Ben Henderson will take the UFC lightweight championship from Frankie Edgar if he can pull off the perfect game plan.
It isn’t going to be easy. Edgar has looked nearly unbeatable, and even when he has gotten into trouble, he has shown that he can find a way out of it.
Henderson is a well-rounded fighter with wrestling roots. He is former two-time NAIA collegiate wrestling champion. From there he won the WEC lightweight championship.
He came to the UFC from there and is 3-0 since making the transition. He can improve that to 4-0 if he can execute the following.
Sneak in the Left
Henderson has greatly improved his striking. He fights from a left-handed stance and packs a thunderous punch with that hand.
It is not going to be easy to catch the ever moving Edgar with a blow, but he will have to set him up to do just that.
Somehow he needs to sneak a big left in there to catch Edgar off guard. That will weaken Edgar enough for Henderson to go to work on the rest of his game.
Takedowns
Henderson has improved as a striker, but his greatest success is still with his wrestling. He can’t forget that here.
While he needs to focus on loosening up Edgar with a left, that is merely so he can find a hole in the defense to launch an effective takedown.
Henderson has an enormously strong upper body. He just has to get in a good shot in, and he will be able to get Edgar to the mat.
Finish it on Top
Once he gets that takedown he needs to quickly work his way on top. Henderson is downright frightening when he gets on top.
This is the only position he can be in to win this match. Edgar has proven to be far too crafty to expect him to lose unless he is in a position where he has no way out, and that spot will only come when Henderson is on top and pounding away on him.
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