UFC on FOX 9 took place on Saturday night at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California and Demetrious Johnson retained the UFC flyweight title with a knockout victory over Joseph Benavidez in the first round.
The fight would just last over two minutes and the entire fight would be on the feet. Johnson would land a right hand that would drop Benavidez and referee John McCarthy would call the fight after Johnson landed several strikes on the mat.
Johnson (19-2-1) has won five fights in a row and is unbeaten as a flyweight. In 2013, he made three successful title defenses and should be a fighter that is considered for the fighter of the year.
Faber makes statement with submission victory over McDonald
Urijah Faber had one of his best performances in his UFC career as he submitted Michael McDonald in the second round.
In the opening round, Faber was able to get the fight to the ground early after McDonald missed a head kick. Faber worked his top game, but referee Herb Dean eventually stood the fighters up. The rest of the round would be on the feet as McDonald was unable to get much going.
Faber would continue to control the fight at the beginning of the second round and clipped McDonald around the two minute mark of the round. He would end up dropping McDonald and immediately looked for the guillotine choke. McDonald would be unable to get out of the hold and would tap out at the 3:22 mark of the second round.
Faber (30-6) has now won four in a row since losing to interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao and he is the clear number one contender in the UFC bantamweight division.
Mendes wins fifth straight with decision over Lentz
Chad Mendes won his fifth straight fight as he scored a decision victory over Nik Lentz in a battle of top ten UFC featherweights.
Mendes opened the fight by landing a punch that dropped Lentz and nearly scored a stoppage victory. Lentz was able to survive the flurry of punches and stay in the fight. Mendes would end up scoring three takedowns in the opening round. Mendes would continue to control the fight in the second round with takedowns and limiting the offense of Lentz.
As the third round opened, Mendes seemed to be coasting and working his way towards a decision. With less than two minutes left in the fight, Mendes threw a flying knee that connected and went for a guillotine choke on the ground. Lentz would be able to defend the attempt and the fight went to the ground.
Mendes (16-1) would win the fight on the scorecards and he has won five in a row. After the fight concluded, Mendes told UFC matchmaker Joe Silva that he came down with the flu this week and he did not feel good tonight.
Lauzon snaps 2 fight losing streak with victory over Danzig
The opening bout of the UFC on FOX 9 card was a lightweight bout as Joe Lauzon snapped a two fight losing streak as he defeated Mac Danzig by unanimous decision.
During the opening round, Lauzon was able to get the fight to the ground and immediately passed to the mount position. He looked for an arm bar submission, but Danzig was able to escape. After Danzig got back to his feet, they clinched against the fence. Lauzon would score a takedown before the round came to an end.
The second round started with the fighters exchanging strikes before Lauzon secured a takedown. He landed several elbows from top position, which opened up a cut on the forehead of Danzig. Lauzon passed to side control and looked for another armbar. He would not get the submission and the fight moved into the third and final round.
Lauzon was able to continue to control the fight as he used a trip to take the fight to the ground. He would get side control and landed several elbows from the crucifix position. Danzig would escape the position and he ended up in top position. They continued to battle on the mat before the final bell sounded.
All three judges scored the fight for Lauzon (23-9) and he now has ten wins inside the UFC. Danzig (21-12-1) has dropped three fights in a row and could be released by the UFC following this fight.
Main Card: (FOX)
Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via KO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:08
Urijah Faber def. Michael McDonald via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:22
Chad Mendes def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Lauzon def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card: (Fox Sports 1)
Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28
Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:35
Preliminary Card: (UFC.com)
Alptekin Ozkilic def. Darren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)