UFC on Fox 5 made its way to Key Arena Saturday night for one of the most stacked cards of the year.
With household names and former, present and future champions fighting in the Octagon, the night was short on neither violence nor intrigue.
Let’s take a look at how things played out on the main card:
Mike Swick (15-5-0) vs. Matt Brown (16-11-0)
Matt Brown came out of the gate strong, and he maintained it through the course of the fight. He got Mike Swick with a takedown in the first round, keeping him pinned for a decent amount of time.
Brown continued to dictate the tempo in Round 2, then ended the fight upon landing a vicious left hook.
Result: Matt Brown def. Mike Swick via knockout (punches) at 2:31 in Round 2
B.J. Penn (16-9-2) vs. Rory MacDonald (14-1-0)
The once-proud B.J. Penn continued to struggle in this one. He was 1-3-1 in his previous five entering, and Saturday night was more of the same.
Rory MacDonald was bigger, faster and stronger the entire night, unleashing a barrage on Penn in the second round. After being cleared by the doctors to continue, Penn continued to go through the motions in Round 3—eventually losing by unanimous decision.
Result: Rory MacDonald def. B.J. Penn via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Shogun Rua (21-7-0) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (15-1-0)
Alexander Gustafsson looked spry in this one, setting the tempo with an immediate takedown in Round 1, and continuing to dictate for the rest of the fight.
Shogun Rua had his moments, but they were a little too fleeting. Knowing he had lost toward the end of Round 3, he searched desperately for a home run finish but was unsuccessful.
Alexander Gustafsson def. Shogun Rua via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Benson Henderson (18-2-0) vs. Nate Diaz (16-8-0)
The main event of the evening ended up being a little underwhelming.
Benson Henderson was brilliant throughout the evening, putting on the kind of performance that warrants a Lightweight Championship. But the fight lacked the kind of fireworks some (myself included) were hoping for.
Nate Diaz tried to goad Henderson in the final seconds, but to no avail. He got whooped, plain and simple.
Ben Henderson def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-45, 50-45)
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