The fighters touch gloves as round one begins. Dunham comes out southpaw and lands a right hook that Aurelio shrugs off. Dunham is controlling the pace in the stand-up, avoiding Aurelio's shots and landing counterpunches. Midway through the round, Dunham lands a hard left hand, and Aurelio is in big trouble. Dunham follows up and tries to finish, but Aurelio holds on and survives. Dunahm stands up, and the referee instructs Aurelio to join him. Dunham is continually stuffing Aurelio's shot attempts and is finding a home for his left straight.
Round 2
Aurelio shoots in to begin the second frame, but is again stuffed. Dunham begins to mix up his striking, landing inside leg kicks. With four minutes to go, Aurelio finally scores a takedown and begins to land shots to Dunham's head from the half guard. Dunham escapes to his feet quickly, and is struck with an accidental eye poke shortly thereafter. Aurelio is now moving forward and throwing bombs. Both fighters are swinging with bad intentions. Dunham circles to his left and lands a flying knee as the crowd cheers the local fighter on. With 90 seconds left, Aurelio lands a right and pushes Dunham up against the fence. With the takedown again averted, both fighters exchange in the center of the cage as the horn sounds. 10-9 Dunham.
Round 3
Aurelio immediately shoots in and secures a double leg, landing shots from Dunham's full guard against the fence. Aurelio lands an elbow from the top, bloodying Dunham's nose. Dunham escapes to his feet, but Aurelio is still in control, holding on to an anaconda choke. Aurelio flips his opponent over his head, and the fight looks to be close to a finish, but Dunham again escapes to his feet as the crowd erupts. Time on the feet is short, however, as Aurelio shoots and scores another takedown. Dunham has none of it, though, and gets back to his feet once again. Both fighters look weary as they trade shots, with Dunham getting the better of the exchanges. Dunham throws Aurelio off with 20 seconds remaining, and lands several hard shots as the fight comes to a close.
29-28, 28-29, 30-27, judges score a split decision for Evan Dunham
