Benson Henderson outclassed Ireland’s Peter Queally to earn a unanimous decision victory at Bellator 285 in Dublin.
Queally, 33, had no answer to American Henderson’s grappling as the 38-year-old controlled the majority of the fight against the cage.
The victory puts Henderson on the verge of a lightweight title shot.
For Queally, it caps a disappointing 10 months which have produced back-to-back defeats.
He lost to the division’s current champion Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire last November in Dublin, before pulling out of a bout in February with injury.
Queally had said pre-fight that a win over Henderson, who is third in the Bellator lightweight rankings and a former UFC champion, would go a long way to securing a title shot and trilogy bout with Pitbull.
Queally beat Brazil’s Pitbull last May before losing the rematch five months later.
Instead it is Henderson, 38, who has taken a large step towards a title shot with an impressive performance which dampened the atmosphere inside the 3Arena.
The crowd had already seen nine Ireland-based fighters claim victory before Queally made his way to the cage, roared on by the fans singing the lyrics to his walkout song, ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries.
But the first round was a sign of things to come as Queally failed to gain momentum with his striking as Henderson’s wrestling nullified most of the threat.
Henderson found success with some elbows at close-range and continued to land the bigger shots.
The American was deducted a point in the second round for accidently kicking Queally in the groin, giving the Irish fighter a boost on the scorecards, but he could not capitalise.
The rest of the fight largely played out with Henderson countering Queally’s strikes by attempting takedowns and landing strikes, while controlling the action against the cage.
Henderson, who claimed the 30th win of his 41-fight career in beating Queally, paid tribute to his opponent following the bout.
“I wasn’t too happy about the point [deduction]. Dublin, I told you guys. Give it up for Peter Queally, he’s a true hometown boy. Thank you for coming out,” he said.
“Man, Peter is tough as heck. I know I landed a couple clean elbows. He’s a zombie. I landed clean elbows and a great poker face, kept coming forward.”
Manhoef’s 27-year career ends in defeat
In the co-main event, Melvin Manhoef lost to Yoel Romero in the 51st and final fight of his 27-year career.
Romero, 45, knocked out the 46-year-old Manhoef in the third round with some vicious elbows on the ground.
Dutch fighter Manhoef retires from the sport following a career which has brought 32 wins, 16 defeats, one draw and two no contests.
The bout was originally meant to take place in May but was postponed after Manhoef suffered a hand injury apprehending three burglars in March.
Cuba’s Romero was on top throughout the encounter, excelling in both the stand-up and grappling.
Following his post-fight interview, Manhoef bowed to all sides of the area before leaving the cage in tears.
“I want to thank everybody for supporting my career, I did the best that I can,” he said.
“This is what I love and appreciate all the support you gave me, but today I have to hang up the gloves, thank you.”
Elsewhere, Belfast’s Leah McCourt earned a unanimous decision win over Brazil’s Dayana Silva.
In edging the closely fought contest she extends her record to seven wins and two defeats and returns to winning ways following defeat by Sinead Kavanagh in February.
There were also wins for Irish fighters Ciaran Clarke and Karl Moore on the main card, while Portugal’s Pedro Carvalho, who trains in Ireland, also won.
On the undercard there were wins for all five of the home fighters, capping a largely successful night in Dublin.
Wales’ Brett Johns and English fighter Kane Mousah also claimed impressive victories in the prelims.