In his third UFC appearance, Austin Arnett (16-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) finally broke into the win column, showing great stamina to make a late push past Humberto Bandenay (14-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC).

The featherweight contest took place on the FS1-broadcast prelims of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 140 event at Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Bandenay stalked in the early going, and Arnett was sure to keep his hands high and his head clear of his opponent’s powerful kicks. Bandenay did land clean with a left hand down the middle, but Arnett responded quickly and staggered his opponent briefly with a right hand of his own. Arnett tried to keep the action in close, but Bandenay moved well and countered with a flurry of punches. Arnett did get into the clinch, but it was Bandenay who was able to trip his opponent to the floor. Bandenay did not follow to the ground, and Arnett happily popped back up and moved into the clinch. A stalemate earned a referee restart. The two flurried in the closing seconds, and Arnett finished the frame holding a bodylock.

Arnett continued to seek the clinch in the second, moving inside and holding the action against the cage. Bandenay tried to create space, but Arnett was able to hold him tight until inadvertently landing a knee to the groin, forcing a quick break. On the restart, it was again Bandenay trying to land the power shots on the feet, with Arnett hoping to the action close. Arnett wasn’t especially successful in the clinch, but he was able to get the position repeatedly, and it did keep Bandenay from landing any real significant blows. Bandenay shot in for a takedown in the closing seconds but found himself battling a guillotine until the bell.

The final round was contested at a decent pace, but neither man could really grab clear hold of the momentum. Arnett was more frequent with his punches, though Bandenay seemed to have the more powerful strikes. Arnett eventually was able to grab hold and score a trip, moving immediately to side control. Bandenay gained guard, but Arnett was heavy on top, keeping his opponent pinned and punching when openings allowed. With time winding down, Arnett picked up his pace and landed several big punches that saw referee Keith Peterson warn his opponent to fight back. Bandenay responded and lasted until the bell, but it was Powell who was awarded the win on the judges’ cards, 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight night 140 results include:

• Austin Arnett def. Humberto Bandenay via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
• Laureano Staropoli def. Hector Aldana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jesus Pinedo def. Devin Powell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Nad Narimani def. Anderson dos Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 140, check out the UFC Events section of the site.