UFC 148: What We Learned from Costa Philippou vs. Riki Fukuda

Middleweight Costa Philippou survived a late eye poke to continue his rise through the ranks with an easy, if not electrifying, unanimous decision victory over Riki Fukuda at UFC 148 in Las Vegas.

There was not a great degree of action in the fight, but Philippou (11-2-1, 4-1 UFC) did enough to win, consistently jamming his opponent's takedowns and persistently throwing right hands.

On the feet, Fukuda (18-6, 1-2 UFC) was assiduous in keeping his distance from Philippou's feared boxing, though Philippou was still able to outpoint his opponent.

About halfway through the final stanza, a savage inadvertent eye poke dropped Philippou like a brick and probably inflicted more damage than anything else in the fight. However, Philippou eventually gathered himself and finished the effort.  

What We'll Remember from This Fight

The worst eye poke I've seen in the Octagon this side of Kevin Burns/Anthony Johnson. During a layoff of several minutes, Philippou shouted in pain on the canvas while the doctor examined the eye, which was noticeably reddened. Despite the painful injury, Philippou, likely sensing a win, returned to fight out the string. 

What We Learned About Costa Philippou

He has a pretty cool head. Fans knew from Philippou's win over Court McGee that he could fend off high-level takedown attempts. In this one, he showed great calm and patience in the cage. Recovering from the eye poke was just a part of it.  

Unlike other knockout artists, Philippou declined to wade in, using sharp footwork to keep range while consistently scoring with his right hand. The fight was not scintillating. But it was also never really in doubt.  

What We Learned About Riki Fukuda

If he can't work his wrestling, he doesn't have much else in the bag of tricks. Unless you count the eye poke and the two low-blow leg kicks. 

What's Next for Costa Philippou

Philippou has separated himself from the pack at 185, and it's time for him to take a big step up. How about the loser between Rousimar Palhares and Yushin Okami, who face off at UFC 150? Palhares in particular would constitute a very interesting matchup of styles.

What's Next for Riki Fukuda

The loser between Court McGee and Nick Ring, set for UFC 149. Ring bested Fukuda by a unanimous but controversial decision back in 2011; a rematch might attract some interest.

For updates and things from UFC 148 and MMA in general, follow Scott on Twitter @ScottHarrisMMA.