UFC on FOX 10 took place on Saturday night at the United Center in Chicago and former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson won a controversial split decision over former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson in the main event.
In the opening moments of the fight, Henderson made a small mistake and Thomson would be able to capitalize. Thomson took the fight to the ground and he was able to get the back of Henderson. While having his back, Thomson locked in the body lock.
Henderson would work his way out of the position and get back to his feet. They would clinch against the fence and Henderson would attempt an arm triangle choke in the final minute of the round, but Thomson would escape.
Thomson would be able to score a takedown early in the second round and once again, got the back of Henderson. Henderson would be able to get back to his feet and the rest of the round would be on the feet. After the round was over, Thomson told his corner that his right hand was hurting and it may be broken.
As the bell sounded to start the third round, Henderson came out fast and took control of the fight. He was able to outland Thomson 29-4 in the round and scored two takedowns. Thomson would be able to come back in the fourth round and he scored two takedowns of his own. During one of his takedowns in the round, he was able to get the back of Henderson but was unable to get a submission attempt in.
The final five minutes would be on the feet for the entire round with Thomson stopping a takedown attempt by Henderson. The would land nearly the same amount of strikes during the round and the fight would be decided by the judges scorecards.
Two of the judges scored the fight for Henderson with one of the judges having Henderson winning four of the five rounds. Henderson (20-3) improves his UFC record to 8-1 and all of his wins in the UFC have come by decision. The lost for Thomson (21-6, 1NC) will cost him a title shot against Anthony Pettis and the next contender for the lightweight title is unknown.
Miocic wins second straight with decision over Gonzaga
In the co-main event of UFC on FOX 10, Stipe Miocic won his second straight fight as he defeated UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga by unanimous decision.
A majority of the opening round would be on the feet but Gonzaga would score one takedown. He would not be able to keep the fight on the ground long as Miocic was able to get back to his feet.
After the first round concluded, it appeared that Gonzaga was tired and Miocic was able to take advantage. He began to push the pace in the second and was much more active.
In the final round, Gonzaga would slip and Miocic would keep the fight on the mat for a majority of the round. He would land multiple punches on the ground and Gonzaga was unable to land anything significant to get back into the fight.
Miocic (11-1) would win the fight on all of the judges scorecards and he has won back to back fights since suffering his first defeat in 2012.
Cerrone KO’s Martins with a head kick in first round
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will likely earn his 13th fight night bonus in UFC/WEC as he scored a head kick knockout over Adriano Martins with 20 seconds left in the opening round.
The fight opened with Martins landing a kick but Cerrone continued to come straight forward. He would score a takedown briefly, but Martins would get back to his feet. They continued to have a striking battle and Cerrone landed a head kick that dropped Martins.
Referee John McCarthy would come in to stop the fight before Cerrone landed another strike. Cerrone (21-6, 1NC) has now won back to back fights since losing to current UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
Stephens stops all of Elkins takedowns and wins by decision
The opening bout of the UFC on FOX 10 main card was a featherweight bout as Jeremy Stephens stopped all eleven of Darren Elkin’s takedown attempts and won by unanimous decision.
In the opening round, Elkins would slip and Stephens attempted to take advantage by going to the ground with Elkins. The fight would not stay on the ground long as Elkins was able to work back to his feet. The remainder of the round would be on the feet and Stephens stopped five takedown attempts by Elkins.
As the second round started, Elkins landed a right hand but Stephens countered with a stronger punch. Elkins would continue to try to get the fight to the ground, but Stephens stopped four takedown attempts in the second round.
Elkins best offense would come at the end of the third round as he had Stephens on his heels and the fight went to the ground. He immediately looked for a submission, but would run out of time before he could potentially submit Stephens.
All three judges scored the fight for Stephens (23-9) and he is now 3-0 in the UFC featherweight division. After winning his first five fights in the featherweight division, Elkins (17-4) has dropped two of his last three fights.
The complete UFC on FOX 10 results are below.
Main Card: (FOX)
Benson Henderson def. Josh Thomson via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
Stipe Miocic def. Gabriel Gonzaga via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Donald Cerrone def. Adriano Martins via KO (head kick) – Round 1, 4:40
Jeremy Stephens def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card: (Fox Sports 1)
Alex Caceres def. Sergio Pettis via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:39
Eddie Wineland def. Yves Jabouin via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:16
Chico Camus def. Yaotzin Meza via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Hugo Viana def. Junior Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Daron Cruickshank def. Mike Rio via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:56
George Sullivan def. Mike Rhodes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card: (Fight Pass)
Nikita Krylov def. Walt Harris via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, :25