He hasn't let his broken hand stop his media appearances.

#1 Brian Bowles still sits atop the bantamweight division after upsetting previous bantamweight king # 2 Miguel Torres at WEC 42. Bowles is still nursing a hand injury, but has been making the media rounds. As we stated previously, Torres has linked up with noted trainer Mark Dellagrotte and helped out WEC rising star Mackens Semerzier before his upset of Wagnney Fabiano.

Shooto's "Featherweight" king #3 Masakatsu Ueda is still undefeated and and still holding at three - all over again - after a unanimous decision rout of #14 Eduardo Dantas at "Revolutionary Exchanges". According to Sherdog.com's Jordan Breen, there is no word on who Ueda fights next or even when.

#4 Takeya Mizugaki is holds steady at the fourth position as he prepares to talk on #9 Damacio Page as the main event of WEC 45.

#5 Dominick Cruz holds steady at five with his WEC 42 win over Team Alpha Male's #7 Joseph Benavidez. As we stated previously, Cruz is likely one fight away from a title shot. No word yet on who the Team Alliance standout is set to face.

#6 Akitoshi Tamura doesn't move in the rankings as he stays in the sixth position. Originally Tamura was set to face #9 Damacio Page at WEC 43, but pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Will Campuzano.

Submission king #8 Rani Yahya was back to old form at WEC 42 choking out Josh Hosman with a vicious North-South choke.

#10 Manny "The Mangler" Tapia regrettably earns his third lose in a row, dropping a unanimous decision to #13 Eddie Wineland.

Notably, DC native #18 Mike Easton cracks the top twenty with a controversial win over now #22 Chase Beebe at UWC 7. The win places Easton within the top twenty for the first time ever. It's also the first time Chase Beebe falls out of the top twenty since first being included in it.

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Somebody's gotta live like this, indeed.

American Top Team's #1 Mike Thomas Brown continues to be the top-ranked fighter in MMA's featherweight division. He is set to defend his title against #3 Jose Aldo at WEC 44 on November 18th in Las Vegas. As many have suggested, no one has truly pushed the Novia Uniao black belt, so it's not clear what can really be expected of the talented prospect. There is the rumor Aldo could drop to bantamweight in order to avoid facing Wagnney Fabiano, but with his loss at WEC 43 such a move many not be in the cards.

Small word on #2 Urijah Faber: he's been cleared to resume training. The former WEC champion has resumed both boxing, bag hitting and wrestling at his Team Alpha Male headquarters and is set to take on #6 Rafael Assuncao at WEC 46.

"The Iron Broomstick" in #4 Hatsu Hioki is still hanging around the top five and could see a return at Sengoku's New Year's Eve event. But first Hioki and Omigawa will fight at Sengoku's November 7th show, with the winner likely challenging #17 Masanori Kanehara for the title on New Year's Eve.

Making a leap into the top team for the first time is DREAM's Featherweight Grand Prix winner #6 Bibiano Fernandes who bested Joe Warren and #12 Hiroyuki Takaya at DREAM's October 6th show.

After besting #19 Jameel Massouh at WEC 42, Greg Jackson-product #7 Leonard Garcia drops one spot but hangs on to top-10 placing for the time being. He takes on recent featherweight convert Manny Gamburyan at WEC 44.

Taking a monster hit and drop in the rankings is formerly number three and now #8 Wagnney Fabiano. After a shocking triangle choke loss to now #10 Mackens Semerzier at WEC 43, the Novia Unaio product was expected to contend for a title in 2010, but now looks merely to rebound after the major upset. As for Semerzier, no word yet on when he'll get back in the WEC cage, but expect him to be used soon as he sustained little damage during his bout with Fabiano.

Lastly, #9 Takeshi Inoue falls one spot, but remains in the top 10 after beating the Rumina Sato in Shooto back in May. He takes on Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira at the return of Vale Tudo Japan.

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Believe it or not, I actually have a show today.

Today on "MMA Nation" we'll be joined by platinum-selling rapper DMX. We'll talk to him about his upcoming exhibition boxing match in Alabama, his new album and whether he knows who Bararck Obama is now that he's President.

We'll also be catching up with WEC Interim Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson. We'll get an injury update, talk about his preparation for Varner, how he scored the first round of his fight with Donald Cerrone and more.

And, of course, lots of UFC 104 and UFC Fight Night 20 talk. Maybe even a little UWC 7 fallout thrown in for good measure.

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 The Fan. To listen live over the Internet, go to The Fan's website and click "Listen Live".

I'm also now on Twitter: @mmanation.

"MMA Nation" is also available by podcast on iTunes.

Number to call: 800-636-1067

Email here.

Talk to you then.

Jordan Breen takes a stab at the issue:

The biggest issue is that many people -- some fighters included -- see submissions as an "all or nothing" proposition. Either your opponent taps, or there is no value in the technique at all. If that were the case, submissions shouldn't be a part of MMA at all if the technical application has no inherent value. Some rogue promoters are starting to run shows that feature both striking and ground-and-pound, but no submissions -- maybe that should be our goal.

As you point out, some readers and listeners outright admitted they reward a fighter for escaping a submission more than the fighter attacking, which is illogical on all levels. On top of that, the judging criteria set forth ages ago, which are supposed to be adhered to under the Unified Rules, recognize Cerrone's action. "Repeated threatening attempts at submission and reversal resulting in continuous defense from the top fighter" ... sounds like Cerrone-Henderson to me.

The issue is really about the fundamental value of any submission attempt. With striking, it is easy to assess whether strikes are clean, effective and efficient. With submissions, gauging the value of the technique is much more difficult, especially with regards to reconciling it against strikes, as is the case in the first round of Cerrone-Henderson.

I think in order to have a fair and equitable evaluation of striking and grappling, essentially apples and oranges, scoring needs to actually become a bit more abstract. I like to ask myself, "What fighter is being more dominant or threatening, forcing his opponent to continuously defend rather than attack, with emphasis on quality of technique?" I emphasize the "quality of technique" part, as well; many people lump all submission effort that don't yield taps together. However, there's a vast difference between the quality of execution that someone like Donald Cerrone showed and a fighter aimlessly squeezing a lukewarm guillotine.

I have very little to add except two comments. First, like Breen, I, too, scored the fight for Cerrone.

Second, I have had many discussions with top-level referees and athletic commission officials. One constant that was consistently articulated to me was that escapes are of very insignificant value in MMA. As they suggested, what makes a fight possible is offense. Defense is valuable and noteworthy, but defense alone does not create the essence of the fight. Fighting, in its purest form, is offense. Without someone taking action or initiating violence or choosing to press the fight, there is no fight. Simply escaping an offensive maneuver, as they suggest, only means they brought the offense of their opponent and the fight itself back to even at the moment of the escape since the escapee had been losing up until that point.

I place high value on submission attempts. As Breen suggests, not all attempts are created equal, but the notion that because escaping dominant holds or positions counts for points in wrestling, that therefore escaping submissions should count for points in MMA is highly misplaced. We are dealing with a highly different animal with alien values that underwrite what actions are meaningful (offensive with a finishing quotient) and which aren't. Submission attempts - good ones, ones that threaten even when they don't finish - are not negated because they fail. They are negated when inept judges deem them worthless for having less than perfect application.

An ongoing debate among MMA fans in the last couple of weeks has been the idea that the WEC should be absorbed into the UFC as a means to give the WEC's best more exposure, more money, and a way for the UFC to fully leverage the excitement level of the WEC's stable of talent while also boosting their own brand. It has been a discussion that has went on for the last year, but it has been more recently intensified with the dropping of the Versus from DirecTV along with the comments from the WEC regarding a potential pay-per-view model in 2010.

While in the middle of heated discussions regarding the issue, the WEC further pressed the point that their stars need a larger platform as WEC 43 took place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The main event was easily one of the best fights within the WEC this year as Ben "Smooth" Henderson narrowly defeated Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone for the WEC's Interim Lightweight title in a five round war that saw Henderson incredibly escape "deep" submission holds while also pummeling his opponent with devastating ground and pound. It was a truly epic war of back and forth action on the ground that had any fan watching the event leaving with a smile.

The fight's decision had a bit of controversy surrounding it. Jordan Breen scored it in favor of Cerrone, 48-46, while our own Mike Fagan scored the bout 48-47 in favor of Henderson. I personally scored the bout 48-47 in favor of Donald Cerrone, but this fight could have easily went 48-47 in favor of either fighter. It was that close, and FightMetric only further solidified how close this fight was by coming up with an outcome of a draw. The FightMetric scoring actually calculated the bout a dead even draw, a rarity in any five round championship battle.

Regardless of how you may have scored this bout, the battle between Henderson and Cerrone has brought some excitement to the WEC lightweight division that wasn't necessarily there following the Varner-Cerrone title bout. While the lightweights are one of the more exciting divisions within the UFC, the WEC has both the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions underneath the Lightweights to produce explosive action. It was definitely nice to see the Lightweights add to the global aura of excitement within the promotion.

What can we take away from this bout? Henderson's huge strengths are obviously his conditioning and wrestling ability. He has some power in his hands, but I think the portrayal of his conditioning from the commentary team was a bit over-the-top. While he didn't visibly look deterred by his gas tank late, his actions were fairly lethargic in the late rounds. Submission defense should probably be one of his priorities in the future, but I'm sure striking will ultimately be what he'll focus on for a showdown with Jamie Varner.

Cerrone's stand-up was atrocious in this fight, and he never seemed to get into any sort of rhythm that allowed him to land his heavy leg kicks and use his length to keep Henderson at bay. His takedown defense was nearly non-existent as he focused more on striking than actually burying his weight on top of Henderson when he shot in for the takedown. He'll need to work on the takedown defense instead of relying on his jiu-jitsu transitions to win him bouts in the future, although he had a few submissions that should have been finished. It's beyond me how Henderson didn't tap out.

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via www.sherdog.com

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Want a surefire recipe for MMA controversy?  Start with a five round title fight base.  Add in a healthy mix of all facets of the sport.  Split four of the rounds evenly for the two combatants.  Sprinkle a round of even action.  Top off with a pinch of submission attempts.  Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.  Allow five minutes to cool.  Serves an unlimited amount of highly reactive fans.

In our WEC 43 live blog, I scored the fight 48-47 to Henderson, with Ben winning rounds 1-3 and Cerrone taking 4 and 5.  I debated scoring the opening period 10-10.  Embarrassingly, I must admit to forcing myself to score to one of the fighters after scoring multiple rounds 10-10 throughout the night.  Around the 'net, all three Sherdog judges scored the fight for Cerrone (two of which had it 48-46).  MMA Mania had the fight 48-47 for Henderson.  MMA Weekly also had it 48-47 Henderson. Jordan Breen went so far as to Twitter the decision was "bullshit".

But let's be fair.  Any time a fight comes down to a single, close round, there's going to be a lot of variance in the outcome.  We've made that case here at Bloody Elbow over and over.  And when our collective eyeballs are unable to reach a unanimous agreement, it's always useful to check out some data.  FightMetric, fortunately, released their report on Cerrone vs. Henderson.

What we see here is the FightMetric Effectiveness Scores and Ten Point Must System scores by round and total.  Breen and Mike Fridley scored round 5 10-8 for Cerrone, but the round falls far short of FightMetric's criteria for a 10-8 round (a fighter must score a minimum of 100 points and have 6 times as many as his opponent in a single round). 

The caveat for FightMetric scoring is that the system can only account for the action it receives.  It can't weigh additional judging criteria like cage control or aggression.  However, I don't think either of those issues are the crux of round one.  It comes back to the long-running debate of submission attempts vs. takedowns and mild striking from the top.  FightMetric scores it a draw according to its system, and judging by the varying scores around the internet, it's hard to say the round definitively belonged to one fighter or another.

FightMetric's Rami Genaur elaborates:

My thoughts are simply that judging MMA is probably the hardest (or at least the most confusing) task in sports. I can’t think of any other judged sport that contains two completely equal components that contestants perform simultaneously. Imagine if figure skaters had to sing while performing and were judged on both the quality of their skating and singing. To make matters worse, judges can give only one score and there are no guidelines about which – the singing or the skating – is worth more, because every performance can contain a different mix of both activities, to the point where someone could win by just doing one and not the other. How would you judge such a competition? And in truth, MMA has it worse, because there are three components. As Henderson-Cerrone showed us, judges have to consider striking, takedowns/ground control, and submissions all at the same time. All that with virtually no help or guidance from the official rules.

It makes for an interesting problem: MMA’s greatest strength is the "mixed" part; the multiple facets and numerous techniques that can all be used at any time. This is what makes a true mixed martial arts bout so compelling. Unfortunately, the greater the diversity of action within a fight, the harder it becomes to pick a winner. It turns the sports’ greatest strength into a huge liability.

If an analogy comparing MMA and figure skating (well) doesn't say it all, I don't know what will.

WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson coverage

It's impossible to talk about the WEC these days without the discussion turning to the promotion's future.  The talk this week was all about the DirecTV mess and whether the show would bomb.  Regardless of how the numbers come out, the WEC delivered another tremendous night of fights last Saturday night, and gave us all a stark reminder of how much worse off we'd be as fans if we didn't get shows like this for free on a regular basis.

While guys like Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres suffer financially as a result of their weight classes being excluded from the UFC, guys like Ben Henderson really benefit from the existence of the WEC.  In the UFC, Henderson could never reach co-champion status at lightweight.  Fighters like Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, and BJ Penn are light years ahead of him, and he'd quickly find himself in deep water if he fought in the UFC.  But in the WEC he can be a champion and develop as a fighter.  There's a lot of value there.

I'm not one of those who believes the WEC should be folded into the UFC.  Why advocate against getting free great shows on a regular basis?  There has to be a middle ground that allows guys like Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Brian Bowles, Miguel Torres, and others to shine on the sport's biggest stage while simultaneously allowing guys like Ben Henderson and Jamie Varner to shine.

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As with every major show, BloodyElbow.com will be here to bring you live results and commentary for WEC 43: Donald Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson.  The live blog will start with the beginning of the Versus broadcast (at 10:00 PM ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

As always we have our one rule: NO SPOILERS! In the interest of not ruining anything from the undercard that may make the broadcast we ask that you do not discuss the results of the undercard in the comments until either the broadcast ends or the fight makes the air.

So again, join us for the show and share your thoughts as the event unfolds.

Mike Fagan here.  Hope you got your fill of bull riding because it's time for fights.  We.are.live.

Todd Harris Harris asks Frank Mir to explain the Varner/Cerrone/lightweight title situation.  Frank rambles on for awhile, not really sorting the situation out.  Harris thanks Mir for the clarity.  Off to a good start.

Damacio Page vs. Will Campuzano

Round 1 - Page comes out throwing bombs.  Campuzano returns the fire.  Page changes levels and takes Campuzano down, landing in guard.  Page escapes a triangle attempt and takes Campuzano's back.  Campuzano defends a rear naked choke, until Page locks it on again.  Campuzano tries to hold on, but is forced to tap.  Whirlwind of a fight.  Damacio Page submits Will Campuzano by rear naked choke at 1:02 of round 1.

Thirty minutes of show time, one minute of fights.  Sounds about right.

Raphael Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin

Round 1 - Assuncao takes the middle of the cage and Jabouin dances around the edge.  High kicks misses.  Assuncao lands a right hook.  Slapping high kick from Jabouin.  The fight has settled into a circling pattern with intermittent flurries.  Jabouin grabs Assuncao's leg after a kick and takes him down into guard.  Assuncao pushes off, stands up, and lands a combination.  Spinning backfist from Jabouin misses.  Assuncao with a multi-punch combination.  Assuncao shot ends up with Jabouin on top.  Assuncao works for an arm, Jabouin pulls out, and stands the fight up.  Good body kick from Assuncao.  The two clinch, trading knees along the fence.  They disengage and the round ends.  Good stuff.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-10.

Round 2 - Patient start to round two.  Superman punch from Assuncao.  Assuncao scores with a low kick.  Jabouin lands a nice kick to the body.  Follows with a counter left hook.  Assuncao lands a couple of leg kicks, and adds combination punches to the face.  Low kick from Assuncao sends Jabouin to the floor momentarily.  Assuncao looks like he slid on ice for a second.  Commentary crew noting the surface playing a role all night.  Spinning kick to the midsection from Jabouin sends Assuncao into the fence.  Jabouin grabs a clinch.  Assuncao lands a big left hook as they disengage.  Assuncao clinches and shoves Jabouin to the fence.  Back standing in the center of the ring.  Assuncao with another Risky Business slide.  Assuncao comes forward with a combo, and grabs a leg.  Jabouin drops his head and ends up in a guillotine.  Jabouin escapes shortly before the bell.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Assuncao.

Round 3 - Third round starts like the first two.  Assuncao lands sending Jabouin to the floor for a second.  Clinched now up against the fence.  Assuncao spins Jabouin and grabs a single, putting Jabouin on his back.  Assuncao works for back control with one hook secure.  Jabouin working two-on-one wrist control.  Assuncao has Jabouin flat on his stomach with one hook.  Full back control now with Jabouin on top.  Jabouin seems content to defend submissions.  Jabouin turns over, the fighters stand, and Assuncao lands a big knee.  Spin kick from Jabouin misses.  Counter left from Assuncao lands.  Right hook from Jabouin finds its mark.  Spinning backfist lands HARD on Asssuncao.  Jabouin fails a throw attempt and Assuncao ends the round with back control.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Assuncao.

Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the fight 30-28 for Rafael Assuncao.

The official scores are 30-27 Assuncao, 30-27 Jabouin, and 29-28 Assuncao.

Rafael Assuncao defeats Yves Jabouin by split decison.

Wagnney Fabiano vs. Mackens Semerzier

Round 1 - I smell upset.  Dancing around to start the fight.  Fabiano steps in with a big right hook.  Fabiano grabs a double, Semerzier defends, and Fabiano switches to a single and finishes the takedown.  Fabiano in half guard working a patient top game.  Fabiano stands up, works back into guard, and falls right into a triangle!  Fabiano remains calm, but this thing is tiiight.  He holds as long as he can, but he's forced to tap! Mackens Semerzier submits Wagnney Fabiano by triangle choke at 2:14 of round 1.

Rich Crunkilton vs. Dave Jansen

Round 1 -Crunkilton comes out with a big leg kick and left hook.  Jansen clinches, Crunkilton gains control, and puts Jansen down.  Jansen hits a switch and ends up on Crunkilton's back standing.  Jansen takes him down, Crunkilton momentarily gets back to his feet, but Jansen regains control.  Jansen on top in half-guard right up on the fence.  Elbow landing to Crunkilton's face.  Crunkilton works for a kneebar as Jansen tries to posture, but Jansen defends at ends up back in half guard.  Crunkilton works for another leglock, but eats leather for his trouble.  Jansen now in side control.  The fighters exchange submission attempts.  Glancing elbow from Jansen, followed by heavy leather.  Crunkilton taking some big shots to the face.  Jansen takes back control, Crunkilton spins, and stands up.  Teep kicks from Crunkilton keep distance.  Rich landing some huge leather as the round ends.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Jansen.

Round 2 - Nice right hook from Jansen.  Follows with an uppercut.  Crunkilton responds.  Jansen grabs hold of a body kick, and ends up in half guard after the takedown.  Crunkilton sweeps from butterfly guard and ends up standing.  Crunkilton hit low, but the referee doesn't stop the bout until Rich makes it clear he took a shot to the groin.  Big right and left from Jansen.  Crunkilton comes back with a right and a body kick.  Fighters are exchanging in the middle of the cage.  Stiff jab from Crunkilton.  Crunkilton landing knees from the Thai clinch.  Jansen lost his mouth piece.  Grappling exchange ends with Jansen in back control.  Crunkilton turns and grabs a single.  Jansen stands and takes Crunkilton down, ending up in guard.  Crunkilton working wrist control.  Jansen postures and throws leather.  Referee stops the bout to return mouthpiece and stands the fighters up.  Crunkilton lands some leather.  Jansen lands another double leg takedown.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-10.

Round 3 - Crunkilton throwing a diverse range of strikes to open the round.  Jansen looks stunned, but works for a takedown.  Jansen quickly passes into half guard and then into side control.  Crunkilton stands up in transition.  Jansen looks to be wearing down.  Failed takedown ends up with Crunkilton working a D'arce choke.  Crunkilton has to let go.  Crunkilton falls into a couple of hooks.  Jansen slips into a low single.  Crunkilton makes him pay.  Jansen somehow lands another single leg, passes a triangle attempt into side control.  Jansen looks for mount, but gets put back in half guard.  Short elbows and hammer fists.  Referee stands the fighters up for no reason.  Someone get Luke Thomas on the Texas commission.  Crunkilton now looks like the gassed fighter.  Jansen with another takedown and passes to half guard.  Jansen grabs a kimura and moves into side control.  Crunkilton escapes, but Jansen ends up back in half guard.  Crunkilton gets back to guard.  Jansen posturing and throwing punches.  Crunkilton tries to push off, but Jansen passes and takes the back.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Jansen.

Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the fight 30-28 for Dave Jansen.

The official scores are 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28, all for Dave Jansen.

Dave Jansen defeats Rich Crunkilton by unanimous decision.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Noah Thomas

Round 1 - Jorgensen lands a big right early.  Double leg takedown, but Thomas gets up.  Left and right hooks followed by a clinch takedown from Jorgensen.  Jorgensen working elbows from half guard.  Thomas works back to guard.  Jorgensen has Thomas up against the fence.  Thomas tries the triangle, but Jorgensen defends.  Scramble ends with both fighters standing.  Thomas a little stiff in the standup.  Matt Hamill uppercuts from Thomas. Jorgensen drops Thomas and swarms on teh floor.  Thomas works another triangle, but Jorgensen defends.  Jorgensen lands undefended rights over and over.  Elbows now.  Thomas is out!  Scott Jorgensen knocks out Noah Thomas at 3:13 of round 1.

Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson

Round 1 - We are live from Vegas.  Referee Hatley can't even spit out the pre-fight instructions correctly.  Cerrone takes the center of the cage.  Throws a high kick and slips.  Henderson rushes forward and gets caught in a guillotine.  Cerrone uses it to end up on top, holding on to Henderson's neck.  Cerrone lets it go and transitions into a triangle.  Henderson's chin is out, but Cerrone still has a hold of the arm.  Henderson throwing rights trying to loosen Cerrone's grip.  Cerrone let's go and Henderson throws a high kick as they disengage.  Good start to this one.  Lunging right from Cerrone.  Henderson grabs a low kick and works a single.  Transitions to a double on the fence.  Henderson lifts up and puts Cerrone on his back.  Henderson using his hips to control Cerrone's hips while throwing some big blows.  Cerrone works a loose omoplata and eats leather for it.  Henderson standing in Cerrone's guard working the body and the head.  Cerrone tries to flip over and stand, but Henderson scrambles and takes the back.  Cerrone rolls back into full guard and throws shots from the bottom.  Henderson landing repeated lefts.  The round ends with Hendrson throwing shots.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Henderson.

Round 2 - Henderson RUNS at Cerrone and throws a high kick.  Henderson has Cerrone worried about the takedown.  Henderson grabs a single and takes Cerrone down.  Scramble ends with Cerrone on the back.  Cerrone gets too high and Henderson turns him into guard.  Henderson on top, posturing well.  Cerrone landing stiff shots from the bottom.  Cerrone complaining about something to the ref.  More stiff shots from Cerrone on the bottom.  Cerrone working for a kimura.  Works towards the back and grabs an armbar, but Henderson defends and steps over.  HUGE elbow from Henderson from the top.  Big shots from Henderson standing.  Henderson with big, loopy punches to Cerrone's head.  Henderson working the body and head, straight and looping punches.  Upkicks from Cerrone, but Henderson responds in kind.  Cerrone grabs a leg, but Henderson prevents any submission attempt.  Henderson working some fantastic ground 'n' pound.  More shots from Henderson as the round ends.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Henderson.

Greg Jackson tells Cerrone to sit down VERY sternly between rounds.

Round 3 - Patient start to the round.  Cerrone opens with a combination.  Henderson shoots for a single and puts Cerrone on his back again.  Cerrone tries to scramble, but Henderson sticks on him like a pitbull.  Henderson continues to work from the standing guard, controlling Cerrone's hips very well.  Henderson now in side control.  Cerrone rolls over and Henderson tries to take the back.  Cerrone rolls back to guard after Henderson lands punches to the head.  Stiff upkick from Cerrone.  Bolo punch from Henderson followed by three more.  Cerrone pushes off and we're back standing.  Both fighters circling, Cerrone throws a couple leg kicks.  Three punch combination from Cerrone misses.  Henderson shoots for the single, transitions to the double.  Sweeps Cerrone to the floor.  Backs off for a second and allows Cerrone to get back to his feet.  Right back to the shot attempt.  Henderson pulls up and back and Cerrone's on his back.  Cerrone scrambles to his feet and Henderson lands a punch and high kick.  Cerrone throws a low kick that Henderson anticipates and grabs a single.  Rounds ends with Henderson on top.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Henderson.

Round 4 - Cerrone shoots on Henderson, but gets stuffed.  Cerrone grabs a guillotine after Henderson shoots.  This looks deep, but Henderson looks relaxed.  Cerrone really squeezing and throws a knee to the midsection.  Cerrone must not have the choke fully applied because Henderson survives and escapes.  Henderson still looks fresh.  Cerrone avoids a single.  Pace has slowed a bit.  Cerrone more successful defending the takedowns.  Cerrone throws an inside leg kick.  Henderson looks for a single, Cerrone avoids.  Henderson transitions to the double.  Cerrone throws a big knee to the midsection.  Henderson struggling for the double on the fence.  Cerrone uses his hips and escapes.  Cerrone walking Henderson back into the fence.  Another single leg stuffed by Cerrone.  Cerrone holds Henderson's head down and lands a big shot.  Cerrone now kicking Henderon's legs.  Big left hook from Cerrone.  Big leg kicks sweeps Henderson as the round ends.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Cerrone.

Round 5 - Lame hug to open the round.  Henderson, not surprisingly, shoots a double.  Cerrone continuing to defend well.  Henderson's relentless, but Cerrone disengages.  Big combination from Cerrone.  Henderson falls to the floor and grabs a single.  Puts Cerrone down, but the Cowboy powers up and pushes Henderson off.  Cerrone standing over Henderson, and asks for a standup.  Henderson lands a shot to the body, but gets shoved down.  Cerrone passes guard and ends up in north-south.  Henderson scrambles and grabs a leg.  Henderson now on top.  Cerrone throws up an omoplata.  Henderson defends, but gives up an arm.  Cerrone transitions into an omoplata position, but working for a straight armbar.  Cerrone has Henderson's arm twisted the wrong way, but Henderson escapes and lands shots from the top.  Cerrone back to his feet, Henderson latches on to another double.  Cerrone back on his back, but lands a big upkick.  Cerrone locks on a triangle, transitions into an omoplata, and twists Henderson's arm some more as the final bell sounds.  Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the round 10-9 Cerrone.

Bloody Elbow's Mike Fagan scores the bout 48-47 Henderson.

The official scores are 48-47, 48-47, and 48-47, all for Ben Henderson.

Ben Henderson defeats Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision.

- Mackens Semerzier > Wagnney Fabiano by Submission (Triangle Choke) 1 2:14
- Deividas Taurosevicius > Javier Vazquez by Decision (Split) 3 5:00
- Charlie Valencia > Coty Wheeler by Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
- Eddie Wineland > Manny Tapia by Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00