UFC on FOX 12 results, photos: Noad Lahat holds on, tops Steven Siler

SAN JOSE – Not long after Noad Lahat opened up UFC on FOX 12 with an upset of Steven Siler, reality set in.

Lahat (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Siler (23-13 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at the event, which took place at SAP Center in his home training base of San Jose, Calif. But on Sunday, Lahat, from Israel, will return to his home country to rejoin the army there – and he does so during a particularly tense time for his country, which finds itself in the middle of continued conflict with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

The featherweight bout was part of today’s UFC on FOX 12 preliminary card at San Jose’s SAP Center. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass prior to the day’s FOX broadcast.

Lahat put together a solid first two rounds against the favored Siler, mixing in takedowns and top control against the “Ultimate Fighter” veteran.

In the third, though, he had to weather a storm against Siler, who took his back early in the frame looking for a choke. He bloodied Lahat up in the round, as well, with his striking. But it was too little, too late for Siler, who saw Lahat get his hand raised with a trio of 29-28 scores, picking up the first two rounds from all three judges.

After his win, which came as a 2-to-1 underdog against Siler, Lahat held up his country’s flag before talking to Joe Rogan.

“I’m having fun here – this is fun; this is a job,” Lahat said. “But I’ll have nowhere to go back home if I don’t go there (to fight). If me and my friends, my brothers-in-arms, won’t go to defend my country, we’ll have nowhere to go.

“It’s something I really don’t want to do – I want to stay here and have fun and enjoy the rest of the week after two really tough months (of training). But man – I’m going to have to go, otherwise I’m not going to have a home. My mom and my dad have 15 seconds to run to get shelter when missiles are falling on them, and I’m here in sunny California. I love California, but I need to go and defend my home.

“As a combat soldier, there’s nothing I want more in the world than peace. I don’t want to see my younger brother go in the army. I don’t want to see me and my other brother going back home on Sunday. I don’t want to see that. I don’t want to see more killing and more blood. The only blood (should be) in the octagon.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 12 results include:

• Noad Lahat def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on UFC on FOX 12, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on-site on San Jose.)