UFC Fight Night Seoul Results: ‘Henderson vs. Masvidal’ Play-by-Play & Updates

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Dominique Steele

Round 1

The welterweights circle for 30 seconds before engaging, Steele in the center and Kim moving around the outside in the southpaw stance. Steele lunges in and floors Kim with a left hook, then tries to pound out the “Maestro” on the mat with punches and elbows. Kim wraps up Steele’s arms until he’s able to work back to his feet, then tries to turn a bodylock into a takedown. Steele denies the attempt and just gets a hand up to block a head kick. Steele tags Kim with the left hook again, then grabs his neck and scores with a few short punches and uppercuts. They continue to fight in the clinch until midway through the round, when Steele lands another huge left hand. A firefight breaks out in the clinch, both men scoring heavy blows but Steele doing the best work with a slamming elbow. Steele hits a takedown and holds Kim down until there are 70 seconds remaining, at which point they stand and referee Leon Roberts pauses the action to remove a stray pice of tape from one of Steele’s gloves. When action resumes, Kim gets in some of his best shots of the round as he hits Steele to the body in the last 30 seconds.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Steele
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Steele
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Steele

Round 2

Steele catches a low kick and runs Kim to the ground about 30 seconds into the round. Kim scoots backward to the fence but is prevented from standing as Steele gets in a couple hard punches. Kim works back to his feet after a minute, but he’s sporting a nasty cut and swelling beneath his left eye. They stay in the clinch, Kim reversing to the outside to land a couple knees. Another slam takedown from Steele puts Kim on the ground at the halfway mark. Hard elbows score for Steele, prompting a loud chant of “Kim Dong Hyun!” from the Seoul crowd to encourage the local favorite. Kim is stuck underneath, though, and Steele is getting busier with his ground-and-pound in the final 60 seconds. The American shoves Kim up against cage and sneaks in some clean right hands as Kim’s head is pinned at the base of the fence.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Steele
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Steele
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Steele

Round 3

Steele works from the center and then shoots low to put Kim’s back to the fence. The American lifts Kim high and slams him violently to the ground, knocking him out in the process. Referee Leon Roberts takes a few steps toward the action as Steele slams his unconscious opponent with three massive elbows to the face, then stops the bout. Dominique Steele with one of the most vicious knockouts you’ll see this year.

The Official Result

Dominique Steele def. Dong Hyun Kim via KO (Slam) R3 0:27

Guangyou Ning vs. Marco Beltran

Round 1

Beltran flashes a high kick but comes up short, then misses with a hard front kick aimed at Ning’s chin, and both strike attempts draw an “ooh” from the crowd. The southpaw Ning tries to work his way inside but is being kept at a distance by Beltran’s kicks. Ning slips throwing a kick on the backpedaling Beltran and hits the Mexican fighter on the cup. Beltran takes 30 seconds to recover, and they’re back to business with half the round remaining. Referee Steve Perceval calls for action, as neither man is engaging on the feet; Beltran is moving backward, looking to counter, but Ning is stepping forward not letting his hands go, unable to get inside. The action doesn’t really pick up, sporadic kicks from Beltran being the only successful offense. Ning finally steps in to deliver a massive left hook to the body, and Beltran looks hurt but Ning can’t capitalize before time runs out.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ning
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Beltran
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10

Round 2

Ning starts the round punching strong, tagging Beltran with his best head shots yet before catching the Mexican slipping on a knee and holding him on the ground. Ning gets a few hard punches through Beltran’s guard before he’s tied up. Ning keeps top position for a minute and roughs up Beltran with some more punches, but the action isn’t enough for ref Steve Perceval and they’re stood up midway through the round. They’re back to the circling and feinting of round one, only now Ning is firing hard and moving Beltran around the outside edge. Ning ends the round with a left hook; Beltran swings and misses with a pair of punches as he’s tagged. The bantamweights smile and slap hands after an exchange at the end of the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ning
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Ning
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Ning

Round 3

Ning gets Beltran moving backward with heavy right hands, and soon they’re right where they left off: Beltran circling the outside with his back near the fence and Ning trying to close in from the inner Octagon. The crowd boos as the fighters reach another stalemate, but Ning quiets them with an overhand left and a right hook behind it. Beltran connects with a right hand down the center as they hit the midway mark. He flashes a kick up the center, but it’s caught by Ning and used to shove “Psycho” against the fence. Beltran breaks out after 20 seconds, but not before eating another Ning left hook. Ning grabs the clinch again but Beltran escapes and jacks the jaw of the Chinese fighter with a hellacious knee from the Thai plum. More knees follow as Ning tries to pin Beltran to the fence with an underhook, and one of them puts Ning on his knees. He jumps back up just before the horn sporting a cut along the entire upper length of his left eyelid.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Beltran (29-28 Ning)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Beltran (29-28 Beltran)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Beltran (29-29 Draw)

The Official Result

Marco Beltran def. Guangyou Ning via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00

Freddy Serrano vs. Zhikui Yao

Round 1

Serrano keeps a wide stance and fires off a few leg kicks to try and keep the more mobile Yao out of the pocket. Yao rushes the Colombian backward to the fence with a burst of punches, so Serrano drops levels, scoops Yao away from the cage and deposits him on the ground harshly. Serrano lands a few punches on the floor before referee Greg Kleynjans recognizes that Yao’s right arm has been horribly dislocated on the slam. Yao curls up and taps out with his good arm as the fight is stopped.

The Official Result

Freddy Serrano def. Zhikui Yao via TKO (Arm Injury) R1 0:44

Seo Hee Ham vs. Cortney Casey

Round 1

The southpaw Ham walks down Casey, backing her up nearly to the fence before “Cast Iron” threatens with some hard punches over the top. Ham keeps pressing and gets through with a left hand; Casey answers with a pair of good rights over the top in their next exchange. Casey waits a moment before blitzing Ham with more right hands, then Ham gets her attention with a left hook as she moves out of range. Ham is scoring the occasional left but Casey’s combinations are scoring more regularly. A blasting right high kick lands flush to Ham’s face and sends her stumbling backward. Casey doesn’t go hard for the finish, instead waiting until Ham comes forward to drill her with a right cross. Ham seems to have recovered quickly as she gets another left hook. More right crosses score for Casey, then Ham ducks underneath a winging three-piece combination. Inside the final minute, Ham comes away from an exchange holding her left eye, calling for a timeout, and referee Herb Dean pauses the action. It’s unclear what caused the damage but possibly a clash of heads. They get back to action in short order and the fight turns into a slugfest on the fence as time runs out, Ham mugging Casey with several hard left hands over the top and shots to the jaw.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Casey
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Casey
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Casey

Round 2

The strawweights show no sign of grappling as they circle the outside, Ham testing the range with jabs and Casey meeting her hand with an open glove. A slashing uppercut and left hand send Ham to the ground, but she’s back on her feet in a flash and tagging Casey right back with a left of her own. They fight toward the fence where the next exchange leaves Casey grabbing her right eye, this time from Ham sticking her with a finger as she pushed away. Both women have swelling under their right eyes as they resume the fight midway through. Casey is still getting through with the better and more consistent punches, though she’s mainly keeping to her right hands. Ham keeps on the pressure and runs in to clinch with 90 seconds on the clock. Casey breaks loose without incident, takes a grazing left on the chin and gets a misplaced inside low kick square on the cup. Casey is in obvious pain but gathers herself after a minute and comes back to fight. Ham catches a low kick and tries to slug Casey with punches over the top but the American swings back and pulls the leg free. Ham runs into a right from Casey but runs her against the fence to land a two-piece of her own. There’s some confusion as the round ends and Ham continues to press Casey against the fence; referee Dean steps in to separate the fighters, who couldn’t hear the horn over the sound of the crowd.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ham
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Ham
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Ham

Round 3

Ham pushes forward at the start of the round, hitting Casey with push kicks to the body before stepping into range to unload with a heavy punching combination. Casey looks like she’ll drop but keeps her footing, absorbs a few more punches near the fence and circles out, clipping Ham with a right hook on the way out. Another combo from Ham finds both hands crashing into Casey’s face. Ham’s got Casey on the run and she’s starting to show off with some terrific body work as she beats up the American on the fence. Casey tries to clinch and slow the assault, but Ham breaks loose and slams her right side with a kick. Ham slips a hook and comes back up with a smooth counter before putting Casey’s back on the fence. Casey breaks out, takes more kicks to the body but makes Ham pay for them with a pair of punches. Ham is overwhelming the fading Casey with volume, though, and Casey can’t come up with a takedown as she works to throw Ham with uchimata in the final minute. Instead, Ham takes the outside position in the clinch and traps Casey on the fence to the end of the fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ham (29-28 Ham)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Ham (29-28 Ham)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Ham (29-28 Ham)

The Official Result

Seo Hee Ham def. Cortney Casey via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00

Tae Hyun Bang vs. Leo Kuntz

Round 1

After a few tense exchanges, Bang connects with a left hook to the chin which takes the legs out from underneath Kuntz. The Korean fighter tries to pound out Kuntz with hammerfists on the floor, but Kuntz survives and staggers to his feet. Bang wraps up Kuntz’s neck and jumps guard with an arm-in guillotine which looks tight at first, but from which Kuntz slowly escapes. Bang took a right hand from Kuntz in the opening exchange which has swollen and bloodied his left eye, and referee Steve Perceval pauses the action to have a look. He asks if Bang wants to continue and the fight resumes just about two minutes in. Bang walks forward on Kuntz with his hands dropped now, looking for another big shot. Kuntz is looking more fluid and zaps Bang with a right cross. Bang keeps coming and lands a pair of punches but his arms are dropping to his waist after every punch. Kuntz shoots inside, gets caught in a headlock and eats a few knees from Bang before driving the Korean fighter to the ground. Bang sits up against the fence, Kuntz looking to wrap up a guillotine from the standing position, and now Bang scrambles up. Bang’s left hooks have opened up some bleeding on the outside of Kuntz’s right eye in the final minute, but he finishes the round looking the fresher man as the tired Bang lurches forward.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bang
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Bang
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bang

Round 2

Kuntz comes over the top with a thudding right hand, answered in turn by Bang, who lands another behind it to back Kuntz toward the fence. Kuntz circles away, then shoots on Bang’s legs in the center of the cage. Bang denies the takedown and hits Kuntz with a knee to the face, but Kuntz keeps pushing for the single-leg and drives Bang to the fence. Bang showing solid takedown defense but looking exhausted as he pushes Kuntz away. Bang marches across the cage to deck Kuntz with a hard left hook in the pocket, a right hand behind it. Kuntz is backing up now, recognizing that Bang is tired but still has pop in his punches. A double-leg near the fence turns the action in Kuntz’s favor, and now the American tries to grab a rear-naked choke as he jumps on his kneeling opponent’s back. Kuntz has the back secured as he works for a short choke, but he can’t get under Bang’s chin. Bang tries to slip out the back door, peels away one of Kuntz’s hooks and finally bursts free. As he stands, Bang is blasted with an upkick from Kuntz, who escapes to his feet while the Korean is stunned. Bang is moving in slow motion, stumbling when he misses with punches as the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Kuntz
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Kuntz
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kuntz

Round 3

Bang is spent but still swinging for the fences whenever Kuntz comes into range. A few right hooks score for “The Supernatural” before Kuntz shoots low and drives him to the fence with a single-leg. Bang drops a few elbows as he defends and gets a warning to mind the back of Kuntz’s head. Bang jumps guard with a guillotine and grimaces as he squeezes the choke, trying to force a tap. Kuntz never looks to be in too much trouble, and he pries his head loose from Bang’s tired arms with just over half the round remaining. Kuntz stays in top position until the 2:00 mark, when referee Perceval stands up the lightweights just as they’re starting to work on the ground. Kuntz shoots for a slow single, Bang denies it and comes back with a double of his own. Bang runs the American to the ground but Kuntz is back on his feet within a few seconds. Short left hook connects for Bang before he easily thwarts another Kuntz takedown attempt, then another.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bang (29-28 Bang)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Bang (29-28 Bang)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bang (29-28 Bang)

The Official Result

Tae Hyun Bang def. Leo Kuntz via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00

Yui Chul Nam vs. Mike de la Torre

Round 1

Nam eats a left hook from de la Torre in order to get into range and shoot on the Californian’s legs. De La Torre denies the takedown attempt, takes a moment and breaks loose of Nam’s clinch to light him with more sizzling left hooks in an exchange on the outside. Now bleeding from his left eye, Nam grabs over-unders and tries to trip up de la Torre, who continues to keep his balance. They split with 2:00 on the clock, but no sooner do they return to the center than Nam goes diving for de la Torre’s legs. Nam’s left eye looks to be swelling shut, still bleeding as they tangle on the fence, de la Torre stuffing the takedown to take outside position in the clinch. They trade knees to the body, de la Torre getting in the better shots and then whacking the back of Nam’s thighs with heel strikes. Referee Leon Roberts separates the fighters, Nam tries another takedown, gets stuffed and they wind up right back where they were before.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 de la Torre
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 de la Torre
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 de la Torre

Round 2

Nam charges across the cage and runs into another left hook from de la Torre in order to dig an underhook and pin him to the fence. Same as round one, de la Torre turns the “Korean Bulldozer” against the cage and delivers hard knees to the body. They separate and both men swing big punches over the top, and now it’s de la Torre’s turn to initiate a clinch on the fence. Referee Leon Roberts won’t give them much time to drag in the tie-up, and he resets them with just under half the round to go. More stinging left hooks connect for de la Torre and leave Nam swinging at air with counterstrikes. Nam tries the takedown again, gets denied and stood up, and again it’s de la Torre in the outside position of the clinch. Without much happening, ref Roberts resets them in the middle with 30 seconds to fight. Nam comes forward swinging wildly and hitting nothing, then underhooks de la Torre to the fence and is promptly spun around.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 de la Torre
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 de la Torre
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 de la Torre

Round 3

Nam comes out firing, swinging wildly at de la Torre as he sprints across the cage. De La Torre responds with his now-customary left hand and shuts down another takedown attempt. Finally, the “Bulldozer” comes in with enough force to plow de la Torre to the ground, though he only keeps the American down for a few seconds. Back on the feet, de la Torre is sliding backward, countering Nam and sprawling on increasingly long takedown attempts. The 145ers clinch on the fence again until the 2:50 mark, when referee Roberts separates them and calls for action. The sequence repeats as the final minutes tick down without much action. De La Torre worsens the swelling on Nam’s puffed-out right eye with more accurate left hook counters to pick off the Korean’s winging punches.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 de la Torre (30-27 de la Torre)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 de la Torre (30-27 de la Torre)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 de la Torre (30-27 de la Torre)

The Official Result

Mike de la Torre def. Yui Chul Nam via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00

Dongi Yang vs. Jake Collier

Round 1

Collier comes out swinging but it’s Yang scoring with a loud kick to the body. The American puts his head down and keeps punching until he’s close enough to tangle with Yang, and the middleweights spend an uneventful few seconds in the clinch. Yang works from the middle, backing up Collier to the fence and sidestepping as he windmills overhand punches. Yang dodges another combo and steps forward, only to be caught off guard and dropped to his back by a straight right hand. Collier follows him to the floor and grabs a front headlock as they scramble up, then releases to hit Yang with an outisde leg kick. Yang steps into the pocket to strike and gets Collier’s outstretched hand all over his face, including a finger in the eye. Referee Herb Dean pauses the action and calls for the ringside physician, who clears Yang to continue. The round resumes with a leg kick from Collier, who’s nearly tossed to the ground as Yang grabs his arm and tries to throw. Yang catches a kick shortly afterward and puts Collier on his back, but Collier powers back to his feet. Yang stays glued to him, hits a trip takedown but is immediately swept by Collier. Yang posts and stands, Collier keeps driving on his legs and the Korean fighter thumps his opponent’s head with a few hard elbows before they separate. Collier rushes in recklessly again and is tossed to his knees, and then he’s slow to get up at the end of the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Collier
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Collier
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Collier

Round 2

Yang drives on a takedown and is caught in a guillotine on the way to the mat, but Collier soon releases the choke. Yang gets busy with his ground-and-pound now, standing over the prone Collier to drop punches while the American grabs for a leglock. Collier goes belly-down on a kneebar but Yang seems unconcerned, slowly working the limb free and then smashing away with more hammerfists. Collier rolls to his knees and covers up, and Yang pounds until referee Dean intervenes for the stoppage.

The Official Result

Dongi Yang def. Jake Collier via TKO (Punches) R2 1:50

Doo Ho Choi vs. Sam Sicilia

Round 1

Choi strikes first with a straight right hand over the top, then ducks under a wide right hook from Sicilia and drubs him with another blistering counter. Sicilia’s legs go out from under him, but he climbs back to his feet to land a hard shot of his own. Choi waits until Sicilia gets into range and then rocks him with a clean uppercut. Sicilia barely dodges a flying knee and swings back at Choi, who resets and absolutely demolishes Sicilia with a right hook on the chin and a left to the temple. Sicilia drops to his side on the canvas, where Choi pounds out the American’s lights and his mouthguard until referee Greg Kleynjans stops the fight.

The Official Result

Doo Ho Choi def. Sam Sicilia via KO (Punches) R1 1:33

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alberto Mina

Round 1

Akiyama presses forward, lifting his lead leg and then sliding backward to avoid an overhand right. The judo Olympian trades leg kicks with Mina in the opening minute and little else. Akiyama gets spun around throwing a kick and takes a kick to his ankle, then has to regain his footing before coming ahead again. More leg kicks land for Akiyama, and Mina grazes with a right hand over the top. Mina is flicking out his jab, not landing it but keeping Akiyama on the end of his reach. Akiyama tries to step into the pocket with a high lead leg and follow through with a telegraphed right which Mina dodges. Ninety seconds left in the opening round and either man could still grab it. Akiyama tries a kick to the body, doesn’t land it clean but gets everything behind a hard leg kick. Mina gives him a chop in return before shooting for a single-leg takedown and being denied. Akiyama slides clear of a flying knee from Mina and sticks a couple nice jabs in the last minute. Mina gets the last action of the round, however, with a speedy takedown in the final 10 seconds.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mina
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Mina
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mina

Round 2

Mina comes across the middle with a nice right hand but gets backed up by leg kicks from Akiyama, who attacks with a hard combination as they hit the fence. A couple more low kicks from Akiyama send Mina shooting for a double-leg which is quickly snuffed out. Akiyama takes a deep breath 80 seconds into the round and comes forward again, faking a shot to get Mina leaning over and then decking him with an uppercut. Akiyama is staying busy with his leg kicks and now denies another takedown try. Akiyama has Mina flinching with the threat of a leg kick, sending Mina into another level change which yields no takedown. Suddenly, Mina bursts forward with an uppercut, a pair of left hooks, a right hand, all of which connect on the backpedaling Akiyama. They clinch on the cage for a few seconds before Akiyama releases and resumes his leg kicking. A front kick from Mina lands right on Akiyama’s cup in a clash of kicks, and referee Steve Perceval pauses the fight so Akiyama can recover from the ugly low blow. They’re back at it with under a minute to go, and Mina dodges a high kick to slug Akiyama with a left hook counter. Mina stings Akiyama with an overhand right to the temple in the last 20 seconds of the round. Akiyama flops to the ground, down to his knees, and Mina nearly succeeds in forcing a stoppage with a barrage of punches. Akiyama somehow powers back to his feet and barely survives to hear the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mina
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Mina
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mina

Round 3

The welterweights throw at the same time and it’s Akiyama landing with a piston right hand. Mina lunges forward with a pair of arm punches which don’t come close; he may have punched himself out going for the finish at the end of round two. Mina gets backed up to the fence, tries a spinning elbow and misses. He gets caught leaning over and socked with an uppercut, leaving Mina grabbing for an ankle as Akiyama hops away. Akiyama tags Mina with a couple more punches before a brief clinch, then “Sexyama” sprawls all over a takedown attempt. Mina motions for Akiyama to come to the ground and then stands up slowly as referee Perceval orders him to his feet. Mina is getting lit up on the feet, so he flops to guard again. The ref brings him back up with half the round remaining. Akiyama is coming on strong late here, slamming the exhausted Mina with punches almost at will. Mina hits a single-leg takedown but is instantly reversed and mounted by Akiyama, then smashed with left hands to the face, still with 1:40 on the clock. Akiyama stands and wants his opponent to do the same, and Mina can barely make it to his feet. Another sprawl from Akiyama leaves Mina on the mat. Again, he climbs back up. Akiyama has him badly hurt but he’s not going for the finish, still jabbing away. When Mina flops to guard again with 40 seconds left, Akiyama has had enough and pounces on him while Mina is expecting another stand-up order. Mina eats a couple punches, rolls for an armbar and is stuffed. Akiyama finishes the fight in Mina’s open guard, pounding away as the crowd chants his name.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Akiyama (29-28 Mina)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Akiyama (29-28 Mina)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Akiyama (29-28 Mina)

The Official Result

Alberto Mina def. Yoshihiro Akiyama via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Dominic Waters

Round 1

Kim tries to plant his left hand for a cartwheel kick but he’s wrapped up by Waters and dragged over to the fence. Waters spends the better part of a minute working for a single-leg or a trip from over-unders, then Kim whips him to the ground with a throw. “Stun Gun” passes straight to the mounted crucifix position and socks Waters’ unprotected face with left hands. Waters tries to kick off the fence and escape, but Kim has him trapped and the punches keep coming.Waters is offering less and less resistance as they hit the middle of the round, and referee Leon Roberts is taking a closer look now. Kim is just teeing off, landing dozens of unanswered punches, and with Waters showing no sign of improving his position, referee Roberts stops the bout.

The Official Result

Dong Hyun Kim def. Dominic Waters via TKO (Punches) R1 3:11

Benson Henderson vs. Jorge Masvidal

Round 1

Referee Herb Dean is the third man in the cage for tonight’s 170-pound main event, with judges Mark Craig, Barry Foley and Charlie Keech scoring at cageside. Henderson bounces on his toes as he slides back toward the fence, pausing a few times to land kicks to Masvidal’s left leg. Masvidal eats a right hand down the center from the southpaw, then another hard kick. “Gamebred” answers with a body kick of his own but he’s coming up short with his straight right hands. Henderson twice plunks Masvidal with counter hooks as the Floridian tries to get into range. Three minutes in, Masvidal tries to step in with a body kick and gets dropped by Henderson’s counter right. “Smooth” holds Masvidal on the fence as he stands but soon breaks the clinch, and Masvidal lands a few body punches on the way out. Another pair of loud body kicks connect for Masvidal, then one to the leg. Henderson slide backward and lands more leg kicks as the final minute ticks down, staying out of range of Masvidal’s punches. He grabs Masvidal’s knee after it lands to the body but can’t run him down before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Masvidal
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Masvidal

Round 2

Masvidal keeps coming forward at the onset of the second frame, laying another nice kick across Henderson’s midsection. Henderson answers with one of his own, but when he tries a second, Masvidal catches the leg and trips him to the ground. Masvidal catches Henderson on his knees, grabbing for a single-leg, and pops the former champ with short right hands until Henderson explodes up and dashes away. The lightweights clinch away from the fence with over-unders, 3:00 on the clock. Masvidal pushes Henderson to the cage, where Henderson grabs double underhooks and jacks the jaw of Masvidal with a couple shoulder strikes. Heel kicks to the back of the thigh score for Henderson before he’s turned around and pushed away inside the two-minute mark. Masvidal has a high kick blocked, grins as he slips a fast left hand from Henderson but eats a hard right soon after. Henderson shoves Masvidal to the fence, where “Gamebred” wraps up a guillotine and drops to the ground, using the choke to flip Henderson over the top. They scramble up, Henderson grabbing a headlock on the way, and Masvidal puts a hand on the mat to avoid knees to the head. Henderson lands a few illegal knees before referee Dean tells Henderson that his opponent is grounded, and Masvidal stands up at the end of the round with a cut over his left eye.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 3

Masvidal attacks with kicks low and high, to the body and head in the first minute of the round, and although they touch Henderson, none appear to land with full force save for a shot to the gut. Both men land single right hands, then Henderson dives in behind a punch to put Masvidal on the fence with a single-leg attempt. As he’s leaned over working for the takedown, Henderson throws a couple no-look upward elbows to Masvidal’s face. Masvidal keeps fighting off the shot, even grabbing Henderson in a headlock to threaten with a guillotine. They split with just under two minutes remaining, but Henderson lands a knee to Masvidal’s cup on the way out. Masvidal recovers quickly and comes back to put another kick across Henderson’s body, then another. Henderson is less active here since the pause in action; when he does throw a big combination, Masvidal ducks right underneath. Another big body kick from Masvidal seems to hurt Henderson toward the end of the round, and then an inadvertant kick to the groin certainly hurts him. The foul comes just before the horn, so Henderson takes a second and then asks ref Dean to call time in so the clock can run down and corners can enter the cage.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 4

Henderson starts the round in a wide orthodox stance but quickly switches back to southpaw when it’s time to throw. He only lets go of a few punches before he shoots for a single-leg and puts Masvidal’s back against the chain link. “Bendo” tries repeatedly to reap Masvidal’s rear leg but he can’t trip up the Strikeforce vet, who’s keeping a steady stream of short punches flowing to Henderson’s head. Masvidal reverses and Henderson slips out of the clinch to circle away. As soon as Masvidal walks into range, throwing hard punches, Henderson grabs hold and tries to throw him to the mat. Masvidal just won’t have his back put on the ground, slipping out the backdoor in the transition and then springing up immediately from Henderson’s next takedown. Masvidal grabs Henderson around the waist as they stand and tries for a takedown of his own near the fence. Henderson slows Masvidal’s progress by threatening with a kimura but still winds up on the bottom. Masvidal catches his man in a headlock as they scramble up, but Henderson escapes and circles out with no further damage. A leaping knee from Henderson draws a big gasp from the crowd, but Masvidal comes away smiling and motions that it connected to his chest.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Masvidal
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Masvidal

Round 5

Henderson leans into a plunging right hand and almost eats a counter knee. He comes charging at Masvidal with another jump knee, but once he’s inside, he drops levels and goes for another shot on the fence. Again, Masvidal is staying active while defending the takedown, peppering Henderson with punches. Masvidal turns the tides with what looks like a very tight high-elbow guillotine, but the elastic Henderson twists his way out of yet another submission, and then two more guillotine attempts after that. The welterweights are back on their feet with 2:30 remaining, Masvidal holding Henderson on the fence with an underhook. Masvidal releases and whiffs on a spinning backfist but slams Henderson with a shin to the gut on the turn-around. Henderson tries another takedown but Masvidal rolls through, nearly being mounted by Henderson but escaping out the back door before the position can be secured. Masvidal almost gets out of trouble before Henderson drags him back to the mat, and for the first time in the fight, Masvidal doesn’t bounce back up. Henderson is trying to climb on the back of the kneeling Masvidal, who’s looking tired here in the final minute. Masvidal grabs a leg and drives for one more takedown, and that’s where time runs out.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Masvidal (48-47 Masvidal)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Masvidal (49-46 Henderson)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Masvidal (48-47 Masvidal)

The Official Result

Benson Henderson def. Jorge Masvidal via Split Decision (49-46, 48-47, 47-48) R5 5:00