Tag: benson henderson

Benson Henderson Plans to Get ‘His Belt’ Back, Retire at 33

Albuquerque, N.M. — Former lightweight champion and perennial contender Benson Henderson has a main event fight this weekend when he steps into the cage opposite unheralded but tough-as-nails Rustam Khabilov.
It’s a fight that many figh…

Albuquerque, N.M. — Former lightweight champion and perennial contender Benson Henderson has a main event fight this weekend when he steps into the cage opposite unheralded but tough-as-nails Rustam Khabilov.

It’s a fight that many fighters ranked as highly as he is would not have taken, but he did not flinch when the 17-1 Dagestani-born Russian fighter respectfully asked him for a fight via Twitter.

At the media event today, Henderson, laid-back as always, spoke on several topics, but most notable was him announcing when he plans on walking away from his life as fighter.

“I know I’m going to retire when I’m 33,” he said matter-of-factly. That gives the 30-year-old fighter roughly three more years to ply his trade inside the Octagon.

Henderson went on to say he knows he wants “his belt” back; also, he wants his second title run to be longer than his first. His first reign as UFC champion lasted approximately 22 months.

He captured the belt from Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 and relinquished it to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164. In between, Bendo successfully defended it against Edgar in an automatic rematch, Nate Diaz and former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez.

The loss to Pettis was especially tough, given their history.

Before displaying their excellence inside the Octagon, they were the top two lightweights in the WEC. The UFC purchased the smaller organization back in 2010 and Henderson vs. Pettis was the very last fight to be contested under the WEC banner.

Going into the fifth and final round of their title fight, with things square at two rounds apiece, Pettis somehow launched himself off the cage wall and landed a kick to the face of Henderson. While the kick was not  damaging per se, it did create enough force to knock Henderson down, costing him the final round and his belt.

If Henderson is to follow through with his goal of regaining the belt, and holding it for longer the second time around, he will need to get cracking if he does in fact want to retire when he is 33.

First things first, Henderson will look to get the better of Khabilov on Saturday night. If successful, he’ll need to take at least one more, if not two, fights before getting the opportunity to challenge for the title.

Champ Pettis faces off with the aforementioned Melendez, but not until the end of December.

Henderson is not thinking about that right now, though. He knows there are no promises in this sport and that the next step is the only one that matters.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

A Man Apart: Benson Henderson Needs to Do Something Special to Rejoin Title Hunt

At first glance, Rustam Khabilov seems like a weird matchup for Benson Henderson.
Given Henderson’s status as the UFC’s No. 2-ranked lightweight contender, pitting him against a guy who hasn’t even cracked the Top 10 is a fairly unort…

At first glance, Rustam Khabilov seems like a weird matchup for Benson Henderson.

Given Henderson’s status as the UFC’s No. 2-ranked lightweight contender, pitting him against a guy who hasn’t even cracked the Top 10 is a fairly unorthodox move—especially in the nationally televised main event of Saturday’s Fight Night 42.

But we all know Henderson is a special case.

He may be running neck-and-neck with the rest of the UFC’s 155-pound title hopefuls on paper, but in practice he’s nowhere near another shot at the gold. Not unless some unexpected sea change comes along to wash away the stigma of two previous losses to champion Anthony Pettis.

Dana White confirmed as much in January after Henderson eked out what the UFC president deemed a “typical” split-decision victory over Josh Thomson. After tepid judges verdicts in each of his last eight victories, typical isn’t going to cut it for Bendo any longer.

“Ben Henderson lost twice to Pettis, the champion, and he got destroyed last fight,” White told a Las Vegas TV station, as reported by MMA Junkie. “He didn’t do anything (against Thomson) that’s going to have anybody screaming, ‘Oh, I want to see him get another shot at Pettis.’”

To that end, enter Khabilov.

The Dagestani fighter currently making his professional home at Greg Jackson’s MMA has been on a tear since coming to the UFC near the end of 2012. He’s sprinted to a 3-0 promotional record (17-1 overall) but hasn’t yet tangled with anyone of Henderson’s caliber inside the Octagon.

For Khabilov, the opportunity is obvious: Beat Henderson, leapfrog his way to the top of the charts.

The stakes for Bendo are a bit more understated.

Naturally, he needs to beat the fast-rising Khabilov to prove he’s still one of the alpha options in the UFC’s most competitive weight class, but it’s more complicated than that. Henderson needs to do something special here. After opening as more than a 2-to-1 favorite according to OddsShark.com, he needs a highlight-reel knockout or impressive submission to rekindle some excitement about him as a potential title threat.

More than anything, he needs to start changing peoples’ minds about what kind of fighter he can be.

Henderson began his MMA career with 10 stoppage victories in his first 13 fights. He marched to the WEC lightweight title while dispatching highly regarded opponents like Donald Cerrone, Jamie Varner and Shane Roller and won performance-based bonuses in three of his last four appearances with the company. The final one was his epic fight of the year-caliber scrap with Pettis, which ended with the now infamous “Showtime kick” and a decision loss that cost Henderson his title.

Since then, the expeditious finisher has faded into the background. The impression of Henderson today is as a conservative (if effective) athlete with a hunt-and-peck stand-up style and a penchant for stealing rounds with late takedowns. You can’t argue with the results—he held the UFC lightweight title for 18 months in 2012-13—but the strategy hasn’t done wonders for his reputation.

Fans didn’t exactly go into mourning last August when Pettis beat him (again) and took his title (again). If the folks over at UFC headquarters also breathed sighs of relief at the notion of trading up at champion from a decision artist who doesn’t like to do press to a flashy headhunter with more suits than most people have underwear, well, it’d be hard to blame them.

In the wake of that loss, conventional wisdom said Henderson wouldn’t get another title shot as long as Pettis was champion. The fact that the new titlist has spent nearly the first year of his reign inactive due to injury has only made matters worse. If you think the rest of the lightweight division is losing out with Pettis on the shelf, imagine how Henderson must feel.

Add in Pettis’ upcoming role on The Ultimate Fighter and it’ll be December before anyone at all gets the chance to take the belt from him. So long as he’s got it, Bendo’s prospects can likely only soar so far.

Unless he’s able to blow the doors off Khabilov this weekend.

That seems like a tall order, considering the 27-year-old newcomer hasn’t lost since November of 2011 and has never been finished in his seven-year career. Nonetheless, that’s Henderson’s mandate on Saturday if he wants to underscore his position among the 155-pound division’s elite.

One impressive stoppage victory won’t completely revitalize his hopes and it won’t fully undo his status as a fighter who usually plays it safe. But it would be a start.

For a man in Henderson’s unenviable position, a start would have to do.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Why Benson Henderson Should Embrace a Heel Role

Benson Henderson is one of the nicest people in mixed martial arts, but he has failed to generate much interest from the casual fanbase of the UFC.
MMA fans, for the most part, do not openly embrace the theatrics of professional wrestling. They want MM…

Benson Henderson is one of the nicest people in mixed martial arts, but he has failed to generate much interest from the casual fanbase of the UFC.

MMA fans, for the most part, do not openly embrace the theatrics of professional wrestling. They want MMA to be a sport and sport alone, but that is not realistic. It is also not truthful. These same fans, and you may be included in that group, eat it up every time Chael Sonnen or Josh Barnett cut a promo on the mic.

This is what Henderson needs to do, and he should go full heel in his attempt.

Nothing generates more interest than a heel in combat sports. Muhammad Ali was a heel. Mike Tyson was a heel. Tito Ortiz was a heel. And the list goes on and on. Heels generate interest because they are polarizing.

Many fans “get it.” They understand that the fighter is generating interest and saying things to be controversial. Others simply hate it; they want to see the fighter in question get beat up, so they tune in to each and every fight. Either way, it is a win for the athlete who is talking. They become a selling point.

Henderson has everything it takes to become a heel should he embrace the theatrics of the business. Is that something that interests him? I don’t know, but it should, if he values making the most money he can in his limited time left in the sport.

How should he turn heel? He can take a page out of CM Punk’s book. Use an admirable quality and count yourself as being better than everyone else.

CM Punk is straight-edge. He is alcohol free and drug free. That is nothing to look down upon, but in both the independent wrestling scene and under the bright lights of the WWE, he used this effectively to get under the skin of the audience.

CM Punk said that he was better than all of us because of his lifestyle. His air of superiority enraged fans.

Henderson is a straight-laced guy. He is a devout Christian. I believe that is what he should use. He may not like that or want to do it, but it would be an instant source of heat for the former lightweight champion.

Not because we are a group of soulless heathens, but because no one likes to have something shoved down their throat. It is not about religion at all, but it is about someone forcing personal choices onto us. That is what generates the negative reaction and subsequent heat. 

Think about your average UFC fan. Or rather, think about the stereotype of an average UFC fan. A drunken, type-A male who wants violence. He is not there for the sport of it. He wants blood.

If Henderson took to the microphone and cut a promo on this stereotype of fan using a religious tone throughout, it would drive the fans across the world bananas. It would make Henderson a polarizing figure almost instantaneously. It would also make Henderson a lot more money.

Some may argue that using this tactic is cheap, and it exploits religion. Sure it does, but it also allows him to promote his faith to those who are actively listening should he articulate it well enough. That could be a selling point for Henderson to do that.

I am not promoting religious beliefs one way or the other—what I am saying is that there is a pro to the con of turning heel using a similar tactic that famous pro wrestlers have done for decades.

Henderson doesn’t have to look far to see what works. CM Punk laid the blueprint out for him.

Combat sports have always been spectacle and sport mixed together. Henderson should embrace that and add more spectacle into it. He has been a bit too bland, and that has put him on the backburner. The casual fan has not been paying to watch him put his elite-level skills to use.

That’s a shame, but it is something he can change by going heel.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight-Picking Contest: Win a Copy of ‘In the Blood’ Starring Gina Carano!


(Stay tuned for our Fight Flicks review of the movie, coming later this week.)

Today marks the home video release of In the Blood — that GIF-tacular action movie starring Gina Carano — which is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Our dear friends at Anchor Bay Films have hooked us up with a Combo Pack that contains the flick in all three formats, and we figured we’d put it up for grabs in another UFC fight-picking contest. You want it? Well listen up.

This Saturday, UFC Fight Night 42: Henderson vs. Khabilov goes down at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Check out the fight card here, and submit a prediction for any fight on the lineup in the comments section below. The most accurate guess will win the In the Blood combo pack. Your picks should be in this format…


(Stay tuned for our Fight Flicks review of the movie, coming later this week.)

Today marks the home video release of In the Blood — that GIF-tacular action movie starring Gina Carano — which is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Our dear friends at Anchor Bay Films have hooked us up with a Combo Pack that contains the flick in all three formats, and we figured we’d put it up for grabs in another UFC fight-picking contest. You want it? Well listen up.

This Saturday, UFC Fight Night 42: Henderson vs. Khabilov goes down at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Check out the fight card here, and submit a prediction for any fight on the lineup in the comments section below. The most accurate guess will win the In the Blood combo pack. Your picks should be in this format…

Ben Henderson def. Rustam Khabilov via split decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48)
or
Jon Dodson def. John Moraga via submission (triangle-armbar), 2:50 of round 3
or
Patrick Cummins def. Roger Narvaez (who??) via TKO, 3:17 of round 1

In other words: Winner’s name first, and include the method of victory, time of stoppage, round of stoppage, or the judges’ scores if you think the fight will go the distance; we’ll need that in case of a tie-breaker. Please submit your picks to the comments section by Friday night at midnight ET. Winners will be announced the following Monday. Only one entry per person, please. Any questions, let us know in the comments section (or if the comments section isn’t working, as is often the case, tweet us @cagepotatomma).

Good luck everybody, and thanks to Anchor Bay Films and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for making this happen.

Fight Night 42: The Next Step the Only One That Matters to Benson Henderson

The process of progress is one Benson Henderson has dedicated himself to.
While the MMA Lab-trained fighter is as goal-driven as they come in mixed martial arts, the larger aspects of his ambition have become the backdrop as the immediate steps in his …

The process of progress is one Benson Henderson has dedicated himself to.

While the MMA Lab-trained fighter is as goal-driven as they come in mixed martial arts, the larger aspects of his ambition have become the backdrop as the immediate steps in his progression are consistently locked in his sights. The former lightweight champion and current contender’s “One percent better” credo is a reflection of the mindset he carries into all things, and his blue-collar work ethic is the fire that has molded one of the best 155-pound fighters on the planet.

Where his ultimate goal is to reclaim the position he once held atop the competitive lightweight mountain, Henderson has no issue battling his way through the challenges it will take to traverse such a landscape. 

Throughout his time competing inside the Octagon, Henderson has consistently operated with an “open to all comers” mentality, as he’s squared off with the best the division has to offer time and time again. In most cases, those matchups have come with a traceable trajectory in tow, with victory moving him notably closer to his long-term goals.

Yet, the current state of the lightweight division is a realm where nothing is promised, and in that regard, Henderson is operating as a lone wolf willing to fight until the opportunity he seeks presents itself. He will take everything as it comes, and all the hard work and sacrifice he invests in the journey will make sure he’s ready for the challenges that arise on his journey.

“Focusing on what is right in front of me is all I ever do,” Henderson told Bleacher Report. “Of course you have your long-term goals. I’m all about setting goals and going after them with everything…all your heart and soul. You have to goals in life—not just in MMA—but in life. You have to have goals, and I have them, but it is one fight at a time. You have to go out there and get your hand raised before you can worry about anything else. Why worry about the NBA playoffs before you have even finished up the season? It’s one game at a time and the same thing applies to what I’m doing.”

And his next fight against Rustam Khabilov at Fight Night 42 is a prime example.

With the lightweight strap locked up until Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez handle their business at the end of the year, there is plenty of room for frustration to set in on those fighters with title ambitions. That said, Henderson’s determination and pursuit of greatness provide him the ability to stay focused on the grind and not be affected by outside distractions.

While he doesn’t agree with defending a title one time in a calendar year, those things—at least for the time being—are beyond his control, and not something he can justify the time it takes to concern himself with.

He’s coming off a big win over Josh Thomson at his last outing at UFC on Fox 10 back in January, and he will be looking to keep his personal progress rolling when he steps in against the Dagestan-born fighter this Saturday in the main event of the UFC’s debut in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That is the fight that matters, and everything else is just that…everything else at this point.

While his next bout is slated to go down against the Jackson/Winkeljohn product this weekend, finding someone to face the former WEC lightweight titleholder wasn’t the easiest task to accomplish. Throughout his time competing on the sport’s biggest stage, Henderson has proven to be a difficult stylistic puzzle to solve, and finding takers to stand across from him inside the Octagon has become a battle in itself.

Khabilov expedited that process by using social media to express interest in fighting Henderson, and it was one the Glendale resident happily accepted.

“Rustam Khabilov is a tough kid and a tough fighter,” Henderson said. “It’s been a long time since someone who has wanted to fight for the belt has been wiling to fight me. I was talking to some of the UFC brass, a few of the higher ups, and there are plenty of guys who want to fight for the belt; they just don’t exactly want to fight me. They wanted to wait until I lost before they wanted a chance to fight for the belt. After I lost, they put my name out there and no one wanted to fight me.

“I had the fight with Josh Thomson, but after that, no one wanted to fight me because I’m a difficult stylistic matchup. Guys who are trying to get to the title didn’t want to fight the number one guy in the division because why take that risk of fighting the number one guy who is a pretty tough fight and then fight for the belt? It was super-hard for me to find fights because the UFC kept trying to match me up and everyone kept turning it down. 

“Rustam actually said on Twitter that he wanted to fight me,” he added. “I thought that was cool and interesting. No one had actually wanted to fight me for a long time so I said cool…let’s do it. Sign me up. I want to be the best fighter on the planet. I want to be the best at 155 and to do that you have to back it up. You have to fight everybody and beat everyone. You can’t just have the belt and say you are going to wait so long and basically only defend it once in a year. You have to fight everybody and you have to beat them to defend that. So that’s what I want to do. I just want to keep fighting and beating everybody up.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Henderson vs. Khabilov: A Complete Guide to Full UFC Fight Night 42 Card

Albuquerque, New Mexico, is suddenly a hot property. And that’s because of more than just its high average daily temperatures, am I right?
Yes, I’m very right. The setting for the cultural touchstone that was Breaking Bad also is a new m…

Albuquerque, New Mexico, is suddenly a hot property. And that’s because of more than just its high average daily temperatures, am I right?

Yes, I’m very right. The setting for the cultural touchstone that was Breaking Bad also is a new mecca for combat sports. A modern-day Philly for the MMA set. That’s thanks to the vaunted Greg Jackson/Mike Winkeljohn training center, home of luminaries like Jon Jones, Carlos Condit and quite a few more.

Now the UFC is honoring this gravity shift by staging its first Albuquerque card, UFC Fight Night 42 this Saturday. In the main event, former lightweight champ Benson Henderson will try to return to the title-talk table at the expense of Rustam Khabilov, the fast-rising Dagestani who is one of several fighters representing Jackson/Winkeljohn on the slate.

But there’s intrigue all up and down the card, from Fight Pass to finale. Here’s a complete guide, including information capsules, predictions and viewing coordinates for each and every contest. Let’s get it on.

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