TUF 24 Finale results: Joseph Benavidez takes split from Henry Cejudo in back-and-forth battle

LAS VEGAS – Three rounds, 15 minutes, and a whirling cyclone of fists and feet. That was the fight between Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo.

The flyweights fought at a breakneck pace, despite a pair of fouls by Cejudo (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) that cost him a point on the scorecards, which ultimately favored Benavidez (25-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) – but not by much.

The flyweight bout was the co-main event of today’s TUF 24 Finale event at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

We had reason to suspect that this one would be a fast-paced affair, and it did not disappoint. From the outset, Benavidez attempted to use his speed to counteract Cejudo’s raw power and physicality, a battle that played out by narrow margins from the first minute to the last.

The first significant action, however, came as a result of a pair of mistakes by Cejudo. After being warned for an accidental groin kick midway through the first round, Cejudo repeated the mistake roughly a minute later, prompting referee Yves Lavigne to call for a point deduction.

That granted a new urgency in a three-round fight, and the pace only heated up from there. Benavidez put his quickness to work, darting in and out as he stung Cejudo with lead punches and elbows, then clipped him with hooks on the way out.

For his part, Cejudo attacked his foe’s body with kicks, and at times tossed Benavidez around in a way few fighters before him have managed to do.

But in the end, it was a fight decided by narrow margins, as both fighters met each other step for step, with each giving as good as he got and showing the proof on his face. When it was all over, two of the three judges saw it for Benavidez, with one giving Cejudo every round before the point deduction, resulting in a split-decision victory for Benavidez by scores of 27-29, 30-26, 29-27.

Benavidez has now won six straight in the UFC. Cejudo has lost two in a row.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 24 Finale results include:

• Joseph Benavidez def. Henry Cejudo via split decision (27-29, 30-26, 29-27)
• Jorge Masvidal def. Jake Ellenberger via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:05
• Jared Cannonier def. Ion Cutelaba via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Sara McMann def. Alexis Davis via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 2:52
• Brandon Moreno def. Ryan Benoit via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ryan Hall def. Gray Maynard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Rob Font def. Matt Schnell via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 3:47
• “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim def. Brendan O’Reilly via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jamie Moyle def. Kailin Curran via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Anthony Smith def. Elvis Mutapcic via TKO (elbow, punches) – Round 2, 3:27
• Devin Clark def. Josh Stansbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)