In a fight that should have delighted the hearts and eyes of mixed martial arts purists, Benson "Smooth" Henderson defeated Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal via split decision in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Seoul on Saturday.
The UFC recognized the winner of the main event, whose mother is Korean, and acknowledged the awesome crowd on hand for the promotion's first event in South Korea:
Thank you Seoul for being an amazing crowd for our first ever event in South Korea!! ???? #UFCSeoul pic.twitter.com/fU2A6k2qwg
— UFC (@ufc) November 28, 2015
Both Henderson and Masvidal are the epitome of the term mixed martial artist. They are highly trained in several disciplines, thus those who saw this bout witnessed a pugilistic chess match. In the end, Henderson was a little quicker on his feet and with his hands, and he also had an answer for every one of Masvidal's attempts to submit him.
There weren't any huge, debilitating strikes landed, but Henderson clearly seemed to land the most telling blows. He dropped Masvidal in the first round with a well-placed and well-timed right hand. The shot looked to catch the veteran contender off balance, as he was also throwing a kick at the same time.
Masvidal looked to have Henderson in trouble in the fifth round. He locked in a guillotine that Henderson had to work earnestly to escape, but his expert-level submission defense allowed him to maneuver out of the hold.
Per UFC.com, Henderson landed more significant strikes in all five rounds, he landed three takedowns to none for Masvidal and spent nearly twice as much time in top control. Quite honestly, the victory should have come by unanimous decision.
When it was over, Henderson issued a semi-challenge to an unknown fighter, per Fox Sports' Ariel Helwani:
Bendo at the end of his interview: "was that impressive enough to warrant facing off with you?" Not sure who he was talking to there.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 28, 2015
We're not sure who he was talking about, but there's a few names that come to mind. Georges St-Pierre is rumored to be returning to the UFC. Could Henderson be targeting him next? That would be a pretty entertaining scrap worthy of main event status on almost any card. It would also likely lead to a title shot for the winner.
Henderson also gave credit to Masvidal, per MMAFighting.com:
Henderson: Masvidal is super tough. He might not have the biggest name, but we know how tough he is.
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 28, 2015
Masvidal might be the most underrated fighter in the UFC. He never gets mentioned among the elite guys in his division, yet he doesn't have any real weaknesses. Perhaps his only problem is that he's not a finisher, and that leaves him subject to judges decisions on too many occasions. Too often they do not go his way. Back in April, Masvidal lost a disputed split decision to Al Iaquinta.
Henderson has had some bad luck with judges. His loss in January to Donald Cerrone was a tough setback. But overall, he seems to have a better handle on winning close and competitive fights.
Originally, Henderson was supposed to face Thiago Alves in South Korea, but the Brazilian was injured and had to be replaced by Masvidal, who was scheduled to face Dong Hyun Kim in the co-main event.
In his post-fight interview, Masvidal expressed regret for not having the preparation time to get ready for a five-round bout:
Masvidal: I wish I would have had time to prepare for five rounds, but it’s the nature of the best. Next time.
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 28, 2015
Hopefully, fans and the powers that be will recognize Masvidal's skill level and keep him in the mix to face other top opponents in the welterweight division.
The Stun Gun Electrifies the Crowd
The South Korean-born Dong Hyun Kim aka "The Stun Gun" made quick work of Dominic Waters. In one of the more lopsided fights you'll see, Kim smoked Waters and culminated the fight with a mounted crucifix.
Kim pounded away on Waters' face until the referee stopped the bout.
Per UFC.com, Kim landed 91 strikes to none for Waters. It doesn't get more one-sided than that. Waters was a late replacement for Masvidal once he moved up to the main event, and he fought like someone in over his head.
When the fight was over, Kim was asked who he wanted next. Per the UFC Fight Pass broadcast, the No. 7-ranked welterweight said he wanted to avenge a 2012 loss to Demian Maia.
Demian Maia? Really?
If Kim is trying to avenge losses, why would he not target Tyron Woodley, whom he lost to via TKO in August 2014? Perhaps that doesn't feel like a winnable fight for the Stun Gun. In any case, he looked great against Waters.
Here's a look at the rest of the results:
- Benson Henderson defeated Jorge Masvidal by Decision (Split, 49-46, 48-47, 47-48)
- Dong Hyun Kim defeated Dominic Waters by TKO (Punches), Round 1
- Alberto Mina defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama by Decision (Split, 29-28x2, 28-29)
- Doo Ho Choi defeated Sam Sicilia by KO (Punch), Round 1
- Dongi Yang defeated Jake Collier by TKO (Punches), Round 3
- Mike De La Torre defeated Yui Chul Nam by Decision (Split, 29-28x2, 28-29)
- Tae Hyun Bang defeated Leo Kuntz by Decision (Split, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Seohee Ham defeated Cortney Casey by Decision (Unanimous, 29-28 x3)
- Fredy Serrano defeated Yao Zhikui by TKO (Injury), Round 1
- Marco Beltran defeated Ning Guangyou by Decision (Split, 29-28x2, 28-29)
- Dominique Steele defeated Dong Hyun Kim by KO (Slam and elbows), Round 3
Highlights of the Card
Slam of Steele
Dominique Steele is a powerfully built and explosive welterweight. He showed that power and explosion in the opening bout on the card against Dong Hyun Kim.
Check out this first-round KO via slam and elbows from the UFC Twitter account:
Let's take another look at that KO by @TheDomTSteele! ?? #UFCSeoul LIVE on @UFCFightPass https://t.co/rB5tJloNzp
— UFC (@ufc) November 28, 2015
That's a rude welcome to the UFC for Kim, who was in his debut with the promotion. It'll take some real guts to come back from a devastating and scary KO loss like this one.
Steele had lost his debut via TKO against Zak Cummings in July, so this was a great bounce-back win.
Serrano Slams and Injures Zhikui
Slams were prevalent and damaging during the prelims. In the opening round, Fredy Serrano slammed Yao Zhikui and the latter fell awkwardly on his elbow. You can see the sequence in the tweet from the UFC:
Just like that! @FredySerrano125 gets the W tonight at #UFCSeoul! https://t.co/sKrPiSKaVA
— UFC (@ufc) November 28, 2015
You can't see everything in the video above, but per the UFC Fight Pass broadcast, Zhikui suffered a dislocated elbow. That is what forced the referee to stop the bout.
Yang Pounds Collier
The finish didn't come via slam, but Dongi Yang crushed Jake Collier all the same. The end came in the third and final round of a fairly competitive bout. Yang powered ahead with more stamina in reserve than his American opponent.
A series of punches put Collier in peril, and Yang swooped in for the finish. It was Yang's UFC debut and his 14th win. Thirteen of those victories have now come by KO. He's one to watch in the middleweight division.
Korean Superboy Has Star Potential
Doo Ho Choi is just 24 years old, and he has the looks of an elite finisher. On Saturday, he walked through an experienced and tough veteran in Sam Sicilia.
The latter had his moments. He appeared to hurt Choi in the opening moments of the fight, but the Korean had already dropped the veteran. Choi landed a well-placed knee, but Sicilia would not back up. Electing to stand and trade proved to be his undoing.
Moments later, Choi would land a right hand that knocked Sicilia out. It was short, but quite the impressive scrap and performance from Choi.
Akiyama Loses Tough One
Despite the adulation from an adoring South Korean crowd, the legendary Yoshihiro Akiyama came up on the short end of the judges' decision against Alberto Mina.
The first round was the pivotal frame. Per UFC.com, Akiyama landed 18 significant strikes to 17 for Mina, but the latter secured a takedown. Depending on how each judge scored the opening round likely dictated who they gave the nod to.
The second round was all Mina as he dropped Akiyama with a hard right hand. Akiyama would dominate the third round as he had the crowd energy behind him. When it was over, it felt as if Akiyama had won, but when you look at the bout from a round-by-round standpoint, the decision wasn't a horrible one.
Even with that bit of perspective, the UFC asked fans who they thought won the fight. The results were drastically in favor of Akiyama:
Do you agree with the judges decision? #UFCSeoul @akiyamayoshihir vs @Alberto_mina
— UFC (@ufc) November 28, 2015
What's Next?
UFC Fight Night: Las Vegas is the next card on tap for the promotion. On December 10, Rose Namajunas will give rising star Paige VanZant the biggest test of her young career.
With the Ronda Rousey-Holly Holm fight still fresh in fans' minds, this one should garner a good amount of attention. It is the first high-profile women's fight since Holm's huge win. VanZant has serious star potential. Namajunas will be looking to derail her path to mainstream notoriety.
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