The third fight at UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones was a bantamweight (135lbs) fight between Joseph Benavidez and Ian Loveland. Benavidez was entering this fight after besting Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Wagnney Fabiano. Loveland entered the bout with an upset win UFC debut over striker Tyler Toner.
The first round was a close affair. Benavidez was customarily showing a lot of movement, but Loveland was able to put a lot of combinations together, especially late in the round. Either fighter did enough to make an argument for them.
In the second round, Benavidez was able to land a solid takedown, but Loveland - who clearly came in underrated and well prepared - was able to stand right away. The problem for Loveland late became the pace, however, and the Barn Owl measured his offense. That was enough for Benavidez to be comfortable and land more, scoring more points in the process.
In the third round, a cut appeared to be bleeding on Benavidez's forehead, although it wasn't badly bleeding. Benavidez eventually dropped Loveland with a right hand and landed in half guard. It wasn't a dominate win, but a couple of takedowns for Benavidez
UFC 128 results: Joseph Benavidez defeated Ian Loveland by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).