Ben Henderson defended his title for the first time at UFC 150 on the weekend against former champion Frankie Edgar. He has cemented his position at the top of the UFC’s lightweight division and has all the potential to become the promotion’s next big star.
He is now undefeated in five straight matches and holds an admirable 17-2 record.
His only loss in the last five years has come at the hands of Anthony Pettis, who hasn’t made anywhere the near the same impact since entering the UFC as Henderson has.
However, it’s clear that Henderson isn’t the big UFC name yet. The live gate for his first headline event as champion drew a paltry $650,000 —the worst figures since 2007, according to Dana White.
Compare that to the nearly $2.1 million light heavyweight sensation Jon Jones drew in his first title defence against Quinton Jackson last year.
That fight also, ironically, took place in Denver, Colorado, the scene of last Saturday’s event, and it underscores the gulf between the two stars.
An explanation for this could be that Jones fought eight times for the promotion before his first title defence, compared to Henderson’s four fights. It could also be that Jones, without exception, finished everyone put in front of him.
That can hardly be said of Henderson, who has gone the distance in all of his UFC fights.
As it stands, Henderson, as big of a talent as he is, will have to prove himself against some of the other competition in the stacked lightweight division.
He is next scheduled to fight Nate Diaz, a huge name in his own right and one that could greatly enhance Henderson’s status in the sport. That could be the first of many fights that would make him the UFC’s next big star as long as he can hold the belt for a little while longer.
The big question, considering the depth of talent in the lightweights, is whether Hendo can really clean out the division. He is a fighter constantly adding to his game and improving his skill set and there is no reason why he can’t.
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