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Benjamin Bennett
Mr. Alaska
USA
Razor-thin decision earns contract
Bennett defeated Joey Hart via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) at Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series 72. After the show, he was one of five fighters to be awarded an official UFC contract.
ANALYSIS
It's becoming more and more common to see contracts awarded in decisions now that the show is on its eighth season, as this is something that was nearly unheard of when Contender Series first began. Bennett will be the latest beneficiary of this trend despite this fight being incredibly close -- something best illustrated by the fact that both men put up exactly 68 significant strikes. Bennett likely separated himself with his wrestling, as he landed three takedowns in each of the first two rounds and accumulated 5:46 of control time. The takedowns weren't landing in Round 3, however, leaving the fight completely up for grabs. It's a tough way to rack up consistent wins at the UFC level given the judging variance from fight to fight, but Bennett will nonetheless be the latest addition to the company's welterweight division.
It's becoming more and more common to see contracts awarded in decisions now that the show is on its eighth season, as this is something that was nearly unheard of when Contender Series first began. Bennett will be the latest beneficiary of this trend despite this fight being incredibly close -- something best illustrated by the fact that both men put up exactly 68 significant strikes. Bennett likely separated himself with his wrestling, as he landed three takedowns in each of the first two rounds and accumulated 5:46 of control time. The takedowns weren't landing in Round 3, however, leaving the fight completely up for grabs. It's a tough way to rack up consistent wins at the UFC level given the judging variance from fight to fight, but Bennett will nonetheless be the latest addition to the company's welterweight division.