LAS VEGAS – Joseph Benavidez (26-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) impressed in a first-round finish of Alex Perez (21-4 MMA, 3-0 UFC), while referee Yves Lavigne did not.

The flyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s TUF 28 Finale event at Pearl Theatre at The Palms in Las Vegas. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on FS1.

The taller Perez looked to work from range early, firing out kicks from distance and big punches, as well. Benavidez was up to the task, moving well and leaping in and out of the pocket with strikes of his own, digging to the body and throwing shots up top, as well. Benavidez pushed inside and pressed his opponent to the cage, though Perez battled well in the clinch and eventually worked his way off the fence.

Perez’s volume seemed to slow a bit in the later stages of the round. Benavidez pressed inside for a takedown, and though Perez sprawled out, he was blasted with a barrage of big punches. With the strikes coming nonstop, referee Lavigne rushed in to stop the fight, putting his hands on both fighters, and Benavidez reacted as such. However, Lavigne changed his mind, and the fight continued. Undaunted, Benavidez returned to action and continued to attack, again getting a dominant position and punching away until he was awarded the TKO win of the 4:19 mark of the opening round.

“I thought the ref stopped it at first and that I had won, so I went to celebrate, and Alex was still grappling me and the ref said to keep going,” Benavidez said after the win. “I knew that he was hurt and was almost finished, so I just had to get there again. Alex is a really tough guy, he still felt strong, so I knew I had to put him away for good and get another finish.

“I really appreciate Alex stepping up and taking this fight, especially on short notice. Not many guys would take on the No. 3 guy in the world like that. I knew who he was – he’d been finishing people at flyweight, and I like that. He was even the favorite at some point for this fight, which is crazy. I feel like there used to be this wall between me and the title, but since (Demetrious Johnson) lost and I have a win over the champ now, that wall is gone, so that’s what I want next: I want the belt.”

Up-to-the-minute TUF 28 Finale results include:

• Joseph Benavidez def. Alex Perez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:19
• Maurice Greene def. Michel Batista via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:14
• Leah Letson def. Julia Stoliarenko via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Roosevelt Roberts def. Darrell Horcher via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:50
• Tim Means def. Ricky Rainey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:18
• Raoni Barcelos def. Chris Gutierrez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:12

For complete coverage of TUF 28 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.