Post by The Sandmen on Nov 5, 2012 20:42:55 GMT -5
Benson Henderson doesn't look concerned about anything his opponent brings to the table.
Dominick Cruz is beating himself up in the corner before the fight begins, smacking himself in the face, body and legs to get ready for his scrap.
This is the first time they meet inside the cage
The bets gives an equal chance to both fighters to score the win today.
The referee of the bout is Mario Yamasaki.
=========================================
Round 1
=========================================
Benson Henderson and Dominick Cruz touch gloves in the center to get this fight started!
The clock says 0:10 in the 1 round
Lightning fast low kick from Benson!
Cruz blocks that kick with his leg.
Cruz tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Bone shattering straight right hand from Dominick Cruz!
Benson is going to have a big headache after that blow!
Benson's Left cheek is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Dominick Cruz is slowing the pace of the fight a bit and circles around his opponent.
Cruz wants to take the fight to his advantage and tries to clinch.
Cruz moves forward and holds Benson
The fighters are clinching.
Cruz goes for a scissor takedown. thats unusual
Benson Henderson is down after that takedown and they are scrambling for position. Dominick Cruz gets the advantage
Dominick Cruz is in open guard over Benson
Dominick Cruz tries to pass to half guard...
Benson Henderson can't prevent his opponent from passing. Cruz looks to work from half guard.
The clock says 0:50 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson cornermen are yelling for his man to escape from the ground as Cruz can finish a fight on the ground with some good pounding if you give him the chance.
Dominick Cruz tries to pass Benson Henderson's guard...
Dominick Cruz manages to get his leg free and moves to side mount.
The clock says 1:00 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Cruz has a high cardio that helps him make great performances.
Dominick Cruz looks to pass to mount...
Benson creates space and scrambles back to his feet.
Both fighters have climbed to their feet and they continue the fight standing. The people who are watching this in Mellon Arena (Pittsburgh, PA) are cheering for the fighters.
Dominick Cruz and Benson engage in a wild exchange of punches!
Dominick Cruz is getting the best of the exchange as he lands a few blows.
Dominick Cruz moves forward looking for a hole in his opponent's defense.
Cruz decides to launch some tentative punches
Dominick Cruz takes the best of a brief punching exchange.
Shovel hook by Dominick Cruz
goes nowhere.
Cruz clumsily fails here and it's time for Benson Henderson to fight back!
Benson Henderson tries to take the fight to the ground with a one leg takedown...
Cruz is unable to remain on his feet and falls to the ground
Benson Henderson is in open guard over Cruz
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Benson blocks the hits as he works on the ground.
Benson Henderson is in open guard over Cruz
Cruz cornermen are yelling for his man to escape from the ground as Benson can finish a fight on the ground with some good pounding if you give him the chance.
Benson tries to move to full mount
Benson's ground game is not enough to provide him any advantage
Benson misses a step and Dominick Cruz sees an opportunity to counter him!
Cruz tries to close his guard around Benson
He succeeds!
The clock says 1:55 in the 1 round
Benson Henderson is in closed guard over Cruz
Good looking punches from Benson Henderson on the ground
deflected by Cruz.
The clock says 2:05 in the 1 round
Benson Henderson is in closed guard over Cruz
Benson delivers a few accurate elbows!
Dominick Cruz blocks them all showing some great skills here.
Cruz is trying to counter now!
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Those hits are leaving hitches in Benson's side.
Benson Henderson is in closed guard over Cruz
Benson is in closed guard... Cruz tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Benson Henderson!
Dominick Cruz is in full mount over Benson Henderson
Benson Henderson tries to roll to his side and trap Dominick Cruz in his guard...
Dominick Cruz keeps good control and remains in full mount.
The clock says 2:35 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz is in full mount over Benson Henderson
Benson Henderson tries to roll to his side and get to half guard...
Benson Henderson creates enough space to control Dominick Cruz's leg.
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Cruz tries to free his leg...
Benson doesn't allow any movement here! He's cooling the fight on the ground.
Poorly executed technique. Benson Henderson looks to counter!
Benson reaches under and rolls for a kneebar!
Cruz blocks the attempt and uses the opportunity to seize half guard.
Mario Yamasaki has seen enough passivity on the ground and stands up the fighters.
Both fighters continue the fight on their feet. You can hear how the people agree with that decision.
The clock says 3:00 in the 1 round
Solid low kick from Dominick Cruz.
For sure, that had to hurt!
Benson hyper-extended his left leg
Dominick Cruz takes a few seconds to recover his breath...
Dominick Cruz takes a few seconds to recover his breath...
The clock says 3:30 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz attempts to cut off Benson with punches
Benson avoids getting cornered.
Dominick Cruz just won't stop and continues to rain punches
Benson may be in trouble!
Benson fakes a punch and shoots a takedown!
Cruz sprawls and remains on his feet.
Cruz tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Dominick Cruz fakes a punch and launches himself over Benson!
Nice move by Cruz who clinches and pushes Benson against the cage
Both fighters are tied in a clinch.
Benson pushes Dominick Cruz againts the fence and begin a relentless combination of punches. The crowd is on it's feet!
Cruz tries to block Benson Henderson punches...
Cruz doesn't want to clinch as he ducks under Benson Henderson embrace and tries to move away...
Nice move from Cruz who put distance between them
The clock says 4:10 in the 1 round
Bone shattering straight left hand from Benson Henderson!
Cruz ducks under...
Benson Henderson circles around Cruz
Benson Henderson takes a few seconds to recover his breath...
Benson decides to launch some tentative punches
Cruz launches a couple of jabs that are answered by Benson with a stiff cross! Solid exchange!
Cruz's Right eye is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Benson pushes Dominick Cruz and moves away from him. He seems to be recovering his breath.
Nice punch by Benson Henderson
that nearly tags Cruz.
Poorly executed technique. Dominick Cruz looks to counter!
Dominick Cruz tries to take the fight to the ground with a one leg takedown...
Benson is unable to remain on his feet and falls to the ground
The buzzer sounds, marking the end of the round. The ref tells the fighters to go to their corner.
I don't think either fighter got the better of their opponent that round.
=========================================
Round 2
=========================================
The fighters size each other up in the center of the cage.
Benson Henderson fakes a punch and launches himself over Dominick Cruz
Great move by Benson who pushes his opponent under a troublesome thai clinch
Dominick Cruz pushes away Benson trying to keep the fight at striking range
Benson doesn't want to break the clinch as he still is grappling with Dominick Cruz
The fighters are clinching.
Benson Henderson slightly pushes Cruz into the fence and tries to calm down the action.
Mario Yamasaki sees a lack of activity in the clinch and separates the fighters.
The clock says 0:45 in the 2 round
Inside leg kick from Cruz
that goes awry.
Benson tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Benson Henderson has found an opening in the defense of Cruz, launching a big uppercut
Bingo! Cruz is wobbling!
Cruz's Chin is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Cruz is holding Benson Henderson's left leg... He's trying to take him down.
Benson Henderson loses balance and goes to the ground.
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Benson tries to show some ground skills
Cruz uses his strength to keep Cruz at a disadvantage
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Dominick Cruz aggressively and repeatedly punches Benson.
He needs to do something soon or the referee will stop the fight!
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Benson Henderson launches a few punches to Cruz's cheek from the guard.
Those punches sure are annoying because Cruz tries to cover his face,
The clock says 1:30 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Dominick Cruz looks to mount Benson Henderson...
Benson Henderson sees an opening and locks his opponent in half guard.
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson tries to close the guard.
Nothing from this effort.
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Cruz positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
One, two, three! Benson's being punished here!
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Dominick Cruz tries to pass Benson Henderson's guard...
Dominick Cruz passes momentarily but Benson Henderson regains half guard.
The clock says 2:05 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson launches a few punches to Cruz's cheek from the guard.
Those punches sure are annoying because Cruz tries to cover his face,
Cruz's Left cheek is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson tries to close the guard.
Benson put Dominick Cruz in closed guard.
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
Benson's attempts to cover himself and blocks those elbows.
Cruz clumsily fails here and it's time for Benson Henderson to fight back!
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Dominick Cruz!
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
One, two, three! Cruz's being punished here!
There is a small laceration on Dominick Cruz's Mouth
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll on the ground...
He makes a reversal!
The clock says 3:00 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Dominick Cruz uses his leg to keep his position on the ground
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz tries to escape from the closed guard
Cruz succeeds and he's now in open guard... he takes a second to breathe
The clock says 3:20 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in open guard over Benson
Benson tries to close his guard around Cruz
He is not able to do it
Dominick Cruz is in open guard over Benson
Benson tries to close his guard around Cruz
He succeeds!
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Dominick Cruz!
The clock says 3:55 in the 2 round
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson isolates Dominick Cruz's arm and neck looking for an arm triangle
Dominick Cruz is able to relieve the pressure on his neck and slip out of the hold.
Cruz is trying to counter now!
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Those hits are leaving hitches in Benson's side.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson fakes some punches
then lands a big punch to Cruz's face!
There is a small laceration on Dominick Cruz's Right cheek
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz doesn't want to continue the fight in this position and tries to get back on his feet
He moves fast and now he is standing
Benson tries to stand up!
he is now on his feet
Both fighters continue the fight on their feet. You can hear how the people agree with that decision.
A shot seen throughout the arena!
Timely defense by Cruz.
Benson Henderson and Cruz engage in a wild exchange of punches!
Dominick Cruz is getting the best of the exchange as he lands a few blows.
Cruz wants to take the fight to his advantage and tries to clinch.
Cruz moves forward and holds Benson
Both fighters are tied in a clinch.
Cruz launches a few hard punches to Benson Henderson's ribs!
Benson Henderson's ribs shows the damage! Dominick Cruz is working his opponent ribs!
The fighters are clinching.
Benson tries to dirty boxing while holds Cruz against cage
Cruz is unable to defend himself and receives some punches in the ribs.
The buzzer sounds, marking the end of the round. The ref tells the fighters to go to their corner.
Dominick Cruz has to be confident that he won that round.
=========================================
Round 3
=========================================
Not a desiderable position that Cruz is in now. Benson Henderson is well knowed for his strong and relentless GnP.
An overhand right from Benson Henderson that looked like it was capable of destroying a brick wall!
Bang! Cruz's stops that one with his face! How is Cruz standing?!
Cruz decides to launch some tentative punches
Nothing from this exchange. Cruz moves back and takes a deep breath.
Dominick Cruz fakes a punch and launches himself over Benson Henderson
Benson counters with a few fake punches and then backpedals
Several good body shots
are evaded by Cruz.
Poorly executed technique. Dominick Cruz looks to counter!
Dominick Cruz fakes a punch and launches himself over Benson Henderson
Great move by Cruz who pushes his opponent under a troublesome thai clinch
The fighters are clinching.
Benson doesn't want to clinch as he ducks under Dominick Cruz embrace and tries to move away...
Dominick Cruz pushes Benson forward and doesn't allow him to break the clinch.
Dominick Cruz tries to shrug his way out of the clinch.
Benson is determined to work from the clinch. He pummeled through and managed to retain his position.
Both fighters are tied in a clinch.
Benson Henderson is an expert in the clinch. This is a bad position for Cruz.
Benson Henderson grapple with Dominick Cruz and tries a Outer Leg Sweep
nice takedown Benson Henderson is in side mount over Dominick Cruz
The clock says 1:15 in the 3 round
Benson Henderson is in side mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson tries to move to full mount!
Nice move. He is in full mount now.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll to his side and trap Benson Henderson in his guard...
Dominick Cruz gets his hip out and moves to full guard.
The clock says 1:35 in the 3 round
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson tries to better his position on the ground...
Benson is in a great position to begin a nice round of pounding!
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll on the ground...
He makes a reversal!
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Dominick Cruz hovers above Benson
Benson Henderson stops him from throwing strikes.
The clock says 2:05 in the 3 round
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz tries to escape from closed guard...
Cruz struggles to liberate his leg and jumps to half guard!
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson attempts to move to full guard
Benson Henderson manages to switch to full guard.
The clock says 2:30 in the 3 round
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
Benson's attempts to cover himself and blocks those elbows.
Benson tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Dominick Cruz!
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll to his side and trap Benson Henderson in his guard...
Benson Henderson keeps good control and remains in full mount.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson delivers a few accurate elbows!
Cruz is being hit hard and trys to escape! He has to give his back!
Cruz has a small cut in his Right eye
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Benson Henderson throws down elbows...
He's tearing up Cruz's face with those brutal elbows! Cruz needs to do something! The referee is threatening to stop it!
The clock says 3:20 in the 3 round
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Benson blocks the hits as he works on the ground.
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Cruz tries to stand up!
Benson doesn't allow him!
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Cruz has Benson controlling his back while on the ground. He tries to roll and find an escape...
Showing some ground skills he transitions to a side mount.
The clock says 3:45 in the 3 round
Benson Henderson is in side mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson looks to pass to mount...
Benson slides his knee across and achieves the mount position! Tough spot for Dominick Cruz.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is a bloody mess!
Dominick Cruz tries to roll on the ground...
Benson knows how to keep his advantage on the ground.
Poorly executed technique. Benson Henderson looks to counter!
Benson Henderson tries to open Cruz's guard...
Great bombs from the top by Benson Henderson. Cruz is unable to cover himself now!
Cruz's Forehead is beginning to swell
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz's face is covered in blood. He may be having problems seeing as he wipes the blood out of his eyes.
Benson catch Dominick Cruz's left arm and tries a kimura
Dominick Cruz holds his own arm and struggles until he gets free
Mario Yamasaki stands the fighters up due to a lack of activity.
Both fighters continue the fight on their feet. You can hear how the people agree with that decision.
Benson launches a furious low kick!
Cruz receives a hard blow on his right leg!
Cruz hyper-extended his leg
Benson launches a furious low kick!
Cruz receives a hard blow on his right leg!
Benson Henderson tries to bring the fight to the ground
Cruz goes down.
Dominick Cruz seems hurt! He stumbles backwards and he's an easy target for Benson Henderson!
Benson Henderson is in open guard over Cruz
Benson Henderson storms over Cruz with a biblical punishment in the form of elbows!
Benson doesn't stop and viciously hits again and again Cruz's face with his elbows!
Mario Yamasaki is asking Cruz to defend himself! Mario Yamasaki jumps in between the fighters and stops the punishment for Cruz.
There is a small laceration on Dominick Cruz's Left cheek
Winner is Benson Henderson by TKO (Elbows) at 5:00 Round 3
Statistics: Benson Henderson
Punches 7/19 (37%)
Kicks 2/3 (67%)
Clinch strikes 3/7 (43%)
Takedowns 2/3 (67%)
GnP strikes 25/42 (60%)
Submissions 3/3 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 501 s
Statistics: Dominick Cruz
Punches 13/25 (52%)
Kicks 1/2 (50%)
Clinch strikes 3/4 (75%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 11/25 (44%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 3/3 (100%)
Time on the ground 501 s
Good fight. Cruz did better than many expected here, but Benson still took control and maintained at the end. Then finished.
Dominick Cruz is beating himself up in the corner before the fight begins, smacking himself in the face, body and legs to get ready for his scrap.
This is the first time they meet inside the cage
The bets gives an equal chance to both fighters to score the win today.
The referee of the bout is Mario Yamasaki.
=========================================
Round 1
=========================================
Benson Henderson and Dominick Cruz touch gloves in the center to get this fight started!
The clock says 0:10 in the 1 round
Lightning fast low kick from Benson!
Cruz blocks that kick with his leg.
Cruz tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Bone shattering straight right hand from Dominick Cruz!
Benson is going to have a big headache after that blow!
Benson's Left cheek is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Dominick Cruz is slowing the pace of the fight a bit and circles around his opponent.
Cruz wants to take the fight to his advantage and tries to clinch.
Cruz moves forward and holds Benson
The fighters are clinching.
Cruz goes for a scissor takedown. thats unusual
Benson Henderson is down after that takedown and they are scrambling for position. Dominick Cruz gets the advantage
Dominick Cruz is in open guard over Benson
Dominick Cruz tries to pass to half guard...
Benson Henderson can't prevent his opponent from passing. Cruz looks to work from half guard.
The clock says 0:50 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson cornermen are yelling for his man to escape from the ground as Cruz can finish a fight on the ground with some good pounding if you give him the chance.
Dominick Cruz tries to pass Benson Henderson's guard...
Dominick Cruz manages to get his leg free and moves to side mount.
The clock says 1:00 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Cruz has a high cardio that helps him make great performances.
Dominick Cruz looks to pass to mount...
Benson creates space and scrambles back to his feet.
Both fighters have climbed to their feet and they continue the fight standing. The people who are watching this in Mellon Arena (Pittsburgh, PA) are cheering for the fighters.
Dominick Cruz and Benson engage in a wild exchange of punches!
Dominick Cruz is getting the best of the exchange as he lands a few blows.
Dominick Cruz moves forward looking for a hole in his opponent's defense.
Cruz decides to launch some tentative punches
Dominick Cruz takes the best of a brief punching exchange.
Shovel hook by Dominick Cruz
goes nowhere.
Cruz clumsily fails here and it's time for Benson Henderson to fight back!
Benson Henderson tries to take the fight to the ground with a one leg takedown...
Cruz is unable to remain on his feet and falls to the ground
Benson Henderson is in open guard over Cruz
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Benson blocks the hits as he works on the ground.
Benson Henderson is in open guard over Cruz
Cruz cornermen are yelling for his man to escape from the ground as Benson can finish a fight on the ground with some good pounding if you give him the chance.
Benson tries to move to full mount
Benson's ground game is not enough to provide him any advantage
Benson misses a step and Dominick Cruz sees an opportunity to counter him!
Cruz tries to close his guard around Benson
He succeeds!
The clock says 1:55 in the 1 round
Benson Henderson is in closed guard over Cruz
Good looking punches from Benson Henderson on the ground
deflected by Cruz.
The clock says 2:05 in the 1 round
Benson Henderson is in closed guard over Cruz
Benson delivers a few accurate elbows!
Dominick Cruz blocks them all showing some great skills here.
Cruz is trying to counter now!
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Those hits are leaving hitches in Benson's side.
Benson Henderson is in closed guard over Cruz
Benson is in closed guard... Cruz tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Benson Henderson!
Dominick Cruz is in full mount over Benson Henderson
Benson Henderson tries to roll to his side and trap Dominick Cruz in his guard...
Dominick Cruz keeps good control and remains in full mount.
The clock says 2:35 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz is in full mount over Benson Henderson
Benson Henderson tries to roll to his side and get to half guard...
Benson Henderson creates enough space to control Dominick Cruz's leg.
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Cruz tries to free his leg...
Benson doesn't allow any movement here! He's cooling the fight on the ground.
Poorly executed technique. Benson Henderson looks to counter!
Benson reaches under and rolls for a kneebar!
Cruz blocks the attempt and uses the opportunity to seize half guard.
Mario Yamasaki has seen enough passivity on the ground and stands up the fighters.
Both fighters continue the fight on their feet. You can hear how the people agree with that decision.
The clock says 3:00 in the 1 round
Solid low kick from Dominick Cruz.
For sure, that had to hurt!
Benson hyper-extended his left leg
Dominick Cruz takes a few seconds to recover his breath...
Dominick Cruz takes a few seconds to recover his breath...
The clock says 3:30 in the 1 round
Dominick Cruz attempts to cut off Benson with punches
Benson avoids getting cornered.
Dominick Cruz just won't stop and continues to rain punches
Benson may be in trouble!
Benson fakes a punch and shoots a takedown!
Cruz sprawls and remains on his feet.
Cruz tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Dominick Cruz fakes a punch and launches himself over Benson!
Nice move by Cruz who clinches and pushes Benson against the cage
Both fighters are tied in a clinch.
Benson pushes Dominick Cruz againts the fence and begin a relentless combination of punches. The crowd is on it's feet!
Cruz tries to block Benson Henderson punches...
Cruz doesn't want to clinch as he ducks under Benson Henderson embrace and tries to move away...
Nice move from Cruz who put distance between them
The clock says 4:10 in the 1 round
Bone shattering straight left hand from Benson Henderson!
Cruz ducks under...
Benson Henderson circles around Cruz
Benson Henderson takes a few seconds to recover his breath...
Benson decides to launch some tentative punches
Cruz launches a couple of jabs that are answered by Benson with a stiff cross! Solid exchange!
Cruz's Right eye is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Benson pushes Dominick Cruz and moves away from him. He seems to be recovering his breath.
Nice punch by Benson Henderson
that nearly tags Cruz.
Poorly executed technique. Dominick Cruz looks to counter!
Dominick Cruz tries to take the fight to the ground with a one leg takedown...
Benson is unable to remain on his feet and falls to the ground
The buzzer sounds, marking the end of the round. The ref tells the fighters to go to their corner.
I don't think either fighter got the better of their opponent that round.
=========================================
Round 2
=========================================
The fighters size each other up in the center of the cage.
Benson Henderson fakes a punch and launches himself over Dominick Cruz
Great move by Benson who pushes his opponent under a troublesome thai clinch
Dominick Cruz pushes away Benson trying to keep the fight at striking range
Benson doesn't want to break the clinch as he still is grappling with Dominick Cruz
The fighters are clinching.
Benson Henderson slightly pushes Cruz into the fence and tries to calm down the action.
Mario Yamasaki sees a lack of activity in the clinch and separates the fighters.
The clock says 0:45 in the 2 round
Inside leg kick from Cruz
that goes awry.
Benson tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Benson Henderson has found an opening in the defense of Cruz, launching a big uppercut
Bingo! Cruz is wobbling!
Cruz's Chin is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Cruz is holding Benson Henderson's left leg... He's trying to take him down.
Benson Henderson loses balance and goes to the ground.
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Benson tries to show some ground skills
Cruz uses his strength to keep Cruz at a disadvantage
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Dominick Cruz aggressively and repeatedly punches Benson.
He needs to do something soon or the referee will stop the fight!
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Benson Henderson launches a few punches to Cruz's cheek from the guard.
Those punches sure are annoying because Cruz tries to cover his face,
The clock says 1:30 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in side mount over Benson Henderson
Dominick Cruz looks to mount Benson Henderson...
Benson Henderson sees an opening and locks his opponent in half guard.
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson tries to close the guard.
Nothing from this effort.
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Cruz positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
One, two, three! Benson's being punished here!
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Dominick Cruz tries to pass Benson Henderson's guard...
Dominick Cruz passes momentarily but Benson Henderson regains half guard.
The clock says 2:05 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson launches a few punches to Cruz's cheek from the guard.
Those punches sure are annoying because Cruz tries to cover his face,
Cruz's Left cheek is bruised after the punishement he's received!
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson tries to close the guard.
Benson put Dominick Cruz in closed guard.
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
Benson's attempts to cover himself and blocks those elbows.
Cruz clumsily fails here and it's time for Benson Henderson to fight back!
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Dominick Cruz!
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
One, two, three! Cruz's being punished here!
There is a small laceration on Dominick Cruz's Mouth
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll on the ground...
He makes a reversal!
The clock says 3:00 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Dominick Cruz uses his leg to keep his position on the ground
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz tries to escape from the closed guard
Cruz succeeds and he's now in open guard... he takes a second to breathe
The clock says 3:20 in the 2 round
Dominick Cruz is in open guard over Benson
Benson tries to close his guard around Cruz
He is not able to do it
Dominick Cruz is in open guard over Benson
Benson tries to close his guard around Cruz
He succeeds!
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Dominick Cruz!
The clock says 3:55 in the 2 round
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson isolates Dominick Cruz's arm and neck looking for an arm triangle
Dominick Cruz is able to relieve the pressure on his neck and slip out of the hold.
Cruz is trying to counter now!
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Those hits are leaving hitches in Benson's side.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson fakes some punches
then lands a big punch to Cruz's face!
There is a small laceration on Dominick Cruz's Right cheek
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz doesn't want to continue the fight in this position and tries to get back on his feet
He moves fast and now he is standing
Benson tries to stand up!
he is now on his feet
Both fighters continue the fight on their feet. You can hear how the people agree with that decision.
A shot seen throughout the arena!
Timely defense by Cruz.
Benson Henderson and Cruz engage in a wild exchange of punches!
Dominick Cruz is getting the best of the exchange as he lands a few blows.
Cruz wants to take the fight to his advantage and tries to clinch.
Cruz moves forward and holds Benson
Both fighters are tied in a clinch.
Cruz launches a few hard punches to Benson Henderson's ribs!
Benson Henderson's ribs shows the damage! Dominick Cruz is working his opponent ribs!
The fighters are clinching.
Benson tries to dirty boxing while holds Cruz against cage
Cruz is unable to defend himself and receives some punches in the ribs.
The buzzer sounds, marking the end of the round. The ref tells the fighters to go to their corner.
Dominick Cruz has to be confident that he won that round.
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Round 3
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Not a desiderable position that Cruz is in now. Benson Henderson is well knowed for his strong and relentless GnP.
An overhand right from Benson Henderson that looked like it was capable of destroying a brick wall!
Bang! Cruz's stops that one with his face! How is Cruz standing?!
Cruz decides to launch some tentative punches
Nothing from this exchange. Cruz moves back and takes a deep breath.
Dominick Cruz fakes a punch and launches himself over Benson Henderson
Benson counters with a few fake punches and then backpedals
Several good body shots
are evaded by Cruz.
Poorly executed technique. Dominick Cruz looks to counter!
Dominick Cruz fakes a punch and launches himself over Benson Henderson
Great move by Cruz who pushes his opponent under a troublesome thai clinch
The fighters are clinching.
Benson doesn't want to clinch as he ducks under Dominick Cruz embrace and tries to move away...
Dominick Cruz pushes Benson forward and doesn't allow him to break the clinch.
Dominick Cruz tries to shrug his way out of the clinch.
Benson is determined to work from the clinch. He pummeled through and managed to retain his position.
Both fighters are tied in a clinch.
Benson Henderson is an expert in the clinch. This is a bad position for Cruz.
Benson Henderson grapple with Dominick Cruz and tries a Outer Leg Sweep
nice takedown Benson Henderson is in side mount over Dominick Cruz
The clock says 1:15 in the 3 round
Benson Henderson is in side mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson tries to move to full mount!
Nice move. He is in full mount now.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll to his side and trap Benson Henderson in his guard...
Dominick Cruz gets his hip out and moves to full guard.
The clock says 1:35 in the 3 round
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson tries to better his position on the ground...
Benson is in a great position to begin a nice round of pounding!
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll on the ground...
He makes a reversal!
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Dominick Cruz hovers above Benson
Benson Henderson stops him from throwing strikes.
The clock says 2:05 in the 3 round
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz tries to escape from closed guard...
Cruz struggles to liberate his leg and jumps to half guard!
Dominick Cruz is in half guard over Benson
Benson Henderson attempts to move to full guard
Benson Henderson manages to switch to full guard.
The clock says 2:30 in the 3 round
Dominick Cruz is in closed guard over Benson
Cruz positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows!
Benson's attempts to cover himself and blocks those elbows.
Benson tries to get some advantage after his opponent miss move...
Cruz is in closed guard... Benson tries to roll on the ground!
Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Dominick Cruz!
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz tries to roll to his side and trap Benson Henderson in his guard...
Benson Henderson keeps good control and remains in full mount.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson delivers a few accurate elbows!
Cruz is being hit hard and trys to escape! He has to give his back!
Cruz has a small cut in his Right eye
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Benson Henderson throws down elbows...
He's tearing up Cruz's face with those brutal elbows! Cruz needs to do something! The referee is threatening to stop it!
The clock says 3:20 in the 3 round
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Cruz measures the resilience of Benson's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard.
Benson blocks the hits as he works on the ground.
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Cruz tries to stand up!
Benson doesn't allow him!
Benson is in rear mount over Cruz
Cruz has Benson controlling his back while on the ground. He tries to roll and find an escape...
Showing some ground skills he transitions to a side mount.
The clock says 3:45 in the 3 round
Benson Henderson is in side mount over Dominick Cruz
Benson Henderson looks to pass to mount...
Benson slides his knee across and achieves the mount position! Tough spot for Dominick Cruz.
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is a bloody mess!
Dominick Cruz tries to roll on the ground...
Benson knows how to keep his advantage on the ground.
Poorly executed technique. Benson Henderson looks to counter!
Benson Henderson tries to open Cruz's guard...
Great bombs from the top by Benson Henderson. Cruz is unable to cover himself now!
Cruz's Forehead is beginning to swell
Benson Henderson is in full mount over Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz's face is covered in blood. He may be having problems seeing as he wipes the blood out of his eyes.
Benson catch Dominick Cruz's left arm and tries a kimura
Dominick Cruz holds his own arm and struggles until he gets free
Mario Yamasaki stands the fighters up due to a lack of activity.
Both fighters continue the fight on their feet. You can hear how the people agree with that decision.
Benson launches a furious low kick!
Cruz receives a hard blow on his right leg!
Cruz hyper-extended his leg
Benson launches a furious low kick!
Cruz receives a hard blow on his right leg!
Benson Henderson tries to bring the fight to the ground
Cruz goes down.
Dominick Cruz seems hurt! He stumbles backwards and he's an easy target for Benson Henderson!
Benson Henderson is in open guard over Cruz
Benson Henderson storms over Cruz with a biblical punishment in the form of elbows!
Benson doesn't stop and viciously hits again and again Cruz's face with his elbows!
Mario Yamasaki is asking Cruz to defend himself! Mario Yamasaki jumps in between the fighters and stops the punishment for Cruz.
There is a small laceration on Dominick Cruz's Left cheek
Winner is Benson Henderson by TKO (Elbows) at 5:00 Round 3
Statistics: Benson Henderson
Punches 7/19 (37%)
Kicks 2/3 (67%)
Clinch strikes 3/7 (43%)
Takedowns 2/3 (67%)
GnP strikes 25/42 (60%)
Submissions 3/3 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 501 s
Statistics: Dominick Cruz
Punches 13/25 (52%)
Kicks 1/2 (50%)
Clinch strikes 3/4 (75%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 11/25 (44%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 3/3 (100%)
Time on the ground 501 s
Good fight. Cruz did better than many expected here, but Benson still took control and maintained at the end. Then finished.