Joseph Benavidez defeats Yasuhiro Urushitani by TKO. The stoppage came at :11 in the second round.
Joseph Benavidez started round one slow trying to find his range against Urushitani. He was unable to complete his first takedown attempt but followup chaining attempts together and finally hit the single leg to drag Urushitani to the ground. He transitioned on the ground from guard to side control and finally to mount. Urushitani gave up his back and Benavidez worked to finish the fight with a rear naked choke. Urushitani was able to survive the round but it was clearly Joe’s round.
Joseph Benavidez opened the second round with a massive counter right hook that dropped Urushitani. Joseph followed him to the mat and threw punches until the referee stopped the fight. The stoppage could have come a bit sooner as Urushitani was covering up and taking unnecessary damage.
Joseph Benavidez was considered the favorite of the UFC’s Flyweight tournament after success in the Bantamweight division. He is 3-0 in the UFC and 16-2 overall. Yasuhiro Urushitani entered the fight 19-4-6 in his career and is now 0-1 in the UFC.