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John Albert vs. Scott Jorgensen

Round 1
Referee Herb Dean is the third man in the cage for this opening bantamweight bout. Jorgensen shoots early and Albert tries to come over the top with an armbar. It doesn’t work and “Prince Albert” winds up on his back, with Jorgensen in his open guard. Albert tries to post but Jorgensen is heavy on top and forces him back down. Seconds later, Albert sweeps beautifully and hops onto Jorgensen’s back in one fluid motion. Jorgensen shakes him off and goes back to working from Albert’s open guard, landing some hard, short elbows. Albert throws up his legs and Jorgensen’s head and left arm are caught in a deep triangle choke. Albert pulls down on the head while Jorgensen sits down and tries to relieve the pressure. Jorgensen is on his knees now and has enough space that the choke isn’t threatening. Albert holds on for a few seconds before realizing the choke is gone and releasing. Now working from side control on Albert’s left, Jorgensen drops more short elbows. Albert throws his long legs up, maybe looking for an inverted triangle; it doesn’t come, but he’s able to stuff Jorgensen back to half-guard. Albert tries to reverse with seconds left in the round and accidentally gives up his back. Jorgensen slaps on a rear-naked choke as the seconds tick down, and Albert taps out at almost the exact same time as the horn sounds.

Official result: Scott Jorgensen def. John Albert via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R1 4:59

Dennis Siver vs. Nam Phan

Round 1
Anthony Hamlett is the referee for this featherweight bout, which begins with Siver throwing inside and outside leg kicks. Phan steps in, looking to throw hands over the top; Siver backs him away with a right hook, a combo which lands a kick to the body, and then a pair of hard right hands. The last punch staggers Phan, who keeps trying to walk in on Siver and keeps getting backed away with strikes. Siver blasts the right side of Phan’s body after chopping at the legs again. It’s all Siver midway through the first round but Phan won’t go away. Siver eats a left hand from Phan and keeps going, snapping back Phan’s head with a jab and sweeping him to the ground. Siver lets Phan back to his feet, punching on the way up. Phan reaches in to throw a body shot and just ducks a head kick. Siver shoots again, releases and socks Phan in the face mid-sprawl. With 15 seconds to go, Siver lands a spinning kick to the body, then closes out the round with a leg kick.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Siver
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Siver
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Siver

Round 2
Siver twice sticks his left hand in Phan’s face before taking a right hand in return. Phan goes to follow up but slips and has to scramble back up instead. After missing one to the body, Siver whips a spinning high kick to Phan’s face, then hits a takedown in the middle of the cage. Siver moves to half-guard on Phan’s left and pins down Phan’s left arm with his leg to land some short elbows. Phan gets his arm free and wraps up Siver’s head, but Siver is undeterred, posturing up to blast Phan with strong right-handed shots. Full side control for Siver now as he lands more punches to the unprotected face on Phan. Siver gets full mount momentarily but is bucked back to half-guard by Phan just before the end of the frame.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Siver
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Siver
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Siver

Round 3
Siver backs Phan away with front kicks to the body and jabs up top. After 30 seconds, Siver hits another takedown in the middle of the cage, moves to half-guard on the left and pins the arm again. Siver is trying to frame up an arm-triangle but Phan gets the arm free and pushes Siver’s legs away. Siver sits up in half-guard and starts blasting away with heavy elbows and punches as Phan tries to escape. Phan’s right arm is pinned now and he eats more punches to the face before he’s able to extract it. Down to the final minute and it’s looking like a lost cause for Phan, who continues to struggle underneath the larger Siver with no success. Siver keeps busy with elbows and punches down the stretch, and he should be headed to a lopsided win on the judges’ scorecards.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Siver (30-27 Siver)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Siver (30-26 Siver)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Siver (30-26 Siver)

Official result: Dennis Siver def. Nam Phan via Unanimous Decision (30-24, 30-25, 30-26) R3 5:00

Marcus LeVesseur vs. Abel Trujillo

Round 1
Anthony Hamlett is the referee for this last-minute lightweight attraction. LeVesseur hits a takedown almost immediately, then stays glued to a single-leg while Trujillo gets back up and tries to stay vertical against the fence. Trujillo sprawls on the cage, where he’s pinned by the takedown try from LeVesseur. Elbows to the body of LeVesseur as Trujillo defends the single-leg, then a knee up the middle. LeVesseur finally ditches the shot and stands up to clinch before being broken up by ref Hamlett. They’re soon back to clinching with LeVesseur trapping Trujillo in a waistlock but eating more elbows and knees for his trouble. Trujillo is battering LeVesseur, who just won’t let go of the right leg, even as Trujillo hits him with elbows on the back of the head. With 40 seconds left, Hamlett breaks them up again, but 10 seconds later, LeVesseur is shooting. This time, he’s met by a nasty knee from Trujillo, who spins to north-south position on his downed opponent to finish the round with hammerfists and elbows to the legs.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Trujillo
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Trujillo
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Trujillo

Round 2
LeVesseur is sporting some damage on his left eye from that knee at the end of round one. He shoots early in round two and gets trapped in a guillotine choke attempt. LeVesseur twists free and puts his back on the canvas, where Trujillo tries to finish with a north-south choke. LeVesseur gets out of this, too, nearly reversing into top position, but instead getting swept back under. Trujillo works from half-guard now with LeVesseur’s right side flush to the fence. LeVesseur sits up and surrenders his back as he kneels with Trujillo behind him. LeVesseur scrambles back to his feet and it’s Trujillo doing the pinning on the fence for a moment before backing off. Trujillo ducks inside and staggers LeVesseur with a short right hand, forcing LeVesseur to shoot another single-leg. Trujillo stays standing, trying to work around to the back. He gets there and throws hard knees to the body of LeVesseur, who is just covering up as he kneels against the fence. The ref is calling for action from LeVesseur with a minute to go. LeVesseur doesn’t do anything, and with Trujillo still blasting away with knees, Hamlett steps in to wave this one off.

Official result: Abel Trujillo def. Marcus LeVesseur via TKO (Knees to the Body) R2 3:56

Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez

Round 1
Anthony Hamlett is once again the ref for this lightweight tilt. Cruickshank gets off a few punches before Martinez latches on to a single-leg and hustles the “Detroit Superstar” against the fence. Martinez lets go and the 155ers start throwing hands for a few seconds before another Martinez takedown attempt. Cruickshank sprawls on the cage and hits Martinez with elbows to the body and head as he defends. Cruickshank breaks off and eats a punch for his troubles, but then comes forward and starts slugging with Martinez, landing a two-punch combo but missing the shorter man with a spinning kick. A kick to the liver has Martinez cowering and Cruickshank attacks with more kicks, knees and uppercuts. Martinez weathers the storm and comes off the fence, apparently recovered enough to back Cruickshank away with wide punches. Cruickshank lights Martinez up again, this time with a blistering uppercut followed by a head kick. Clearly dazed, Martinez puts Cruickshank on the fence to finish the round.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Cruickshank
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Cruickshank
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Cruickshank

Round 2
Martinez shoots again but is quickly turned around and cracked with another Cruickshank uppercut. Martinez scores with a left over the top, gets backed off by a front kick. Martinez won’t stop coming forward, even as Cruickshank is popping him with straight right hands and dodging the Greg Jackson student’s punches. Martinez steps in the pocket to land a right hook, misses with a follow-up combo. Cruickshank backs the now-bloodied Martinez up about five steps with a sidekick to the breadbasket. Just as Martinez steps in to throw hands, Cruickshank lands a crushing right high kick, shin to face. The dazed Martinez hits the deck and ref Hamlett steps in before Cruickshank can do any further damage.

Official result: Daron Cruickshank def. Henry Martinez via KO (Head Kick) R2 2:57

Ramsey Nijem vs. Joe Proctor

Round 1
Dan Miragliotta is the referee for this lightweight bout. Nijem rushes in behind a flurry of punches to pin Proctor against the fence. Proctor grabs a guillotine with his left arm and makes Nijem defend against the submission attempt instead of working for the takedown. Proctor releases Nijem and the lightweights start throwing bombs, neither man landing anything big, before moving away from the cage. Nijem drops Proctor and pounces, swarming with punches and trying to secure back-mount. Nijem has one hook in but Proctor is defending the second with his right side on the fence. Nijem gets Proctor away from the cage, sinks in the other hook, but Proctor shakes him off and gets back to his feet. Nijem grabs a single-leg again and Proctor tries another guillotine; this one isn’t as tight as the first and Nijem gets him down. Nijem again sinks one hook, Proctor rolls through and gets back to his feet. Nijem tries to chase Proctor down and runs straight into a hard counterpunch from Proctor, who chases Nijem to the floor and sets up in deep half-guard on Nijem’s right side. Proctor drops grinding elbows and frames up another guillotine just as the round comes to a close.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Nijem
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Nijem
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Nijem

Round 2
It’s give-and-take through the first 90 seconds of round two, with Proctor pushing forward but Nijem getting the better of the striking exchanges. Proctor isn’t really letting his hands go while Nijem keeps punching in combos and throwing leg kicks. Halfway through the round, Proctor cracks his man with a right hand, then has to defend a takedown against the fence. Nijem gets him down and Proctor wraps his fellow “TUF” alum up in his guard. Nijem stands and backs away but doesn’t allow Proctor back up. Proctor gets the drop on Nijem and grabs another guillotine, this time from an awkward angle as he stands over the seated Nijem. The choke goes by the wayside and Proctor, who is bleeding from his nose and mouth, grabs a headlock from north-south position. Nijem drives forward and puts Proctor on his posterior, and Proctor is forced to release the headlock. Proctor frames up a kimura from his back, quickly lets it go and finishes the round with Nijem on top.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Proctor
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Proctor
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Proctor

Round 3
Proctor walks Nijem toward the cage, gets backed away by a body shot and an overhand right. When Proctor gets in the pocket again, Nijem wraps him up and hits a single-leg against the fence. Proctor rolls for an armbar, winds up on his back and tries to hit the switch. Nijem grabs a guillotine now as he inches toward full mount; Proctor keeps his knees up, defending the mount as he sits with his back on the fence. Proctor gets his back off the fence, nearly has it taken by Nijem before getting back to his feet. Nijem scoops up Proctor and puts him on the ground again, but Proctor is quickly back up. Proctor reverses the position, gets north-south and then hops on Nijem’s back. Proctor tries a kimura, switches to an armbar as he’s too high up on the back. He loses the armbar and Nijem drops a few short punches before trying another guillotine. Proctor defends the headlock but he’s unable to get up as Nijem stays tight on top against the fence. Proctor busts out, again to north-south, but he’s only got 30 seconds left. They scramble back up and both men land hard punches, with Nijem adding a knee. That’s where it ends, and this one is headed to the scorecards.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Nijem (29-28 Nijem)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Nijem (29-28 Nijem)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Nijem (29-28 Nijem)

Official result: Ramsey Nijem def. Joe Proctor via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00

Raphael Assuncao vs. Mike Easton

Round 1
Referee Steve Newport gets his first assignment of the night for this bantamweight affair. Assuncao and Easton exchange kicks to the legs and bodies in the opening minute before Easton scores with a nice right hook. Assuncao has a high kick blocked before going back to backpedaling under Easton’s pressure. Assuncao lands a hard outside thigh kick and zaps Easton with a nice, short left hook. Easton is still trying to find the distance, throwing lots of kicks and punches but pulling up short on many. Easton inches into the pocket and gets clipped with a right from Assuncao, who quickly steps out. Assuncao gets inside on a deep double-leg, defended nicely by Easton. They clinch on the fence, Assuncao on the outside, keeping active with knees and overhooks. Easton breaks out just before the round expires.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Easton
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10

Round 2
Easton keeps pushing forward to begin round two, but again it’s Assuncao landing the higher volume of strikes with his leg-kicking attack. Assuncao swipes Easton’s face with a left hook, then a right hand which has Easton grabbing his left eye. Ref Newport tells Easton to fight on, and “The Hulk” keeps pushing Assuncao toward the fence. Assuncao gets the outside position and soon cracks Easton with a knee to the cup. Easton lets out an unsettling noise as the action is paused. Easton recovers and the action resumes with only a few seconds on the clock. Assuncao goes back to kicking and countering to close out the round.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Assuncao
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Assuncao
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Assuncao

Round 3
It’s more of the same to begin the final round, with Easton on the march and Assuncao counterstriking from the back-foot. Assuncao shoots a single-leg and Easton sprawls against the cage. The Brazilian eventually spins Easton to the ground, but the Hulk is quickly back on his feet. Another shot from Assuncao and Easton widens his base on the fence to defend. Easton breaks out and he’s still coming forward with 90 seconds left in the bout. Assuncao grabs another single-leg and Easton is forced to play defense with his back on the fence. Assuncao lets him go and catches Easton coming forward with a hard kick to the gut. Stiff left-handed counter from Assuncao lands and Easton shoots now. Assuncao hits the mat for a split-second but hops right back up. The fight ends to the sound of scattered boos from the Seattle crowd.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Assuncao (30-28 Assuncao)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Assuncao (29-28 Assuncao)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Assuncao (30-28 Assuncao)

Official result:Raphael Assuncao def. Mike Easton via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

Yves Edwards vs. Jeremy Stephens

Round 1
Steve Newport is the ref for this lightweight bout. Stephens opens up with a flying knee which is dodged by Edwards. Single-leg attempt from Edwards is fended off by Stephens with a leaping knee. Stephens is swinging for the fences early and appears to sting Edwards with an uppercut. Still pressing forward, Stephens misses with another jumping knee. As Stephens comes forward to bomb with another combination, Edwards catches him with a perfect right-handed counter that sends Stephens crashing to the canvas. Edwards smells blood and pounces, battering Stephens from side control and knocking him out cold with a nasty elbow strike. Ref Newport steps in and a dazed Stephens comes to moments later, wondering why the fight was stopped.

Official result: Yves Edwards def. Jeremy Stephens via KO (Punches and Elbows) R1 1:55

Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick

Round 1
Dan Miragliotta is the ref for tonight’s first main-card bout. Brown rushes inside and eats a counter left hook as Swick is backed into the fence. Swick lands a short right before getting single-legged to the canvas in the middle of the cage. Brown sets up in half-guard and seems to be looking for a brabo choke. It’s deep, but Swick has alleviated some of the pressure by rolling on top and posturing up in Brown’s open guard. Brown is squeezing the choke, adjusting his grip, trying to coax the tap, but Swick won’t go down and Brown lets go with half the round remaining. Swick tries to pass to side control while Brown hunts for a triangle choke. Brown catches Swick sleeping, swings his legs and cinches up the triangle. Swick leans back, still caught in the triangle but now with a little room to breathe. Brown lets go of the choke and Swick slips out the backdoor to try a guillotine. It’s not very tight and Brown explodes to his feet, finishing the round with a hard elbow and a knee against the cage.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Brown
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Brown
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown

Round 2
Brown works some long punches before coming inside with a standing elbow and tying up. Swick turns him around, putting Brown’s back on the fence, but they only stay there a few seconds before Swick splits. Swick tries the Thai plum, can’t find a home for his knees. Brown turns it around and hits Swick with knees and elbows in the clinch. Swick breaks out, but Brown charges on him and knocks Swick cold with a two-punch combination. Brown follows him to the ground and adds another pair of punches before ref Miragliotta can intervene.

Official result: Matt Brown def. Mike Swick via KO (Punches) R2 2:31

B.J. Penn vs. Rory MacDonald

Round 1
Herb Dean draws refereeing duties for this welterweight tilt. Penn moves in on MacDonald quickly and ties up, but it’s the Canadian who reverses and presses Penn against the cage. MacDonald backs off, keeping Penn on the perimeter and looking to strike at range. Penn gets off the outside but eats a stiff jab as he comes to the center of the cage. MacDonald lands a kick to the body, gets backed away by a Penn right hand. Penn tries to come over the top with a right, ducked by MacDonald. Body kick from MacDonald is blocked and now it’s Penn moving forward, putting MacDonald on the fence. Penn wraps him up and grapevines the leg, tripping MacDonald down and allowing him up just as quickly. MacDonald reverses and breaks out of the clinch with an over-the-top elbow. A single-leg attempt from MacDonald is easily denied by Penn, so MacDonald goes back to striking on the outside. MacDonald hurts Penn with a standing elbow and tries to kick his head off, unsuccessfully. MacDonald leaps inside with another elbow and clinches to close out the round.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 MacDonald
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 MacDonald
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 MacDonald

Round 2
Penn is on the offensive early in round two, trying to walk MacDonald down as the young Canadian moves around the outside. MacDonald reverses the momentum and starts stringing together combos, hooks and front kicks through Penn’s low guard. MacDonald kicks at Penn’s body and Penn comes off the fence to strike, landing a good right hand on MacDonald’s cheek. MacDonald walks him toward the fence again, trying to counter with an elbow and turning away a single-leg. Penn is covering up after a body kick from MacDonald and ref Dean looks like he might step in to stop this. He lets it continue, but MacDonald is pouring on the damage, ripping hooks to Penn’s body and elbows up top. Penn’s face is busted up, bleeding from the nose and mouth with a cut under his left eye. There’s nothing coming back from Penn as MacDonald picks his shots. Penn finally gets off the fence with about a minute to go, only to be taken down by MacDonald a few seconds later. Penn slaps with open-handed strikes as MacDonald postures up in the Hawaiian’s butterfly guard.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 MacDonald
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 MacDonald
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 MacDonald

Round 3
Ref Herb Dean calls time before the start of the third round for the cageside physician to check on Penn’s swollen left eye. Penn is cleared to fight and they get back to business. He gets inside on MacDonald and they clinch against the fence, Penn working for a single-leg. MacDonald defends, hopping on one leg and then kicking Penn in the face before reversing the clinch. The pace slows as MacDonald holds Penn on the fence with an underhook; the ref warns he’ll split them up, then does so with 3:40 remaining in the fight. MacDonald slips on a spinning kick, pops back to his feet. Penn tries to pump his jab and gets muscled into the fence again by the larger man. Dean calls for work and MacDonald exits the tie-up with an elbow. MacDonald switch-kicks Penn in the body, Penn comes forward and turns away a MacDonald single-leg attempt. MacDonald is starting to showboat with less than two minutes left, lowering his hands and egging Penn on. Penn comes forward and MacDonald wraps him up, only to be spit up again by the ref. Down to the final 30 seconds now and Penn needs a Hail Mary to win this one. MacDonald socks Penn with another short elbow, does a little shuffle in front of Penn, and that’s where it ends.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 MacDonald (30-26 MacDonald)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 MacDonald (30-27 MacDonald)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 MacDonald (30-26 MacDonald)

Official result: Rory MacDonald def. B.J. Penn via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) R3 5:00

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Round 1
Dan Miragliotta is the man in charge of tonight’s light heavyweight co-main event. Rua opens up with leg kicks while Gustafsson tries to split the Brazilian’s guard with a murderous uppercut. Gustafsson knocks Rua down and tries to swarm on the former champion, but Rua rolls for a leglock which looks deep for a moment. Gustafsson extracts his leg and scrambles to his feet, where he’s shoved into the cage by Rua. Controlling Gustafsson’s back while standing, Rua drills the Swede with knees to the thighs before dropping for another heel hook attempt. This one doesn’t come close, and Gustafsson floors Rua with a takedown a few seconds later. Rua hops back up and turns the tables with a double-leg of his own. Gustafsson scoots backward toward the fence with Rua in his guard, using the fence to work back to his feet. Rua stays glued to his man with a bodylock which he turns into back control. Gustafsson twists free and they’re back to striking with two minutes left in the first round. Gustafsson pushes Rua away with a kick to the gut, takes a leg kick in return. Rua comes inside and Gustafsson goes low for a takedown attempt. They wind up clinching on the fence, Gustafsson on the outside, Rua kneeing his legs from the fence.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Rua
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rua

Round 2
Rua is charging on Gustafsson, trying to attack with punches, but the taller man is backpedaling, moving out of the way of the ex-champ’s strikes. Gustafsson digs an underhook with his left arm and punches with his right before being broken up by the ref. Rua goes to the body with a punch, comes inside for a takedown and gets whizzered away. Gustafsson hits a takedown and works from Rua’s open guard. Gustafsson stands and bombs back down with a hard left hand before allowing Rua back to his feet. Rua rocks Gustafsson’s head back with a left hand. Gustafsson ducks under a right and plows Rua to the ground again. Rua back to his feet but still trapped against the fence, eating right hands from Gustafsson. Another takedown by the Swede with a minute to go and Rua scrambles up again, only to be met by a big knee to the face. Gustafsson blasts Rua’s body with an uppercut and lands a knee in the clinch. With a bloodied face, Rua spends the final 15 seconds circling the outside, avoiding Gustafsson save for a leg kick.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson

Round 3
Rua clips Gustafsson with a hard right hand, but Gustafsson keeps coming to thump Shogun with an uppercut. They’re in the whizzer again and Gustafsson hits a takedown, spending a moment in Rua’s open guard before standing back up. Gustafsson kicks at Rua’s liver, ducks a right hand. A jab from Gustafsson precedes a tie-up that doesn’t lead anywhere. He backs out, waits for Rua to throw and hits another takedown. Rua is banged up and looked tired as he closes his guard around the lanky youngster. Gustafsson stands, allows Rua back up and hurts him with a body blow. Rua tries to walk it off but Gustafsson presses in with uppercuts and a leaping knee. Rua back to circling the outside with his hands low and Gustafsson comes up the middle with a lead uppercut. Now it’s underhooks for Gustafsson as he bullies Rua against the fence again. Ref Miragliotta breaks them up with a minute to go and Rua tries to attack the body of Gustafsson with punches. Gustafsson replies with a front kick to the face after a stuffed takedown attempt. Rua is on the run and Gustafsson is walking him down, neither man throwing anything big at this late stage. Rua gets over-unders and pulls Gustafsson to the floor just before the horn.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson (30-27 Gustafsson)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson (29-28 Gustafsson)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Gustafsson (29-28 Gustafsson)

Official result: Alexander Gustafsson def. Mauricio Rua via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) R3 5:00

Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz

Round 1
Herb Dean is in charge of this 155-pound title fight. The southpaw Diaz meets the champ in the middle and goes on the offensive, initiating a clinch and pushing Henderson into the fence. Henderson reverses, throwing knees to the body while Diaz peppers with short punches underneath. Diaz is pinned on the fence with Henderson’s double underhooks. Henderson hits a single-leg and stands over Diaz, mindful of the upkick. Diaz back on his feet but Henderson is all over him, still working on the fence. Diaz breaks away, gets tripped down again and takes some punches from the champ. Back to his feet, Diaz tries to reverse the clinch position but winds up with his back on the fence at the horn.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 2
Henderson hits another quick takedown and blasts Diaz with some hard left hands before the Californian can scramble back up. Diaz eats a knee and gets shoved against the fence, where he takes some more knees to the body. Diaz finally gets off the fence but not before eating a level elbow from the champ. Diaz tries to walk Henderson down, taking more leg kicks for his trouble. Henderson repeatedly feints shots on the lead leg, occasionally punching Diaz’s knee and thigh. Henderson fakes low, goes high and bowls Diaz down. Diaz throws up his legs to stifle Henderson’s punches, gives up his back and uses the position to escape to his feet. Now with his back to the fence, Diaz tosses Henderson to the ground. The champ is right back up, kicking Diaz’s legs some more before the end of the round.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 3
Henderson goes back to kicking the lead leg of Diaz, who’s bloodied from a cut on his nose. Diaz avoids the clinch, but when he comes in swinging wide punches, Henderson gets underneath and takes him down. Diaz scrambles up, gets in north-south position for a second, lets Henderson go. Henderson sweeps Diaz to the ground again and the challenger wraps Henderson up in his guard. Diaz opens up his guard again and pushes off Henderson’s hips while grabbing at his left wrist. Henderson stands and comes over the top with a solid right hand, then comes back down to the ground. Diaz sweeps and gets hold of Henderson’s left leg, looking at first for a heel hook and then a toe hold. Henderson winds up sitting atop Diaz, so Diaz gives up his back again. Before Henderson can secure the position, Diaz twists free and goes after the left leg again. It’s a straight heel hook attempt this time but Diaz doesn’t have the position. A frustrated Diaz sticks his middle finger in Henderson’s face before both lightweights get back to their feet. Henderson drops Diaz with a right hand and keeps the challenger on the ground for the final seconds of the round, finishing with an axe kick to the body.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 4
Henderson hits another takedown and attaches himself to Diaz’s back, controlling the challenger even as Diaz bucks and rolls. Henderson is dropping heavy right hands on the ears of Diaz, who just keeps standing, rolling, trying to free himself from the position. Diaz finally gets his back on the mat and works for a kimura on Henderson’s left arm, but he’s not in position to crank the submission and Henderson steps over to deliver more punches from the topside. Henderson goes knee-on-belly, drops more punches and then stands over his prone opponent. Diaz shrugs his shoulders and waves Henderson on, trying to bait him into guard. Diaz feints an upkick and Henderson pretends to go for a leaping punch. Henderson lets Diaz back to his feet just before the end of the round; Diaz mean-mugs the champ as he returns to his corner.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 5
The cageside doc checks on the swollen right eye of Diaz and clears the challenger to finish the fight. Diaz stalks forward but doesn’t manage any offense before he’s wrapped up and bullied into the fence again. Short punches from Diaz underneath as they move along the perimeter, Henderson in control of the clinch. Henderson elevates Diaz with a high single-leg and tries to drop the challenger on his head, though Diaz breaks the fall with his hands. There’s heavy ground-and-pound from the champ now as he tries to put Diaz away with three minutes left in the fight. Diaz is absorbing body punches as he tries to get back up. When he does, he tosses Henderson to the ground, but Henderson pops right back to his feet. Henderson stands over Diaz, who again taunts the champ. The horn sounds and the lightweights shake hands as we head to the scorecards for what should be another title defense for Henderson.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson (50-45 Henderson)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Henderson (50-45 Henderson)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson (50-45 Henderson)

Official result: Benson Henderson def. Nate Diaz via Unanimous Decision (50-43, 50-45, 50-45) R5 5:00