Though a pivotal lightweight affair will not be taking place on the impending FOX broadcast this Saturday, the stakes became a little higher for the match nonetheless.
Both Ben Henderson and Clay Guida have moved far ahead of the pack in the 155-pound division and the two currently are slated for a collision course come this weekend, where the duo will square off as the headlining act for the Facebook preliminary special.
The winner between the two dynamos would undoubtedly move one step closer towards UFC gold, though MMAJunkie.com has been able to confirm with sources close to the event that the victor will be given an immediate title shot.
Champion Frankie Edgar currently presides as the kingpin of the lightweight division, having recently wrapped up a trilogy with rival Gray Maynard, avenging his long career defeat in a “Knockout of the Night” performance at UFC 136, finishing the then-undefeated powerhouse with a fourth-round TKO.
Guida has long been a fixture in the lightweight picture, though he’s only recently been within striking distance of his shot at the belt, having gone 4-0 in his last four outings, earning victories over the likes of former Pride champion Takanori Gomi and former WEC titleholder Anthony Pettis along the way.
Henderson, a transplant from the now-defunct WEC promotion, was fresh off the heels of a loss to the aforementioned Pettis before he made his Octagon debut.
Since then, “Bendo” has looked unstoppable in dominant performances against submission ace Mark Bocek and former top contender Jim Miller—halting the rise of the New Jersey fighter who was enjoying a seven-fight win streak in the UFC.
Now, the winner between Guida and Henderson will be next in line for a shot at Edgar. That lightweight title tilt is expected to headline the organization’s impending return to “The Land of the Rising Sun.”
The UFC will make a formal return to the former mixed martial arts hub on February 26, 2012, at the famed Saitama Super Arena, in Saitma, Japan.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for further details.
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