Benson Henderson ekes out split decision win over Jorge Masvidal

Benson Henderson has competed in a slew of five-round fights throughout his career and that experience paid off as he gutted out a split decision win over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday in the first ever UFC card from South Korea.

Masvidal gave Henderson everything he could handle, especially showing off his takedown defense through the entire 25-minute fight, but he still couldn't quite put together the offensive flurry to take the former lightweight champion out of his game.

Both fighters set a high pace early, with Masvidal stalking Henderson across the Octagon. The American Top Team fighter tried to overwhelm his opponent by cutting off the cage and keeping him locked in a small space. 

Henderson did a fantastic job countering the forward pressure with heavy punches, including a quick left hand that clipped Masvidal causing the Florida-based fighter to stumble slightly before getting back on his horse.

The second round was just as close throughout, with Henderson and Masvidal both landing solid combinations on the feet.

Henderson came on strong in the final minute, however. After Masvidal failed to lock up a standing guillotine choke, Henderson countered with a headlock of his own but rather than look for a submission he started to unload a heavy barrage of knees. Masvidal attempted to keep his hand on the mat so knees to the head would be illegal, but Henderson brilliantly countered by lifting his opponent up in the air and then throwing the strikes so it was allowed.

Henderson attempted to impose his will on Masvidal during the third round as he continued to push for a takedown, but he wasn't able to get him to the mat. Masvidal was able to shrug him off and then exchanged some nasty body kicks with Henderson before the final seconds ticked away.

Every round seemed closer than the last with Henderson continuing to put together great volume on the feet but his wrestling was stifled at every turn as Masvidal countered and then took advantage of positions with some solid shots landed on the inside.

It was clear going into the final 10 minutes that Henderson desperately wanted to get Masvidal down. Even without landing his shots, though, the former UFC champion made his opponent work hard to defend, which zaps a lot of energy.

Henderson's constant takedown attempts finally backfired, however, about two minutes into the final round as Masvidal got a guillotine choke that nearly finished the fight. Masvidal wrenched up on the neck and Henderson grimaced from the hold, but he eventually twisted and turned his way free again.

The near submission didn't deter Henderson and instead only fueled him to push forward even harder as he stuck to Masvidal like glue for the final few minutes. Both fighters jockeyed for position in a crazy sequence of scrambles as the fight finally came to a close.

After fight razor-close rounds there was little doubt the judges had a tough decision to make but the scores finally came back 48-47 and 49-46 for Henderson with the final judge giving the fight to Masvidal with a 48-47 score.

Henderson picks up his second win since moving up to welterweight although Masvidal is also a former 155-pound fighter, who recently ventured to 170-pounds as well.

"Proper notice, I had about a week to prepare for a five rounder but I'll be back," Masvidal said following a close loss after accepting the main event bout just a couple of weeks ago after his teammate Thiago Alves suffered an injury.

Meanwhile, Henderson celebrated with his second straight victory after headlining a card in South Korea, which was a dream come true for the former champion.

"It was fun, I enjoyed it," Henderson said. "Hats off to Jorge Masvidal for stepping up and giving me this fight. Dude's a bad son of a gun, super tough. He might not have the biggest name in the public mass fans, but the hardcore fans know who he is, know how tough he is. My hat's off to him."

Henderson now enters a very interesting point in his career because the former lightweight champion is now a free agent following the last fight on his current contract with the UFC. Henderson actually removed his gloves and laid them down in the ring while he was giving his post-fight interview, but he's made no official indication that he plans on leaving the promotion or how he'll field offers from other potential employers.

Either way, Henderson has looked solid lately with his last two wins while becoming a contender in his second weight class in the UFC.