UFC 259 results: Askar Askarov dominates, bloodies Joseph Benavidez in one-sided decision

Askar Askarov’s success and Joseph Benavidez’s struggles both continued at UFC 259.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] 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 [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] 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.

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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:

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