Thompson Takes Out Hendricks In One Round For UFC Vegas Headliner From MGM Grand

LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 06: (L-R) Johny Hendricks fights Stephen Thompson in their welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at MGM Grand Garden Arena on February 6, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

He has never lost in Las Vegas. He has never lost in a main event. And none of that changed tonight as 2-1 underdog Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (12-1) stopped former UFC 170lbs champion, Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks (14-4) via TKO in the1st Round. The 5-round welterweight bout served as the headliner for the first ever UFC: Vegas in 2016. Not only was the MMA community left in shock at the ease in which the South Carolina native did it but also how he completely disabled his 4-time NCAA Division 1 all American ‎opponent. Thompson’s lateral movement, gliding side to side steps and constant switch from orthodox to southpaw put Hendricks in a box. The Texan hesitated to shoot in on Thompson as often as he normally has in previous matches and didn’t flick his jab at all or double up on his powerful uppercuts.

Once Thompson closed in on Hendricks he made him pay dearly with crisp jabs and lightning quick kicks to his head and body. A sneaky front kick to the liver of the southpaw started the real damage about 2 minutes in. Hendricks noticeably retreated and used the fence to hold himself up, Thompson showcased a spinnig back kick that hit the body of his foe with the former champ having nowhere to run. A few more punches followed with Thompson’s sniper like accuracy breaking “Bigg Rigg” ‎down shot after shot. The bearded warrior slumped down to a sitting position along the cage wall prompting the referee to stop the match officially at (3:31) of the 1st stanza.

With the win Stephen Thompson leap frogs from his #8 ranking to easily Top 5 and his stance at the post-fight press conference regarding a possible shot at the UFC strap stating, “with a performance like that I feel like I deserve it” , there would be few to argue if not at least consider him moving up to fight Tyron Woodley for the #1 contender spot. Hendricks was gracious in defeat saying “he was the better man” and didn’t make any excuses in the loss and followed up with it being “a learning curve”‎ and that he would come back better like he has before.

Whatever the future holds for this two it will be very interesting to see what happens next in the return of Johny Hendricks and how he handles this adversity and what’s in store for new player that has been born in the welterweight division in Stephen Thompson who nabs a UFC Performance bonus award for his highlight reel stoppage.

ROY NELSON (22-12) vs. JARED ROSHOLT‎ (14-3)

(Heavyweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

‎For the first Round both heavyweights circled one another looking to land their fight ending shots but remained gun shy as the match rolled on. Nelson was plodding forward with his over hand right cocked and loaded while Rosholt slid from right to left and back to avoid the powerful punch. Rosholt spent most of the round moving and drifting out of the pocket and only until the final two minutes did he plant his feet and throw a counter left hand or left hook as Nelson came in. There were some exchanges in the final minute but both came up short on landing something big which made the crowd inside the MgM Grand Garden Arena very restless.

In Round 2 Rosholt tried a takedown attempt that failed then Nelson answered back with a leg kick that made his foe stumble back along the cage wall. The weird footing looked like he had sprained a knee or ankle for a second. From there it continued to be a cat and mouse game as Rosholt used his lateral movement to avoid any significant leather from Nelson and “Big Country” still looked for the gam changing shot. The former IFL heavyweight champion finally landed a right hand in the last minute and a half but nothing that his fellow heavyweight couldn’t handle. In the last 10 seconds Rosholt went for a high kick and missed and for his troubles Nelson countered with a nice counter right hand that landed sending him stumbling backwards just before the round finished.

Not much action materialized in the first few minutes of the 3rd Round as the two big men continued engaging in the middle of the cage but without much exchanges taking place. A punch here or a leg kick there but nothing past a one punch attack, rarely a 2 or 3-punch combination. Both men kept looking for the big opening but it never came or they partially missed on their strikes which never allowed them to follow through. ‎With a minute and a half left Rosholt went for a single leg and the takedown was stuffed by Nelson who used a one-armed guillotine to also prompt his man away from any further commitment to the tackle. The two closed strong trading some shots once the final 10-second bell hit which got a cheer from the previously frustrated crowd.

LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 06: (L-R) Jared Rosholt fights Roy Nelson in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at MGM Grand Garden Arena on February 6, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

RESULT: ‎Roy “Big Country” Nelson snaps his 3-fight losing streak with a Unanimous Decision over Jared Rosholt with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 .

OVINCE ST. PREUX (19-7) vs. RAFAEL CAVALCANTE (12-7, 1 NC)

(Light Heavyweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

St. Preux and Cavalcante kept a slow pace as they traded single shots from just outside of range to start the 1st Round. The Florida native operated by snapping his jab or overhand shot while Cavalcante was kicking the inside of his man’s leg chopping away at the base of the former college football star. They continued circling around the middle of the cage and with about 30 seconds to go with “Feijao” Cavalcante along the cage wall as St. Preux was walking him down, he landed a clean overhand shot that stunned his foe putting him on wobbly legs as he fell to his knees on the canvas. The University of Tennessee pride went for the finish as Cavalcante turtled up then pulled guard managing to survive to the end of the round. During the break St. Preux’s corner had him step on a bag of ice, so clearly he hurt his foot or ankle during the round.

Going into Round 2 the former Strikeforce champion’s output went down drastically. Now he was just too weary of his opponent’s offense as he walked backwards around the Octagon while the minutes passed by. A punch caught him off balance and Cavalcante stumbled backwards to his back for the final minute of the round. He worked off of his back while St. Preux threw some hammer fists and short elbows out of his foe’s guard until the round came to a close.

Heading into Round 3 Cavalcante pushed forward throwing some haymakers at his man motivated by the urgency in his corner during the break that he needed to finish the fight. They got the crowd’s attention but missed their mark as St. Preux dodged, ducked and slipped the pucnhes. With about three and a half minutes left St. Preux came forward with a combination then followed up with some more punches, all power shots. The Brazilian striker covered up his face and alertly St. Preux dropped down a level sinking in a double leg and dumping his foe unto the mat along the cage wall. He muscled his way into his foe’s half guard with about two minutes left as Cavalcante threw some shots off of his back in the form of back fists and hooks. Ovince St. Preux landed one or more hammer fists and elbows as the round was coming to an end. He stood up twice and landed some clean standing to ground punches as the final seconds ticked away putting the stamp on his winning performance.

RESULT: Ovince St. Preux defeats Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante via Unanimous Decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ (24-4) vs. ZACH MAKOVSKY (19-7)

(Flyweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Makovsky had his man timed from the get go landing a picture perfect takedown with less than 2 minutes into the match. He also managed to land another one in the final 10 seconds, this was the bulk of the Makovsky offense however, as he spent most of the bout trying to figure out what his foe would retaliate with next. By keeping Benavidez fighting off of his back foot it only enabled the two-time UFC title contender to be more aggressive as he mixed in his punches with front kicks, roundhouses and straight punches in-between his takedown attempts.

Going into Round 2 Benavidez pressed forward with lead kicks and 1-2 combinations and thanks to his amazing cardiovascular conditioning he kept that approach going without any problem whatsoever. Two minutes in Makovsky was able to land back to back takedowns on Benavidez ‎before hitting one more with about a minute and a half was left in the match. The attacks looked great on tape but did nothing to slow down the former WEC title contender’s movement once he sprung back to his feet and returned to landing punches and kicks on Makovsky. In the clinch with less than 30 seconds left, Benavidez threw a knee strike at his man which allowed Makovsky to catch it and slam him to the mat , then as Benavidez was getting up, “Fun Size” took his back going for a rear naked choke but time ran out before he could secure a fight ending submission.

Round 3 was all Benavidez pressing forward landing with precision. He feinted low and went high, he jabbed at his man then landed a hook or straight punch. He pressed him along the cage wall and put together some great punches using his inside game and patience that has developed over the course of an over decade long commitment to his career.

RESULT: Joseph Benavidez defeats Zach Makovsky via Unanimous Decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28‎.

Benavidez looked solid in another stellar performance calling for a UFC title shot against division kingpin, Demetrious Johnson claiming that “Henry Cejudo did not deserve the shot” during his post-fight interview in the cage. At the post fight press conference, Benavidez was informed that Cejudo was indeed next in line so the Team Alpha Male representative was understanding of the situation looking for another bout before the summer.
MISHA CIRKUNOV (11-2) vs. ALEX NICHOLSON (6-2)

(Light Heavyweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Cirkunov and Nicholson traded big shots for the first 3 minutes of the round. The fight was close with both men getting in their power punches and leg kicks until Nicholson went for a spinning back elbow which missed and Cirkunov used the exposed back of his man to wrap up a body lock and drag him to the canvas. Cirkunov wasn’t able to keep the match there long but was able to control the pace as Nicholson swung wildly at him and he calmly returned fire using leg kicks to the body. With less than 30 seconds left, Cirkunov slid under a Nicholson punch to secure a quick take down before the round came to a close.

In the 2nd Round Nicholson desperately tried to land something big in the form of a straight right hand, but for his troubles was again taken down to the mat off of a perfectly timed Cirkunov takedown. From their he transitioned to the back, sinking in his hooks on his man and sliding his forearm under Nicholson’s chin. The tap was inevitable as the referee called a halt to the match.

RESULT: ‎Misha Cirkunov submits Alex “The Spartan” Nicholson via Rear Naked Choke at (1:28) of Round 2.
MIKE PYLE (27-11-1) vs. SEAN SPENCER ‎(12-5)

(Welterweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Pyle and Spencer snagged “Fight of the Night” honors thanks to their action-packed affair that showcased a buffet of combinations, kicks, elbows and punches mixed in along with takedowns and great foot work as well as upper body movement. In each of the first two rounds both men hurt one another and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before someone’s will would break and they could no longer continue that back and forth, crowd pleasing pace.

‎After some more back and forth action with the seasoned Pyle marching forward behind his slick jab and combinations and Spencer countering with overhand shots and body kicks a spinning back elbow in Round 3 landed flush separating Spencer from his senses. He played it off well but backed up along the cage wall where Pyle took his time picking him apart. He landed at will and in-between each strike looked over at the referee searching for the stoppage. The Las Vegan held his man in place holding him via his neck and back, then ‎landed a crushing knee to the ribs which he telegrpahed indicating that the helpless Spencer was out on his feet as the referee smartly stepped in to end the bout.

RESULT: ‎ Mike Pyle stops Sean Spencer via TKO due to strikes at (4:25) of Round 3.