Posted at 04/21/2013 6:14 PM | Updated as of 04/21/2013 6:14 PM
Henderson got off to a slow start but landed more significant strikes, especially in the championship rounds, as he did enough to earn the victory on two of the three judges' scorecards, 48-47, 48-47 and 47-48.
"It was a tough fight," said Henderson, who sustained a bloody nose after the contest. "I know how tough he is, hats off to Gil."
Melendez kept moving forward in the first two rounds, countering Henderson’s attacks with vicious right hands of his own, while catching many of the champion’s dangerous kicks.
Henderson finally gained some momentum in the third round, when he landed a huge inside leg kick that took Melendez’s feet out from underneath him.
"El Niño" recovered well, however, and held off Henderson's takedown attempts throughout the round.
The third ended with Melendez catching another kick from Henderson, which saw both men slip to the mat.
Henderson had to be pulled away from Melendez by referee John McCarthy as he was pounding away on the challenger seconds after the bell.
"Smooth" carried his momentum in the fourth round, as he finally landed his elbows and knees to the body, while continuing to batter Melendez’s thighs and calves with several kicks. A particularly strong kick towards the end of the round sent Melendez to the canvas once again, but he recovered and continued to throw punches.
Action slowed down in the fifth and final round, although Melendez kept pressing forward and unloading punches. Henderson, however, kept Melendez at bay through his elbows and kicks.
It was Henderson's seventh consecutive victory, keeping him undefeated inside the Octagon. Melendez, meanwhile, lost his UFC debut after previously plying his trade in Strikeforce.
"Smooth" capped off his victory by proposing to his girlfriend, Maria Magana, inside the Octagon, and momentarily silencing the boos of the pro-Melendez crowd.
"There's a lot of bigger things that fighting and I had to take care of one of those," Henderson said.
Melendez, meanwhile, said he was "heartbroken" by the defeat and believes he did enough to win the fight.
"It was a tough fight. I thought I got (rounds) 1-2, I could seem him winning 3 and 4. But I thought I came on strong in the fifth and stole the fight," he said in an interview with Ariel Helwani on UFC on FUEL TV after the event.
"It was a tough fight though. I gotta watch the tape. Benson's a stud. He’s a tricky guy to hit. He’s very tough to hit," Melendez said.
The loss ended Melendez's seven-fight winning streak, dropping his professional record to 21-3.
In the co-main event, Daniel Cormier dominated former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir to win by unanimous decision, with judges giving him the fight 30-27 across the board.
Lightweight contender Josh Thomson stunned former title contender Nate Diaz, winning via technical knockout in the second round.
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