The light heavyweight newcomer lost his UFC debut to Scotland's Paul Craig earlier this year, and knew that he desperately needed to pick up a win in his second octagon appearance.

But things didn't look good early on as Stosic started the better and began to repeatedly hammer Nzechukwu's lead leg with powerful kicks.

But landing kicks to an opponent's upper thigh is a precise technique that requires accuracy to avoid a nasty foul if the foot or leg connects with the opponent's groin. And, unfortunately for both men, Stosic lost that accuracy on three separate occasions during the contest - one in each round.

The first indiscretion was treated by referee Gary Copeland as an accidental, incidental foul as the official opted to issue only a warning to the Serbian.

But when a second, much clearer, more powerful kick found its way into Nzechukwu's groin in Round 2, the official halted the action again and, after explaining the prior warning, deducted a point from the Serbian fighter.

Then, in the third round, a third thumping kick from Stosic connected flush with Nzechukwu's groin, forcing Copeland to again pause the contest. Medical staff checked on Nzechukwu's condition as he issued a second point deduction to Stosic.

Nzechukwu's overall performance was a disappointing one, so much so that as the fighters stood in the center of the octagon awaiting the judges' scores at the end of the contest, the result was far from a formality.

And while Nzechukwu took the unanimous decision win with scores of 29-26, 29-26, 28-27 (amended from 29-26, 28-27, 28-27), Stosic walked away still annoyed that he hadn't earned the decision, despite the deductions.