There are few fighters in mixed martial arts who have proved to be as game as Benson Henderson.
The former WEC and UFC lightweight champion has been a prolific force since first stepping into the Octagon back in 2011, and the MMA Lab representative hasn’t taken his foot off the proverbial gas pedal as he’s notched 12 showings in his three years competing on the sport’s biggest stage.
“Smooth” came firing out of the gates as he found victory in his first seven showings—a run that included winning the 155-pound title then defending the strap on three successful occasions.
The 31-year-old Colorado native would be dethroned from the top of the lightweight mountain in 2013, but that setback only served to bolster the hard-charging veteran’s passion to reclaim the title he once held. Henderson’s passion for the scrap is evident every time he enters the Octagon, and his willingness to face all comers is backed up by the impressive resume he’s built over the past several years.
And that particular notion was further solidified with the wild turn of events in the lead-up to his next bout at Fight Night 59 on Jan. 18. in Boston.
Where the Phoenix transplant was originally slated to face former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez in the co-main event on the card, the Team Blackzilians fighter was forced to withdraw due to injury, which left the UFC scrambling to find a replacement.
UFC President Dana White offered the bout to surging contender Donald Cerrone—who had just defeated Myles Jury via unanimous decision this past weekend at UFC 182—and when “Cowboy” accepted the fight on Monday, as reported by MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti, a new co-main event was set.
A change of opponents at the elite level of the sport less than two weeks out from the fight would be enough to rattle most, but Henderson isn’t like other fighters. The former lightweight title holder stays ready and has never backed down from a challenge inside the Octagon.
In his mind, there is no reason to change that mentality. Henderson has operated with a ready-and-willing-to-throw-down-anytime, anyplace mindset through his entire career, and he sees his upcoming bout against Cerrone as one more opportunity to prove he can back up that claim.
“I’m down for whatever,” Henderson told Bleacher Report. “I’m about as game a fighter as you’ll find in the UFC. Whoever, whenever, wherever…it doesn’t matter to me. Let’s do it. I’ll fight anybody at 155. If I go up to 170 then I may have to be a little more selective, but I really don’t care who it is. It doesn’t matter to me.
“I’m always ready and I’m in the gym every day. I’m back in the gym two days after a fight helping my guys get better. I’m working on getting better and working to improve on things that may have happened in the fight. If you are in the gym all the time then you are always ready. There is no reason to have a six-week camp to prepare for a guy because he’s different or does this or that. It doesn’t matter.
“I’m always in the gym, always preparing and always trying to get 1 percent better each and every day,” he added. “It takes care of itself. I’m down for whoever. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Where he was originally set to face an opponent coming off a loss, Henderson will now step in against a man on a six-fight winning streak. Furthermore, it happens to be one he has plenty of experience competing against.
Henderson has defeated the Jackson-Winkeljohn-trained fighter on two previous occasions with their first clash at WEC 43, resulting in 2009’s Fight of the Year, and their second, a first-round submission victory for the former lightweight champion.
Yet, even with their shared history inside the cage, Henderson isn’t carrying the past with him into Fight Night 59. He knows both he and Cerrone have improved since their time trading leather inside the “little blue cage,” and he’s expecting the same brand of ruckus they produced in their initial dustups.
“Our two fights were awhile ago and there is some history there,” Henderson said. “I just think we are both the type of fighters who continuously get better and we aren’t the same fighters now as we were then. It’s not a matter of us having history. It’s a matter of us throwing down and finding out who is the better man on that night.
“Having been in the cage with him for 25 minutes or 15 minutes you definitely get a feel for the guy. You pick up his rhythm. It’s different to have your teammates and training partners mimic someone than when you’ve been in the cage with them before and have a feel for how they fight. I would say there are some advantages when you’ve faced a guy before. You know what they bring to the table so to speak. He also knows what you bring to the table as well.
“Cowboy hasn’t really changed since our earlier fights,” he added. “He’s gotten better for sure. He’s improved his technique and he’s a better fighter, but he hasn’t really changed a whole lot. He doesn’t do much different than he always has. We are expecting the same Cowboy you always see out there. There is a rhythm he has where he walks forward and it’s something I’ve faced before. I’m going to mix things up and be creative. I’m always looking to improve, change things up and get better.”
While their previous clashes, respective placement in the talent-rich ranks of the lightweight divisions and the 11th-hour development of the fight certainly adds intrigue, the fact that both Henderson and Cerrone are two of the most prolific fighters on the UFC roster presents another interesting angle.
In the three years that have passed since both came over from the WEC in 2011, they have 27 showings inside the Octagon between them, with Henderson notching 11 bouts and Cerrone 16.
In a sport where many fighters publicly posture about being willing to take any fight they are given at anytime, there are very few who actually back up their claims and are always ready to scrap.
Both Henderson and Cerrone epitomize that particular mindset, and their meeting at Fight Night 59 will pit two of the fight game’s most durable and driven fighters against one another in the type of high-profile environment both men have proved to thrive in.
Those circumstances add up to make their trilogy match a can’t-miss affair, and Henderson is fired up for the cage door to close behind them in Boston.
“It goes to show that actions speak louder than words,” Henderson said. “People can say they want to do this and that, and that they want to fight five times this year and stay busy, but when it comes down to it they only fight once in 15 months or whatever. Cowboy and I are guys who not only talk it, but back it up as well. You say you want to do these things then let’s see it. Talk is pointless. Talk is cheap. Let’s find out.
“It’s easy to talk and say these things, but it is another to actually back it up. Cowboy does a good job of it as do I. We both try to fight as much as possible and back up what we say. Look at Neil Magny at 170. Dude had five fights and went 5-0 in the UFC this past year. He doesn’t talk a whole lot and just went in there and did the work. He got five wins and had five pretty solid performances.
“Cowboy is definitely that guy who likes to bring it every time and loves to scrap,” he added. “I think I’m the same way. My opponent changed less than two weeks out from the fight and now it’s Donald Cerrone who is on a six-fight winning streak and is on one of the longest streaks of his career. Boom! Let’s do it.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com