Henderson retains belt, dominates Diaz at UFC on FOX 5

Published on Dec. 9, 2012, at 2:44 a.m. Eastern.

By Brian Edwards

Benson ‘Smooth’ Henderson stole the show at Saturday’s UFC on Fox 5 card, defending his lightweight championship for the second time by dominating No. 1 contender Nate Diaz en route to a unanimous-decision victory. Henderson hooked up his backers as a minus-165 favorite.

BrianEdwardsSports scored the fight 50-45 for Henderson.

In the co-main event, Alexander Gustafsson took a huge step toward a title shot by capturing a unanimous-decision win over former champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. Gustafsson won as a minus-240 ‘chalk.’

Rory MacDonald probably sent B.J. Penn into retirement with a unanimous-decision triumph over the Hawaiian legend and future Hall of Famer. MacDonald cashed tickets as a minus-300 favorite.

As I suggested in my preview, MacDonald was the worst possible matchup for Penn, who is now 1-4-1 in his last six fights following a long-time stranglehold on the lightweight loop.

The favorites compiled a 7-4 record during the 11-fight card at Key Arena in Seattle.