26, 30-27. The lightweight bout was the third fight on the UFC 137 preliminary card, and aired live on Facebook.
What was the high spot of this fight?
There wasn't one clear moment that stood out for me, but the fight looked to be over multiple times and Downes managed to hold on.
Where do these guys go from here?
Nijem was viewed by a lot of pundits as a lameduck TUF competitor that couldn't hang in the UFC lightweight division, but this performance showed that he has a fair amount of talent and could be competitive against some good guys. A bout with former TUF winner Mac Danzig might be a little too much too soon, but it'd be a quality matchup for both men.
Honestly, I'd be surprised if Downes got another UFC fight. He has now been dominated in two straight bouts and his only win under the Zuffa umbrella was against a natural featherweight (Tiequan Zhang). Heart isn't enough to hang in the organization, unfortunately.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Later. There's some action but it's all one-sided and predictable. Unless you're a huge fan of watching a guy barely survive for 15 minutes, I'd try to watch some of the more memorable UFC 137 bouts before I went searching for this one.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/8/7/2350504/mma/fight-card/74507/ufc-133-evans-vs-ortiz
More BE coverage of UFC 137 in the full entry.
UFC 137 Results: Donald Cerrone's Destruction of Dennis Siver Vaults Him Into Relevancy - Leland Roling
UFC 137 Results: Mirko Cro Cop Retires, but What Is His Legacy? - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 137 Results: Nick Diaz Punches His Way to Momentous Opportunity - Leland Roling
UFC 137 Results: Post-Fight Press Conference Video - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Fights To Make After The Card, Where Do We Go From Here? - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Biggest Winners, Losers, and Other Thoughts - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Dana White Announces Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz Fight Video Highlights - Anton Tabuena
UFC 137 Results: Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn Post-Fight Recap and Analysis - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137 Results: Mirko Cro Cop Announces Retirement After Loss - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 137 Results: Nick Diaz Starches BJ Penn To A Decision In A FOTY Candidate - Matthew Roth
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 93: UFC 137 Results Review - Matt Bishop
UFC 137 Results: B.J. Penn Retires After Loss to Nick Diaz - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Pay-Per-View Fights - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137 Results: Cheick Kongo Decisions Matt Mitrione In A Lackluster Fight - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Roy Nelson Stops Mirko Cro Cop In The Third Round - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Scott Jorgensen Wins Unanimous Decision Over Jeff Curran - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Hatsu Hioki Wins Split Decision Over George Roop - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Donald Cerrone Forces Dennis Siver To Submit - Matthew Roth
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Spike TV Prelims - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137 Results: Bart Palaszewski Knocks Out Tyson Griffin In UFC Debut - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Brandon Vera Wins Close Decision Over Eliot Marshall - Matthew Roth
UFC 137 Results: Ramsey Nijem Dominates Danny Downes - Matthew Roth
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Facebook Prelims - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 137: Francis Carmont Dominates Chris Camozzi In UFC Debut - Matthew Roth