Stout drops tough decision

In his first fight since the loss of his longtime trainer, friend and brother-in-law Shawn Tompkins, Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout lost a close unanimous decision to Brazilian lightweight Thiago Tavares Saturday on the undercard of UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Stout, who has never fought without Tompkins in his corner, dropped the first two rounds, after being taken down in the first and slightly outpointed in the second. He came back strong in the third, tagging Tavares a couple times late in the round while looking for a finish, but it wasn’t enough as all three judges scored it 29-28 for the hometown fighter.

“It was definitely an adjustment not having (Tompkins) in my corner,” Stout said afterward. “I hope Shawn would be proud.”

The talented kickboxer, with three UFC fight of the night honours in his career, was coming of a highlight-reel knockout of Yves Edwards at UFC 131 in Vancouver last June. But his fight career moved to the backburner after Tompkins, the only lead trainer he has ever had, died of a sudden heart attack in his sleep in August at the age of 37. Tompkins met Stout and introduced him to MMA while dating Stout’s sister Emilie, whom Tompkins later married.

Stout pulled out of a planned fight in October against Dennis Siver and postponed his return to the Octagon while he and his London, Ont., teammates, which includes fellow UFC fighter Mark (The Machine) Hominick, put together a new training camp.

Stout replaced Tompkins as chief corner for Hominick for the latter’s fight last month in Toronto. Unfortunately for Hominick, who was also competing for the first time since Tompkins’ death, he was knocked out in seven seconds by Chan Sung Jung after he missed on an uncharacteristic wild hook.

Fighting with a heavy heart, Stout did not look like his usual explosive self on Saturday when the fight began.

“I thought I took rounds two and three, but I just struggled to find my rhythm,” said Stout, who had Hominick in his corner Saturday. “My head wasn’t in it in the first round. I had a slow start and I have no one to blame but myself for that.”

Earlier, fellow Canadian Antonio (Pato) Carvalho lost a decision in his UFC debut to another Brazilian Felipe Arantes in the first fight of the night.

Carvalho controlled the opening round of his featherweight matchup, landing an early kick to his opponent's body that sent Arantes to the floor. The Ajax, Ont., native took top position for much of the first round, scoring points while controlling the action and seeking submission opportunities.

However, Arantes eventually scrambled back to his feet, and the course of the bout completely changed.

With a pro-Arantes crowd cheering at fever-pitch levels, the 23-year-old "Sertanejo" picked Carvalho apart on the feet, chopping to the legs with slapping kicks and landing jabs up the middle over the course of the final two and a half rounds.

Carvalho pushed until the final bell, but his counter-based gameplan allowed Arantes to be first to the punch and earn a clearcut unanimous-decision win, 29-28 on all three judges' cards.

"I expected the crowd to be against me, but I'm not sure it played a big factor," Carvalho said following the loss. "They were definitely loud. In the end, Felipe listened to his corner very well.

"I wish I would have had more efficient shots (for takedowns) because they worked in the first round. I went for a few too many submissions and tired myself out."

The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Carvalho.

He was actually scheduled to compete at this past August's UFC 134 event, which also took place in Rio de Janeiro. A training injury forced Carvalho to withdraw, and his UFC debut was pushed back to Saturday's event.

-- With files from THE CANADIAN PRESS

James Brydon is the Managing Digital Editor and blogger for sportsnet.ca's UFC section.