UFC On ESPN 3 Results: Francis Ngannou, Joseph Benavidez Shine

Former UFC title contenders Francis Ngannou and Joseph Benavidez earned finishes in the top matches Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 3 from Minneapolis.

Ngannou picked up his third consecutive win with a first round TKO over former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. Ngannou landed early and never let up, applying constant pressure on “Cigano.”

Benavidez, meanwhile, made sure to cement his status as the No. 1 contender at flyweight with a finish of Jussier Formiga. Benavidez landed with a head-kick and followed up with heavy punches to earn the stoppage.

Demian Maia claimed a majority decision over Anthony Rocco Martin and indicated that he is nearing retirement after a career that includes title fights in multiple UFC division.

Alonzo Menifield kicked off the main card with a thrilling first round knockout of Paul Craig, stopping him in just over three minutes. Drew Dober followed with a first round finish of Marco Polo Reyes and Vinc Pichel bested Roosevelt Roberts via decision.

The early prelims featured four finishes including a first round knockout by Eryk Anders against Vinicius Moreira. Anders, a former University of Alabama football standout, floored Moreira in their light heavyweight contest in just over a minute.

Maurice Greene opened the night with a first round TKO vs. Junior Albini and Dalcha Lungiambula stopped Dequan Townsend in the third round. Amanda Ribas scored a second round submission victory over Emily Whitmire.

Jared Gordon bested Dan Moret via decision and Ricardo Ramos did the same to Journey Newson.

Complete results can be found below:

Francis Ngannou def. Junior dos Santos via TKO (strikes) at 1:11 of Round 1

Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 2

Demian Maia def. Anthony Rocco Martin via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

Vinc Pichel def. Roosevelt Roberts via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Drew Dober def. Marco Polo Reyes via TKO (strikes) at 1:07 of Round 1

Alonzo Menifield def. Paul Craig via KO (strike) at 3:19 of Round 1

Ricardo Ramos def. Journey Newson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Eryk Anders def. Vinicius Moreira via KO (strike) 1:18 of Round 1

Jared Gordon def. Dan Moret via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Dalcha Lungiambula def. Dequan Tonwsend via TKO (strikes) at :42 of Round 3

Amanda Ribas def. Emily Whitmire via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:10 of Round 2

Maurice Greene def. Junior Albini via TKO (strikes) at 3:38 of Round 1