Joseph Benavidez Defeats Henry Cejudo In Thrilling Scrap
Two of the top flyweights to never hold Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold faced off at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. No. 2 ranked 125-pounder Joseph Benavidez (25-4) took on No. 3 ranked Henry Cejudo (10-2) in the co-main event of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 24 Finale.
This one was a war and Benavidez earned the victory.
Cejudo moved in close right away. He got clipped with a right hand counter. Cejudo dropped Benavidez, who recovered quickly. A hard body kick landed for Cejudo. He kicked his opponent low and time was called. Cejudo caught a kick. He kneed Benavidez to the body. Time was called again as Cejudo once again kicked Benavidez low. Referee Yves Lavigne deducted a point and time resumed. Cejudo tripped Benavidez, but couldn’t keep him down. Benavidez thwarted a takedown attempt. The round ended with Benavidez landing a leg kick.
Cejudo was aggressive at the start of the second stanza. He ducked under a head kick. A one-two combination found the mark for Benavidez. Cejudo moved forward and landed a right hand followed by a knee that swelled the bottom lip of his opponent. A right hand connected for Benavidez. An inside uppercut landed for Cejudo. A push kick landed for Cejudo. Blood formed under the eye of Cejudo. The round came to a close later on.
Benavidez fired away to open the final round. Cedjuo tripped his opponent, but couldn’t control him. A left hook found the mark for Benavidez. A combination landed for Cejudo and he followed it up with a body kick. Benavidez landed a punch to the body, but it was returned by Cejudo. Benavidez scored a left hook. Cejudo landed a combination, but got hit with a left hook. Benavidez kept thwarting attempts at control from his opponent. A jumping knee to the body found the target for Cejudo. The two traded hooks. They fired away to end the fight.
Two of the three judges scored the fight for Benavidez.
Final Result: Joseph Benavidez def. Henry Cejudo via split decision (27-29, 30-26, 29-27)
