Tag: benson henderson

That old Donald Cerrone smile. That hauntingly charming smile.

Backstage at UFC 182, promotional correspondent Megan Olivi met up with Cowboy following his unanimous-decision victory over the surging Myles Jury. She asked him if he was injury-free and looking to make a quick turnaround. 

True to form, Cerrone replied with a resounding “absolutely.” His answer was accompanied by that almost mischievous-looking smirk sneaking out the corner of his mouth, brightening a face like flint, hardened by battle—nested under a shaved head and cowboy hat ready for war.

Classic shootouts and crusades for vengeance have made the Western cowboy nothing short of a literary hero and cinematic god. He speaks to the American spirit—as Cowboy Cerrone does to the sport of MMA.

Record holder for most post-fight bonuses in UFC/WEC history, Cerrone (26-6) rides into the TD Garden in Boston at UFC Fight Night 59 to face off with Benson Henderson (21-4) for the third time, 15 days after his last fight.

Henderson holds the edge in the series at 2-0. But Cerrone, like the mysterious gunslinger for whom Jack Schaefer’s 1949 western novel Shane is named after, fights like a man trying to escape his past—his eyes always set on where he’s going, not where he’s been, picking up fights and paychecks as quickly as he can. No one in the world has stepped into the Octagon as many times as he has since the WEC-UFC merger.

“He’s dangerous all right,” Joe Starrett tells his son Bob regarding Shane, of whom Bob, the narrator, described as slender but in possession of “quiet power.” It’s also an apt depiction of the UFC lightweight.

Cerrone’s tale, though, comes inside a cage and is one of bloodshed, victory and untimely defeat. A protagonist unable to pass up a brawl, making his way from Colorado and into the hearts of admirers, Cowboy’s career is one to write home about.

 

Wild Wild West

Fighting primarily under the Colorado-based Ring of Fire banner, Cerrone submitted the first seven opponents of his career, including the lethal-striking Anthony Njokuani in 2007. That same year, Cerrone would find himself in the big leagues of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion.

The WEC, for its California roots and blistering action, was the Old West of MMA. Fighters of all shapes and sizes honed their craft inside its revered tiny, blue cage. Champions were crowned, the featherweight and bantamweight divisions were legitimized and fans from around the globe were introduced to the gunman we call Cowboy.

His first two fights in the WEC, back-to-back submission wins (one overturned after testing positive for the diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide) made him a hot, unbeaten prospect. But his third etched his name into MMA lore.

WEC 36 was an event for he ages, headlined by Mike Brown’s conquest and upset of five-time defending featherweight champion Urijah Faber and brutal knockouts up and down the card by such names as Jose Aldo and Leonard Garcia. Still, of all the action, Cerrone’s unanimous decision over “Razor” Rob McCullough was the most gripping.

McCullough, a former WEC lightweight champion and professional kickboxer, paired up with Cowboy to turn in a scrap with as many momentum swings as there were knockdowns. The first round, alone, saw five of them. Both fighters’ bottoms bounced off and on the canvas like rabid atoms transferring energy.

Justifiably, they received Fight of the Night honors.

Up next for Cerrone was the first of many blood-rivals: the wrestle-boxer supreme, Jamie Varner.

Their first meeting was closely contested. Their second, not so much.

At WEC 51, Cerrone picked up right where he left off from their last fight, serving up venomous muay thai striking, dropping the former WEC champion in the opening stanza with a left hand. After giving up nine takedowns in their first bout, the Greg Jackson’s MMA product managed three takedowns of his own en route to a wide decision victory.

Cerrone’s WEC career came to an end in 2010 when he submitted Canadian wunderkind Chris Horodecki with a triangle choke during the promotion’s 53rd and final installment, bringing his overall professional record to 13-3, 1 NC and 6-3, 1 NC in the WEC.

 

The Great Rodeo

It should come as no surprise that Cerrone, true to his moniker, owns and rides bulls on his New Mexico ranch. But the greatest roundup he’s ever been a part of came in 2011 when officially joined the WEC-UFC union, forcing Paul Kelly to tap to a rear-naked choke in his Octagon debut.

What follows has been up to interpretation. For every ground-and-pound TKO over Charles Oliveira and 1:16 knockout of Melvin Guillard there is his stagnant performance against Nate Diaz and dismantling at the hands (and feet) of Anthony Pettis.

For every utter shellacking he’s handed the murderous-punching Jeremy Stephens and former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez there’s UFC Fight Night 27 where Rafael dos Anjos completely outworked him.

Sixteen fights into his UFC career, he’s obtained not a single title shot. His biggest detractors would call him inconsistent, maybe even soft when the brightest lights go up.

A hard look, though, would beg to differ. His first bid at the WEC belt looked more like a quit job by Varner. His UFC record stands at an outstanding 13-3, losing only to the best lightweight in the world and former and currently scheduled championship contenders.

And the last 14 months of his career have been extraordinary, full of warfare and a six shooter’s worth of wins over Evan Dunham, Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Alvarez and Jury just last week.

He’s been the ultimate Ultimate Fighter for his willingness to take on all comers, including the only man to ever beat him twice.

 

Antagonist 

There’s a reoccurring foe in Cerrone’s tale: Ben Henderson. The rivalry starts when Bendo flipped Cowboy’s entire script in 2009.

Cerrone was originally set to avenge his controversial loss to Varner at WEC 43 until the defending champ was sidelined thanks to injuries. Considering how one-sided their eventual rematch turned out to be, Cerrone’s chances at a world title seem to have never been higher than they were then.

It was not to be.

Fresh off a TKO of three-time NCAA All-American Shane Roller that saw Smooth battle back from a knockdown in the opening moments of the fight, Henderson stepped in for Varner in opposition of Cerrone at WEC 43 for the interim lightweight strap.

In what Sherdog.com called the best fight of the year, the two men traded fists and harm for five fast-paced rounds. Cerrone attempted a staggering nine submissions, none more dramatic than the power guillotines he latched onto his opponent’s neck in the first minute of the fight and in the fourth round. But Henderson’s storied submission defense was especially superhuman that night.

The future UFC lightweight champ would utilize potent wrestling to take Cerrone down six times through the first three rounds, easily looking the superior man in Rounds 2 and 3 and delivering the higher output in the first.

But like his Jackson’s MMA stablemate, light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, Cerrone is a master of attrition. Lashing leg kicks and aggressive jiu-jitsu off his back helped slow Henderson down for the championship rounds.

He stuffed every one of Henderson’s seven takedowns in the fourth and returned vicious uppercuts for his trouble, outstriking his opponent 17 to two. 

Cowboy stuffed three more takedowns in the fifth and controlled the majority of the action. To his dismay, it was not enough.

Hendo walked away the winner on scores of 48-47 all around.

Their second fight, a guillotine choke in under two minutes, makes Henderson the favorite come Jan. 18.

Henderson, though, will be one fight removed from the first knockout loss of his career. And Cowboy has never been hotter.

There is no safe bet in this one. There’s only ever been one certainty when it comes to a Cerrone shootout: red-hot violence.

“There will be no gameplan,” Cerrone said on a conference call earlier this week pertaining to UFC Fight Night 59, per MMAFighting.com. “Just fight. That’s all there is to it.” 

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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. 

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