Making the Grade — Passes/fails for UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal
Benson Henderson got the job done over five rounds to squeak by Jorge Masvidal via split decision in a high-paced main event from South Korea on Saturday.
Henderson countered early while Masvidal applied a ton of pressure, but the former lightweight champion stayed patient and landed solid combinations and then pressed the action in a big way from the third round moving forward.
It was a back-and-forth fight that saw Henderson land a few more strikes and a few more takedowns to ultimately get the nod on the judges' scorecards.
Also in action on Saturday, Dong Hyun Kim made short work of late-notice replacement Dominic Waters for his second straight victory while Doo Ho Choi picked up another first-round finish as he blitzed Sam Sicilia with strikes to win by TKO.
But we already know the results from the card, so we're going to dig a little deeper to see what passed and what failed in South Korea. This is Making the Grade for UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal.
PASSES
Grace under fire
Benson Henderson had a lot on the line going into his main-event fight against Jorge Masvidal on Saturday after a late switch in opponents in a five-round fight — in what was the final bout in his current contract with the UFC.
There's been no indication that Henderson wants to go elsewhere, but negotiating a new deal off a win gives him a lot more leverage than trying to angle for more money if he had lost this fight.
Henderson performed at his normal, high-intensity pace while taking out Masvidal, who remains one of the most underrated performers at either lightweight or welterweight.
Henderson gets his second win at 170 pounds, but his future may still lie at both lightweight and welterweight. Getting down to 155 is a rough cut for Henderson, but he will give up a lot of size fighting at welterweight. Still, following two straight wins in his new division, Henderson has options -- plus he has a new contract coming up soon, so it looks like the future is very bright for this former champion.
Superboy saves the day
Doo Ho Choi might be the next superstar out of Korea to join Dong Hyun Kim as the best prospects out of the country following his second straight knockout victory while taking out veteran fighter Sam Sicilia in the first round.
Choi might be the most unassuming fighter in the world as he bounces down to the Octagon with the biggest smile on his face, but as soon as the Octagon door closes, he unleashes pure violence with a hurricane-like attack that hurt Sicilia early and then put him away just moments later.
Choi swings for the fences but doesn't do so with reckless abandon, so this isn't just another banger with knockout power who will falter against someone with better technique. Choi is composed and then uncoils like a cobra striking at his prey, and Sicilia found out the hard way that this "Korean Superboy" is the real deal and a real threat to the featherweight division.
South Korea by way of Dublin
There's nothing like landing in a new international destination then finding out right away that the crowd is awesome, and that's exactly what happened in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday as the UFC put on its first card in the Asian country.
A ton of fighters from South Korea already fight in the UFC, but this was the debut show in the country and the fans showed up in a huge way from the very first fight of the night all the way through the main event.
The South Korean crowd was loud, very knowledgeable and rose and fell with every big moment in the fights, especially those where their fellow countrymen and women were involved. It's hard to say how often it will make financial sense to return to South Korea, but the UFC now knows for sure there are some passionate fans there who will absolutely show up in a big way for a fight card.
FAILS
Conor McGregor is notoriously American?
It was pointed out very astutely on Twitter during the promos running for the massive UFC 194 fight card that Conor McGregor was listed as an American while taking on Brazilian champion Jose Aldo.
Those sorts of graphics mistakes will happen from time to time, but considering McGregor's appeal as an Irish superstar, it's hard to mess that one up. Technically, McGregor is in the United States currently putting the finishing touches on his training camp ahead of the Dec. 12 showdown with Aldo, but considering he's got a flag of Ireland with him any time he walks into the arena, it's awfully hard to forget where that guy is from.
Hopefully, that graphic gets a redo before McGregor's music hits in two weeks time as he takes on Aldo in one of the most highly anticipated bouts in UFC history.
EPIC FAIL
Conspiracy theory squashed
Something odd happened on Friday, less than 24 hours away from the start of the UFC Fight Night card in Seoul, as Leo Kuntz went from a solid underdog to a massive favorite in a matter of minutes on the betting lines. It's not very often a shift in lines will happen on undercard fights, much less in the time between weigh-ins and the fight like we saw in the Kuntz-Tae Hyun Bang matchup.
The huge shift had MMA conspiracy theorists tossing out accusations that maybe the fix was in, or that Bang was dealing with a serious injury that somebody found out about and the betting lines changed dramatically thanks to some supposed inside knowledge.
Well, it all went out the window after Bang nearly finished Kuntz in the opening seconds of the fight — and while his conditioning looked like he was fighting in elevation closer to Mexico City than South Korea, he still got the job done with a split decision.
The only thing we know for sure about those betting lines is somebody put a lot of money on Kuntz to make those lines shift and now they are surely regretting it.
