The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington tonight for UFC on FOX 5: “Henderson vs Diaz.” The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship matchup between reigning champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson and top contender Nate Diaz.
Also on the card tonight, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua faced Swedish standout Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson. Welterweight prospect Rory “Ares” MacDonald took on former two-division champion B.J. Penn. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
UFC Lightweight Championship
“Smooth” Benson Henderson vs Nate Diaz
Round 1:
Henderson kicked at Diaz’s leg early on, but briefly gave up his back in the process. Diaz clinched and Henderson reversed against the cage. He got Diaz down to a knee, but Diaz quickly stood and broke away with a standing elbow. Henderson shot in for a takedown and got Diaz down. He stood over Diaz and punched from the top.
Diaz battled back to his feet and Henderson tripped out his leg with a kick. He allowed Diaz to stand and landed a nice combination. Diaz took Henderson’s back on the feet and pinned him up against the cage. He threw short knees to the body until Henderson reversed the clinch in the final ten seconds. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 2:
Henderson tripped Diaz to the mat early in round two and landed some hard left hands as Diaz got back to his feet. Henderson threw a head kick and soon landed a standing elbow as Diaz circled out of the clinch. He kicked at Diaz’s lead leg and punched to the body. Henderson began throwing jabs to the thigh of Diaz and rocked him with a hard left cross.
Diaz fell and his right eye began to swell up. Henderson dove in with punches on the ground, but Diaz defended well and used the cage to work back to his feet. Henderson held him against the fence until Diaz pushed him away. Henderson clinched again and Diaz used a hip toss to throw him to the ground. Henderson immediately stood and kicked at Diaz’s legs. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 3:
Henderson opened round three with side kicks to the leg and both fighters landed hard left hooks. Henderson countered a lunging right by taking Diaz down. He rained down big punches, but Diaz scrambled up. Henderson took him down again and stood over Diaz to avoid triangle choke and armbar attempts. Diaz latched onto an ankle and swept into a kneebar.
Diaz switched to a toe hold and Henderson spun to escape. He landed punches from the top and briefly took Diaz’s back. Diaz again tried for a heel hook and landed punches while working for it. The fighters stood and Henderson dropped Diaz with a right hand. He followed with punches on the ground as Diaz recovered and attempted another leglock. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 4:
Henderson clinched and landed knees in the fourth round. He took Diaz down near the cage, but Diaz was able to work back to his feet. Henderson used a body-lock takedown to get Diaz back down and he landed some hard shots from the top. Diaz stood and was taken down once again. Henderson punched to the body and moved to half-guard.
Diaz tried to set up a Kimura from the bottom and Henderson easily fought free with punches and elbows. Henderson stood over top of Diaz and Diaz began to taunt. Henderson responded by dropping a big right hand. He punched at Diaz’s legs and Henderson pretended to dive into his guard. Diaz stood and Henderson landed a kick on the way up. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 5:
Henderson clinched and landed short knees and punches while holding Diaz against the cage in the final round. He picked Diaz up and slammed him down to the ground. Henderson postured up with punches and elbows and moved to half-guard. Diaz gave up his back and stood up. He tried to latch onto Henderson’s right arm for a Kimura.
Henderson fell on top of Diaz and punched to the body to escape the Kimura. Diaz attempted another one, but soon let it go. He reversed a takedown, but Henderson wound up on top in a scramble and rained down right hands. Diaz stood and Henderson drilled him with a head kick. He flurried to the body and Diaz landed a right hook just before the bell. 10-9 Henderson.
Winner: Benson Henderson by Unanimous Decision (50-43, 50-45, 50-45) after five rounds. He improves to 18-2-0 and remains the UFC Lightweight Champion.
Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Round 1:
Gustafsson knocked Rua down with a right hook in the opening 30 seconds, but Rua countered with a heel hook and a kneebar attempt on the ground. Rua stood and Gustafsson landed strikes in the clinch. He briefly took Rua down, but stood and allowed him to follow. Rua landed a counter right and took Gustafsson down. Gustafsson stood and Rua landed knees while holding him against the fence.
Gustafsson turned into the clinch and created space with knees and an uppercut. Another hard knee scored for Gustafsson and he followed with a looping right hook. Gustafsson looked for a takedown and Rua countered with a front headlock. The fighters stayed on their feet and Gustafsson pinned Rua against the cage again. He pushed Rua away just before the bell sounded. 10-9 Gustafsson.
Round 2:
Both fighters connected with some solid punches in the second round and Rua appeared to be looking to pick up the pace. He lunged in with a right hook that partially landed, but Gustafsson tripped him to a knee. Rua stood and referee Dan Miragliotta separated the fighters after a stalemate. Gustafsson nearly threw Rua to the mat, but Rua stayed up.
Gustafsson took Rua down on his next try and punched from the top. He stood and Rua followed. Rua landed two hard right hooks and Gustafsson took him down again. Rua got to his feet and Gustafsson took him back down. On the way up, Gustafsson landed knees and an uppercut. Rua managed to land a one-two, but Gustafsson answered with a combination. 10-9 Gustafsson.
Round 3:
Rua landed a big right hand in round three, but Gustafsson walked right through it and landed a knee. He took Rua down twice and moved to back control. Rua rolled for a kneebar and Gustafsson wound up in Rua’s guard. The fighters stood and both landed punches. Gustafsson took Rua down and landed an elbow. He got back to his feet and hurt Rua with a body kick.
Rua circled away to buy time to recover and Gustafsson hurt him again with a knee and a combination. The fighters clinched and exchanged knees to the body. After a break, Gustafsson landed a front kick to the face and he continued to chase Rua around the cage. The fight ended with a takedown from Gustafsson, who wound up on top in Rua’s half-guard. 10-9 Gustafsson.
Winner: Alexander Gustafsson by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 15-1-0.
Rory “Ares” MacDonald vs “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn
Round 1:
Penn clinched in the opening seconds and MacDonald reversed against the cage. MacDonald backed away and both fighters landed left hooks. MacDonald landed a leg kick and a Brazilian kick to the face. Penn promptly answered with a pair of right crosses and MacDonald continued to kick from a distance. Penn just missed with a right hook and he began to establish his jab.
Penn punched his way into a clinch and got MacDonald down to a knee. MacDonald stood and reversed the clinch. He landed a standing elbow that cut Penn’s mouth. A left hook to the body scored for MacDonald and he tried to take Penn down, but Penn stayed on his feet. MacDonald wobbled him with another standing elbow, but Penn recovered and scored with a right hook. Another lunging elbow connected for MacDonald in the dying seconds. 10-9 MacDonald.
Round 2:
MacDonald kicked at the lead leg and midsection of Penn in the second round. He flurried with punches and landed more standing elbows. MacDonald continued to pick Penn apart with a varied arsenal of strikes. A hard right hand landed for Penn, but it appeared to have no effect at all and MacDonald snapped his head back with a jab.
MacDonald hurt Penn with a body kick and punches to the liver. Referee Herb Dean nearly intervened for the stoppage, but Penn held on and even managed to fire back with a combination. MacDonald continued to target the body and landed numerous jabs. MacDonald began taunting and took Penn down. The fighters traded strikes on the ground. 10-8 MacDonald.
Round 3:
Penn pressed forward with punches and clinched in the final round. He nearly got MacDonald down, but MacDonald stayed up and held Penn against the fence. The fighters were separated and MacDonald slipped while attempting a spinning wheel kick. He stood and Penn clinched again. MacDonald broke away with an elbow and followed with a switch kick.
MacDonald avoided a clinch with a right hook and he began to taunt again. After a brief exchange of punches, MacDonald backed Penn up to the cage until referee Herb Dean called for a break. MacDonald tried for a head kick and landed a hard left hook. An elbow and another left hook scored for MacDonald in the final 20 seconds. 10-9 MacDonald.
Winner: Rory MacDonald by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 14-1-0.
Matt “The Immortal” Brown vs Mike “Quick” Swick
Round 1:
Swick landed a counter left hook early on, but Brown sent him off-balance with a counter hook of his own seconds later. Swick landed a left hook and Brown took him down. From the top, Brown tried for a Brabo Choke. He secured the choke, but Swick stayed calm and eventually freed himself. He wound up on top in Brown’s guard.
Brown attempted a triangle choke and controlled Swick’s left arm. He locked on the triangle and Swick tried to use his legs to defend. He pushed on Brown’s jaw with his feet until Brown released the triangle choke. Swick briefly looked for a guillotine choke and stood up. Brown drilled him with a standing elbow before the bell. 10-9 Brown.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of punches and Brown landed another standing elbow. Swick countered with knees from a Thai clinch and an elbow of his own. Brown reversed the clinch and alternated between knees and elbows. A rushing one-two sent Swick crashing to the canvas and Brown followed with two more punches on the ground before the fight was stopped.
Winner: Matt Brown by KO (Punches) at 2:31 of round two. He improves to 16-11-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)