Johnson knocks out Benavidez and retains UFC flyweight title

Demetrious Johnson reaffirmed his sovereignty in the UFC flyweight category by impressively knocking out the challenger Joseph Benavidez at UFC on Fox 9, held in Sacramento, California (United States).

In a quick fight, “Mighty Mouse” landed a right cross on the challenger's chin, taking him to the canvas. The champion tried to complete the job on the ground, but it was no longer necessary: ​​at 2:08, Benavidez was knocked out, achieving the fastest knockout in the short history of the UFC flyweight division.

This was Johnson's third title defense, who won the category's inaugural title in September 2012, against Benavidez. Before UFC on Fox 9, he had already beaten John Dodson and John Moraga to remain the champion.

Benavidez, in turn, found himself in a delicate position in the UFC. Fighting at home, he was beaten for the second time by the flyweight champion, and in the top category, bantamweight, he also lost twice to the holder of the linear belt, Dominick Cruz. This means that their path towards a new title fight could be longer. 

Faber submits McDonald and makes the fans celebrate

Pushed by the fans present at the gym in Sacramento, the “Califorina Kid” Urijah faber lived up to his popularity in his fight against Michael McDonald. The American veteran intimidated his young opponent and dominated the fight both on the ground and in striking, surprising expectations.

Afraid of being taken down by Faber, “Mayday” didn't let up on his standing game and was the target of hard blows. In one of them, McDonald shook and was taken down, and Faber, taking advantage of the opportunity, landed a tight guillotine choke. McDonald tried to resist, but was forced to tap out at 3:22 of the second round, driving the crowd crazy.

It was the fourth consecutive victory for Faber, who has not lost since his fight against Renan Barao in 2012. McDonald, also previously defeated by the Brazilian, suffered his second setback in the UFC.

With a cold, Mendes beats Lentz in a warm fight 

The rhythm imposed by Chad Mendes in the first minutes against Nik lentz it made it seem like the fight wouldn't be very long. “Money” showed sharp hands from the start and began to get the better of the striking and takedowns, cornering his rival.

However, at the end of the first round, his pace slowed drastically. Appearing tired, Mendes started looking for more ground fighting, with Lentz being able to do little to reverse the situation.

Mendes won the judges' decision (30×27, 30×27 and 29×28), achieving his fifth consecutive victory since losing to José Aldo, in January 2012. After the fight, he justified the drop in pace, claiming to have contracted the flu on the eve of the event. Lentz suffered his first defeat since moving down to the featherweight division, interrupting a streak of three straight victories.

Lauzon beats Danzig in the first fight on the main card

In a fight carried out almost entirely on the ground, Joe lauzon He shook off his bad form by beating Mac Danzig in the first fight on the main card. “J-Lau” dominated the actions both in the takedowns and on the ground and severely punished his rival. However, despite showing aggression in the ground and pound and in his submission attempts, Lauzon was unable to end the fight – something unprecedented in his 23 MMA victories. The judges' decision was unanimous in their favor (30×27, 30×27 and 30×27)

The result puts Danzig in a delicate situation within the UFC, as it is his third consecutive defeat – previously, he had lost to Takanori Gomi and Melvin Guillard.

Check out the UFC on Fox 9 results below:

Demetrious Johnson derrotou Joseph Benavidez by knockout in R1.

Urijah faber submitted Michael McDonald (guillotine) in R2.

Chad Mendes derrotou Nik lentz in the unanimous decision of the judges.

Joe lauzon defeated Mac Danzig via unanimous decision.

Ryan La Flare defeated Court mcgee in the unanimous decision of the judges.

Edson Barboza defeated Danny Castillo by majority decision of the judges.

Bobby Green defeated Pat Healy via unanimous decision.

Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision.

Sam stout defeated Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision.

Abel Trujillo defeated Roger Bowling via TKO in R2.

Alp Ozkilic defeated Darren Uyenoyama via split decision.