Askar Askarov entered and exited UFC 259 without a loss on his resume.
On the UFC 259 prelims Saturday, Askarov (14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) defeated former UFC flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
The flyweight bout was part of the UFC 259 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN following additional prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Round 1 was predominantly a striking battle. Askarov and Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) gave and took with both fighters landing strikes. Askarov’s kicks came into play and he scored a late takedown.
The second round was when Askarov really began to tip the scales in his favor. Askarov controlled Benavidez for much of the round – on the mat and on the feet. Late in the round, Askarov landed some heavy shots that further damaged the face of Benavidez. In Round 3, Askarov’s striking shined again. The Russian flyweight landed punches and kicks alike. Benavidez’s offense was never allowed to get going.
With the victory, Askarov continues his quick ascent up the UFC’s flyweight ladder. Following a draw against Brandon Moreno in his promotional debut, Askarov rattled off unanimous decision wins against Tim Elliott and Alexandre Pantoja prior to Saturday’s fight.
As for Benavidez, the loss is his third in as many outings. A four-time UFC flyweight title challenger, Benavidez has only lost to two men who haven’t held UFC title gold. Askarov is one. The other is current Bellator bantamweight Sergio Pettis.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 259 results include:
- Askar Askarov def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Kai Kara-France def. Rogerio Bontorin via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 4:55
- Tim Elliott def. Jordan Espinosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Carlos Ulberg via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:19
- Sean Brady def. Jake Matthews via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:28
- Amanda Lemos def. Livinha Souza via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 3:39
- Uros Medic def. Aalon Cruz via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:40
- Trevin Jones def. Mario Bautista via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:47
