After recently being crowned UFC lightweight champion, Benson Henderson doesn’t seem to be short on challengers.
While former champion Frankie Edgar has been seeking an immediate rematch with Henderson, Anthony Pettis has also been requesting a second bout with the newly-crowned champion.
Pettis outlasted Henderson in a five-round title bout at WEC 53, thanks to his infamous “Showtime Kick,” which helped award him the victory.
Henderson has a list of contenders lined up to face him, but he recently told MMAFighting.com that Pettis shouldn’t be one of them.
Pettis was a recent guest on ProMMARadio and responded to Henderson’s comments. He believes that the former WEC lightweight champion is hesitant to face him in a rematch.
“I mean, he just won the belt and he doesn’t want to give it up that quick and if he fights against me, he’s not going to hold on to that belt for awhile,” Pettis said. “So, if I was him, I wouldn’t want to fight me either.”
Pettis rebounded off a loss to Clay Guida to defeat Jeremy Stephens and Joe Lauzon, who he knocked out at UFC 144 this past weekend. The win was another highlight knockout for Pettis, who feels his current two-fight win streak earns him a title shot.
“There is no clear number one contender in the UFC (lightweight) division except myself,” he said. “Let’s set this up, let’s see who’s really number one in the lightweight division.”
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com