Both Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall came up short in their respective bouts against UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, but it was the improved striking of Benavidez that enabled him to take one step closer at getting back into title contention with a unanimous decision victory over McCall.
Ian McCall started landing kicks to start before putting Joseph Benavidez on the cage and looking for an early takedown. Benavidez fought off the attempt, then went to work with kicks of his own, peppering the thigh of McCall. The Team Alpha Male product then landed the more significant strikes in the exchanges clipping McCall with several big left hands. He also was very effective countering with his right hand off the kicks of “Uncle Creepy” to take an early lead after one round.
“Uncle Creepy” found his rhythm in the second, mixing in body strikes with his kicks. Benavidez fired back with pinpoint accurate punch-kick combinations to keep it close as the round wore on. A duck under takedown attempt hurt Benavidez toward the end of the round as McCall ended up on top in the scramble, who then went to work with hammerfists and measured ground-and-pound. Benavidez finally scrambled back to his feet after giving up his back with just seconds remaining in the second stanza.
Both fighters came out with a sense of urgency in the third round, standing toe-to-toe in a monster exchange that saw Benavidez land with more power, as he threw a flurry of strikes before uncorking a big overhand right that stunned McCall. McCall smiled, then fired back, connecting with a right hand of his own. Benavidez went right back to his kicks after the restart, dropping McCall momentarily with a kick as McCall fired off one of his own and slipped to the mat. Then McCall finally found the opportunity he had been looking for, ducking in and getting a quick takedown, but it was neutralized by Benavidez as he quickly made his way back to his feet to resume the battle. Benavidez again found his target first, beating McCall to the punch and resuming his kicking game as time ran out on the bout.
With scores of 29-28 across the board, Joseph Benavidez (17-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was awarded the unanimous decision victory. The loss drops Ian McCall to 11-4-1 overall (0-2-1 UFC).