Tulsa, Oklahoma was the location for the latest installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Fight Night series. The bouts were televised on the Fox Sports 1 network. There were several exciting scraps as both new comers and octagon veterans excited the live crowd.
The main event of the evening featured the UFC’s number one lightweight “Smooth” Ben Henderson (21-3) taking on the fifth ranked contender in Rafael Dos Anjos (21-7). Henderson (USA), who is a former champion, came into the bout with a UFC record of nine wins and one loss. For Dos Anjos (Brazil), the cage veteran came into the contest winning six of his last seven matches; he had racked up a total of ten wins under the UFC banner prior to last night. Dos Anjos was a clear underdog as “Smooth” appeared to be at another level in his last few fights.
As the battle got underway, Dos Anjos calmly stocked Henderson eating several hard leg strikes and punches for his trouble. “Smooth” controlled the distance early and seemed to be at the peak of his power as he landed shots at will. The Brazilian was able to land a hard leg strike to the body that stunned the American. With less than three minutes left in the opening salvo, Dos Anjos began to find the range for his straight left-hand. The underdog was able to detonate several concussive punches that clearly hurt “Smooth”. Dos Anjos continued to do damage as bounced a double knee strike to the head of the American and followed up with a brutal straight left rocket that immediately dropped Henderson to the mat in violent fashion. The referee jumped in and instantly stopped the challenge. Henderson quickly came to his feet and protested but it was too late.
During the post-fight interview, Dos Anjos confirmed that he “knew that my striking was better than his” and that the game plan was to “be patient in the first round but try hard; that’s what I did.” The Brazilian chuckled at being the underdog in this fight stating, “I’m always the underdog… I respect [Ben Henderson] but this is my time.”
Henderson’s interview was brief and the former champion stated, “I thought I was clearheaded but it is what it is. You have your ups and downs and I got to take the good with the bad.”
Sergio L. Martinez
www.convictedartist.com
