Joseph Benavidez won at the TUF 28 Finale -- twice (kind of).
#3 Flyweight Benavidez made short work of his opponent #12 Alex Perez. After battling a single leg takedown from Perez, Benavidez punished his opponent after sprawling out. Referee Yves Lavigne stepped in and made physical contact with the fighters, only to let the fight continue. It didn't take long for Benavidez to finish the fight anyway.
Below is an excerpt from our live coverage of the event.
Round One: The round begins with Benavidez eating a kick before hitting Perez with a three punch combo, Perez gets Benavidez against the cage wall before landing a knee strike. Benavidez continues charging at Perez while swinging away at him, Benavidez and Perez attack each other with high kicks. Benavidez gets Perez against the cage wall after eating a right hook, the fighters separate after exchanging knee strikes. Benavidez starts attacking Perez with some leg kicks, Benavidez continues attacking Perez with combinations. Benavidez scores a takedown and he assaults Perez with strikes until the referee seemingly stepped in to end the fight, the fight does move on with Benavidez controlling the head of Perez. Benavidez attacks Perez with more ground and pound until the referee jumps in.
Official Result: #3 Joseph Benavidez def. #12 Alex Perez by TKO via strikes (4:19, R1)
Benavidez joked about the situation after the bout, noting that he got to finish the fight twice. UFC commentator Jimmy Smith wasn't as kind about the non-stoppage, calling out Lavinge on commentary. Benavidez addressed the likely dying Flyweight division by saying he wants to fight the winner of TJ Dillashaw vs. Henry Cejudo.
You can check out our full live coverage of the TUF 28 Finale at this link. Fightful.com will have a weekend MMA wrap up podcast on Saturday night.