The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico tonight for UFC Fight Night 42: “Henderson vs Khabilov.” The event was headlined by a lightweight bout between former champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson and Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov.
In tonight’s lightweight co-main event, Diego “The Dream” Sanchez returned home to face off against British standout Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson. John “The Magician” Dodson met John Moraga in a flyweight contender’s bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC Fight Night 42 card.
“Smooth” Benson Henderson vs Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov
Round 1:
The fighters battled for position in close early on and Khabilov tried to throw Henderson to the mat. Henderson maintained his balance and countered a right cross with an elbow. Khabilov landed a three-punch combo and he countered a knee by taking Henderson down. Khabilov secured back control and attempted a suplex. Henderson escaped from the clinch and ate a standing elbow. He attempted a flying switch knee and Khabilov took him down before the bell. 10-9 Khabilov.
Round 2:
Khabilov opened round two with a spinning backfist and both men landed right hands. They continued to exchange punches in close and Henderson worked for a trip takedown. Khabilov stayed on his feet and scored a takedown of his own soon after. Henderson landed elbows from his back and kicked Khabilov off. He took Khabilov down and immediately secured back control. Henderson worked for a rear-naked choke until Khabilov scrambled to his feet. Khabilov landed a looping right hook and Henderson responded with a leg kick. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 3:
Khabilov stuffed a takedown and maintained a front headlock as Henderson rose back to his feet in round three. Khabilov stayed on the outside and Henderson landed lunging punches and knees. He tried to pull guard with a guillotine choke, but Khabilov escaped. Henderson kept him on the defensive with strikes and countered another takedown with a second guillotine. He let it go and swept into top position. The round ended with Henderson landing short punches from Khabilov’s half-guard. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 4:
Action was sparse in round four until Henderson rushed forward and stunned Khabilov with a lead right uppercut. He jumped on Khabilov’s back and locked on a rear-naked choke. Khabilov could not escape and tapped out.
Winner: Benson Henderson by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:16 of round four. He improves to 21-3-0.
Diego “The Dream” Sanchez vs Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson
Round 1:
Sanchez fought off a clinch attempt and landed an uppercut-hook combo in round one. Pearson landed a nice right hand and he knocked Sanchez off-balance with another one. Both men landed body kicks and Pearson continued to throw right hooks. He targeted the body with more kicks and lead left hooks. Sanchez threw a spinning back kick and countered a kick from Pearson with a lunging flurry. Pearson recovered and landed a knee, but Sanchez answered with a flurry before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Pearson.
Round 2:
Pearson kept Sanchez on the defensive with punches in round two and nearly dropped him with a kick to the back of the head. Sanchez circled away and landed a lead right hook. Right hands landed for Pearson and he kicked to the body. Sanchez struggled to land anything and Pearson continued to score with body kicks. He dropped Sanchez with a right hook and landed more punches as Sanchez rose to his feet. Pearson caught a kick and dumped Sanchez to the mat. Sanchez stood and landed a right hand before the bell. 10-9 Pearson.
Round 3:
Pearson countered Sanchez’s punches with kicks and knees to the body in round three. Sanchez began to mix up his punches to the head and body, but Pearson slipped under many of the strikes. Sanchez partially landed a head kick and Pearson countered with a body shot. He backed Sanchez up with a body kick and punches. Sanchez attempted a spinning hook kick that grazed the top of Pearson’s head. Pearson was unfazed and he landed more right hands in return. Pearson connected with a lead left hook and he rushed in with a flying knee late in the round. 10-9 Pearson.
In spite of Pearson’s clear control of at least two rounds, Sanchez was awarded an unfathomable Split Decision victory that was met by a mix of disgust and disbelief.
Winner: Diego Sanchez by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. He improves to 25-7-0.
John “The Magician” Dodson vs John Moraga
Round 1:
Quick kicks were exchanged in the opening 90 seconds and time was called after Dodson was kicked in the groin. Action resumed and Dodson landed one-twos. He followed with a knee to the body and backed Moraga up later in the round with a flurry of punches. Dodson landed three consecutive left hooks and a big knee to the body in the final seconds. 10-9 Dodson.
Round 2:
Dodson circled on the outside and darted in and out with quick punches and kicks in the second stanza. Moraga landed two overhand rights and a knee, but Dodson took him down against the fence. Dodson fought back to his feet and blocked a head kick. The crowd began to boo as Dodson’s offence slowed and Moraga attempted another head kick. A flurry of punches backed Moraga up and Dodson dropped him with a head kick that appeared to break Moraga’s nose. Blood poured from Moraga’s nose as Dodson unloaded with punches until the bell. 10-9 Dodson.
The doctor entered the cage between rounds and determined that Moraga could not continue due to his badly damaged nose.
Winner: John Dodson by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of round two. He improves to 16-6-0.
Rafael dos Anjos vs Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High
Round 1:
High punched his way into a clinch and dumped dos Anjos to the mat in round one. Dos Anjos countered High’s second takedown with a guillotine choke attempt and he transitioned to a triangle choke. High escaped and dos Anjos switched to a kimura. He used it to sweep, but High landed a big knee and an elbow as the fighters stood. Two body kicks landed for dos Anjos and he landed another one soon after. He stunned High with a combination and took him down against the cage. High fought off a kimura attempt and dos Anjos struck from the top until the bell. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Round 2:
Dos Anjos landed more body kicks in the second round, but time was called after High was poked in the eye. The fight continued and dos Anjos landed combinations and a flying knee. High briefly took him down, but he could not keep him there for long and dos Anjos continued to score with punches on the feet. He took High down into side control and tried for a guillotine choke.
High scrambled free and took dos Anjos’s back as the fighters stood. Dos Anjos turned into the clinch and landed knees to the body before backing away. High landed a combination, but dos Anjos dropped him with a left hook to the temple and followed with more strikes on the ground. High held on and appeared to be recovering, but referee Kevin Mulhall stopped the fight.
Winner: Rafael dos Anjos by TKO (Punches) at 3:36 of round two. He improves to 21-7-0.
Piotr “Pletwal” Hallmann vs Yves “Thugjitsu Master” Edwards
Round 1:
Edwards scored with leg and body kicks in the opening round until time was called when he was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Edwards landed a combination. Straight punches landed for both fighters and Hallmann took Edwards down. Edwards stood and attempted a guillotine choke. He broke free of the clinch with an elbow and an uppercut. Hallmann took Edwards down, but Edwards initiated a scramble and took his back late in the round. Both fighters landed knees to the body before the bell. 10-9 Edwards.
Round 2:
Time was called again in round two after Edwards was poked in the eye for a second time. The fight continued and Edwards landed a slashing elbow over the top. Hallmann was poked in the eye in a subsequent exchange and time was called yet again. After the restart, Hallmann took Edwards’s back and he landed a knee as the fighters separated. Hallmann mixed things up with kicks to the leg and head, but he could not get Edwards down.
Edwards landed a barrage of punches and he punished Hallmann with more strikes against the cage. He tried to drag Hallmann to the mat, but wound up on the bottom. Hallmann struck from the top and eventually moved from half-guard to back control. He landed a big knee to the body and took a bloodied Edwards down again soon after. Edwards stood and Hallmann landed elbows until the end of the round. 10-9 Hallmann.
Round 3:
Edwards stuffed a takedown in the final round and the fighters clinched against the fence. Hallmann tripped Edwards and looked to take his back. He locked on a rear-naked choke and Edwards was forced to submit.
Winner: Piotr Hallmann by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:31 of round three. He improves to 15-2-0.
Bryan “Kid Lightning” Caraway vs Erik “El Goyito” Perez
Round 1:
Perez fought off Caraway’s early takedown attempts, but Caraway pulled half-guard with a tight guillotine choke. Perez escaped and the fighters traded punches. Perez landed a knee to the body and attempted a head kick, but Caraway caught it and took him down into back control. Perez scrambled and swept into Caraway’s guard. Caraway tried for another guillotine choke and the fight returned to the feet again. Perez landed a big knee and followed with two more. Caraway got him back down before the bell, but Perez stood and broke free with an elbow. Close round. 10-9 Caraway, barely.
Round 2:
Caraway reversed a takedown into side control in round two and transitioned to Perez’s back. He worked for a rear-naked choke and eventually got it. Perez tried in vain to escape, but was forced to tap out.
Winner: Bryan Caraway by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:52 of round two. He improves to 19-6-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)