SACRAMENO, Calif. — Demetrious Johnson (19-2-1) is still the only flyweight champion in UFC history, as he retained his title in stunning fashion, knocking out top contender Joseph Benavidez (19-4) in the opening round of their championship contest.
The bout served as the main event of Saturday’s "UFC FOX Saturday: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2," which took place in Sacramento, Calif.
Johnson, not generally known as a knockout artist, started in typical fashion, moving in and out of range while using his speed to set up opportunities. Benavidez kept himself in the centre of the cage to start before he turned up the aggression two minutes into the frame.
It would cost him.
With Benavidez lunging forward to strike, Johnson landed a devastating right hand to send the challenger crashing to the floor. Johnson followed with a few additional blows, and the fight was waved off at the 2:08 mark of the first round.
"Tonight was a great moment for my career, but in reality it’s just another fight," Johnson said. "My goal is to keep evolving and displaying my skill set to fans and having them enjoy my fights."
In the co-feature, 34-year-old Sacramento resident Urijah Faber (30-6) proved he’s still a legitimate title contender, downing 22-year-old slugger Michael McDonald (16-3) in impressive fashion.
While Faber utilized his wrestling to earn the opening round, it was his striking that set up the win in the second. Using excellent footwork and movement to dart in and out of range, Faber scored with a perfectly timed right hand that sent his opponent crashing to the floor. From there, Faber rushed forward and latched on a guillotine choke, rolling and adjusting until earning a tap at the 3:22 mark of the second frame.
"The California Kid" now boasts a four-fight winning streak, and his only losses in the past three years have come against current UFC champions.
In a key featherweight contest, Chad Mendes (16-1) made his case for a second shot at the UFC’s 145-pound title with a thorough beating of fellow contender Nik Lentz (24-6-2).
Mendes looked as if he’d finish the fight in the early going, scoring with a big left hand that dazed his opponent. But Lentz somehow survived the onslaught, but it was only so that he could endure further work on the feet and the floor. While Lentz showed heart in making it to the final bell, Mendes was always a step quicker and cruised his way to unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Afterward, Mendes admitted a sinus infection affected his performance.
"I had a bad sinus infection about four weeks ago, and I thought it had cleared, but maybe a week ago it came back and I really felt it during this fight," Mendes said. "Basically after the first round, my lungs felt heavy, but I just had to power through it.
"I hit Lentz hard, about as hard as any guy I have ever fought. He kept bouncing back, however, I have to give him credit there. I don’t really like the guy, but we’re not in the cage to be friends."
In the night’s first main-card matchup, lightweight Joe Lauzon (23-9) picked up a much-needed win by dominating Mac Danzig (21-12-1) for 15 minutes en route to a clearcut decision victory.
Lauzon was able to repeatedly bring the fight to the floor and move to top position, where he unleashed a thunderous barrage of elbows when he wasn’t busy looking for submission opportunities. A gritty Danzig refused to quit, repeatedly battling through several bad positions, but he was never able to offer any real counter attack.
At the final bell, Lauzon was awarded a decision win, 30-27 on all thee cards.
"You’re only as good as your last fight, and my last fight was terrible," Lauzon said after the win. "It was completely embarrassing, so to get this win was fantastic and feels great."
