Controversy is common for every sport. But when the outcome of a match in MMA is so widely disputed, it does a little more than raise some eyebrows about the scoring system itself.
The Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson headline fight in the UFC o…
Controversy is common for every sport. But when the outcome of a match in MMA is so widely disputed, it does a little more than raise some eyebrows about the scoring system itself.
The Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson headline fight in the UFC on Fox 10 finished after five close rounds with Henderson coming out on top by a final of 48-47, 47-48, 49-46. While some fans see the final as either a robbery for the former Strikeforce titleholder, others believed the match was simply closer than the final score would make some believe.
As for UFC president Dana White, he didn’t hold any punches about his thoughts on the scoring in an interview with Fox Sports:
Boos cascaded down into the Octagon as the decision was announced in the United Center. Josh Thomson shook Henderson’s hand immediately but then shook his head in disbelief as he walked out of the cage and back towards the locker room.
Whether fans stand on one side of the fence or the other, the results from the Saturday match leave a controversy that won’t soon go away for UFC.
Thomson looked like the better fighter in Rounds 1, 3 and 5, even after breaking his thumb early in the match, as he announced in the post-fight press conference. But the gritty performance wasn’t enough to pull out the win over Henderson.
Henderson’s win wasn’t the first controversial win for him in a close decision. In fact, he has a string of matches that have gone down to decisions, as ESPN Stats and Info points out:
The close wins are leading some to believe that he has another force helping him out, as the Twitter account Vendetta Fighter hinted at and was retweeted by Henderson:
The scoring system will never be perfect when it comes down to judges having to decide a victor, especially in a sport were so many factors have to be taken into account. But with the situation being what it is, Henderson might want to win a little more decisively if he plans to stay away from further debatable finishes.
Benson “Smooth” Henderson is a talented fighter with a knack for winning the fights he loses. But on the oft-overlooked business side of MMA, Henderson is a dud.
As champion, he consistently failed to move the needle in terms of PPV buys and ratings. His rematch against Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 drew a paltry 190,000 buys—one of the worst buyrates in recent UFC history.
The UFC shipped Henderson off to FOX for his next two outings, presumably to build his name via fighting on a massive television network. Henderson headlined UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7. They both earned modest numbers, with the former receiving an average of 3.41 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo) and the latter 3.3 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo).
Benson “Smooth” Henderson is a talented fighter with a knack for winning the fights he loses. But on the oft-overlooked business side of MMA, Henderson is a dud.
As champion, he consistently failed to move the needle in terms of PPV buys and ratings. His rematch against Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 drew a paltry 190,000 buys—one of the worst buyrates in recent UFC history.
The UFC shipped Henderson off to FOX for his next two outings, presumably to build his name via fighting on a massive television network. Henderson headlined UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7. They both earned modest numbers, with the former receiving an average of 3.41 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo) and the latter 3.3 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo).
The exposure on FOX didn’t correlate into an increase in star power. Henderson remained a below-average PPV draw, with his fight against Anthony Pettis at UFC 164 garnering only 270,000 buys. After losing this fight, Henderson was sent to FOX yet again where he headlined UFC on FOX 10 opposite Josh Thomson. This was Henderson’s lowest-performing FOX card. Only 2.55 million viewers on average (1.1 rating in adult 18-49 demo) tuned in to this event. The live gate for this show was abysmal too. It was the lowest ever for a UFC card in Chicago and the second lowest for a FOX card. On the money side of the fight game, Henderson is anything but “smooth.”
What do you do with a fighter like him? He wins fights, but the decisions are so controversial they’re off-putting. His victories are rarely decisive and the bulk of fans refuse to pay to see him. The rest only watch him for free, but judging by the slump in viewership even those fans are losing interest.
Henderson is a promoter’s worst nightmare. He’s a decision-prone fighter who prizes points above punishment. He fights for the almighty decision, not for submissions or knockouts. Dana White himself noted this recently. He’s an anchor on the division—a perennially victorious athlete who nobody wants to see yet is too high profile to just be buried on prelims like Jon Fitch was back in the day. What if Henderson wins his next fight? Do you give him yet another rematch against Pettis? Or do you keep pairing him off with contenders until he loses? It’s a conundrum.
Benson Henderson is a competitor, not a fighter. That’s fine so long as you draw money and entertain the masses, but Henderson has never done either in the UFC. His style isn’t conducive to converting casual FOX viewers into hardcore MMA fans—fans who purchase PPVs and subscribe to the UFC Fight Pass. Yet there he was in all his banality, presented in the main event of a FOX card for all to see…and for all to loathe, malign, and ultimately forget about.
Many fighters were less than thrilled to see former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson be awarded another close split decision against Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 10.
Not surprisingly, old “Bendo” rival and current UFC 155-pound top…
Many fighters were less than thrilled to see former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson be awarded another close split decision against Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 10.
Not surprisingly, old “Bendo” rival and current UFC 155-pound top dog Anthony Pettis didn’t think much of Henderson winning another hotly-contested bout:
In case you’re new to the sport, back at UFC 63 in in September 2006, Georges St-Pierre entered the cage to congratulate then-welterweight champion Matt Hughes on his TKO win over BJ Penn.
Despite the decisive victory, “Rush” told his rival that “I’m not impressed by your performance,” although he was glad Hughes won.
The French-Canadian superstar avenged a loss to Hughes from two years prior, capturing his first UFC title when he TKO’ed Hughes at UFC 65 in November 2006.
As far as the current landscape of the UFC’s lightweight division goes, Pettis captured the UFC lightweight strap when he submitted Henderson with an armbar at UFC 164 in August.
The champ was expected to make his first title defense against Thomson at UFC on FOX 9 last month, but he withdrew from the bout due to a knee injury.
“The Punk” opted to stay active rather than waiting for Pettis to return, a move that has him debating if it’s time to call it a career, per MMA Fighting.
This marks the second time in his last three fights that the American Kickboxing Academy standout lost a split decision to a top-five opponent, the other being when he lost to Gilbert Melendez in May 2012.
Whether it was the right call or not, Henderson has now won eight of his past 10 fights, with both losses coming at the hands of Pettis.
At the post-fight presser, UFC President Dana White said the victory wasn’t going to be enough to give Henderson a third bout with Pettis, also per MMA Fighting.
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
(Showboat all you like, Thomson, but God will still be on Bendo’s side come decision time. / Photo via Getty)
Josh Thomson is 35 and, if you ask us, should be coming off the biggest win in his career over Benson Henderson. But the UFC didn’t ask us, they asked three judges who gave the nod in UFC on FOX 10‘s main event to Henderson—a controversial decision which put many fans in a state of furious disbelief. Even UFC president Dana White disagreed, and even slighted Henderson’s fighting style.
Alas, a win—no matter how questionable—is still a win. Henderson will climb the ladder, while Thomson and the thumb he broke in the first round will fall down the chute. This is more than Thomson can seemingly bear.
“This might be it, man,” Thomson said at the post-fight press conference when asked about whether his time in MMA was almost over. The frustrations of fighting on the world’s largest stage spilled out of Thomson.
(Showboat all you like, Thomson, but God will still be on Bendo’s side come decision time. / Photo via Getty)
Josh Thomson is 35 and, if you ask us, should be coming off the biggest win in his career over Benson Henderson. But the UFC didn’t ask us, they asked three judges who gave the nod in UFC on FOX 10‘s main event to Henderson—a controversial decision which put many fans in a state of furious disbelief. Even UFC president Dana White disagreed, and even slighted Henderson’s fighting style.
Alas, a win—no matter how questionable—is still a win. Henderson will climb the ladder, while Thomson and the thumb he broke in the first round will fall down the chute. This is more than Thomson can seemingly bear.
“This might be it, man,” Thomson said at the post-fight press conference when asked about whether his time in MMA was almost over. The frustrations of fighting on the world’s largest stage spilled out of Thomson.
“You train this hard, for this long, for such a long camp, and I see my title shot just fucking disappearing, you know? Without getting emotional right now, it’s really irritating me.”
“I felt like I won. And I won with one hand. I beat the former UFC champion, who was a guy who’s been here for two years, and I beat him with one hand. That’s what I can’t stomach. I’m a better fighter, and that pisses me off.”
Nevertheless, Thomson said he would’ve contemplated retirement even if he had won.
“I’d still be in the same position…what’s the point of winning the title knowing that you’re not going to fight that much longer? I don’t want to do that to the UFC either. But like I said, I’ve got to sit down with them and just talk about the direction of how this all should go.”
Will retirement be a wise decision for Josh Thomson? It’s difficult to tell. At age 35, his time is definitely limited. However, as Thomson himself said, he took it to a former champ while basically one-handed. The 35-year-old that can do that might want to stick around for just a couple more years.
Benson Henderson won’t go quietly.
The former lightweight champion’s split-decision victory over Josh Thomson on Saturday kept him comfortably ensconced among the 155-pound elite, much to the chagrin of his opponent, most spectators and pro…
Benson Henderson won’t go quietly.
The former lightweight champion’s split-decision victory over Josh Thomson on Saturday kept him comfortably ensconced among the 155-pound elite, much to the chagrin of his opponent, most spectators and probably UFC matchmakers too.
As for the fact that yet another controversial judges’ verdict in his favor only reinforced Henderson’s reputation as perhaps the sport’s most vexing talent—a guy whose UFC record contains more than its share of questionable decisions—he refused to apologize.
“I like Ws,” Henderson said at the post-fight press conference (via MMAJunkie). “I like getting my hand raised and I’ll take it any way I can get it. Slipping on a banana peel, by the skin of my teeth. By any means, you know?”
With his penchant for getting the nod in close fights, Henderson has grown into a singular, frustrating figure in the MMA landscape. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen anyone quite like him before—a guy so adept at winning bouts the vast majority of onlookers think he ought to have lost.
Certainly, he is among the very best fighters of the talent-rich lightweight class, but it’s now been nearly four years since he’s crafted a stoppage victory.
His game-planning and fighting style seem specifically designed to get him into close bouts and the fact that he’s won a few that easily could’ve gone the other way hasn’t earned him much capital with fans.
This latest outcome also did very little to point the way forward for a 155-pound division stuck in the doldrums, with both its champion (Anthony Pettis) and erstwhile No. 1 contender (T.J. Grant) out nursing injuries.
According to MMAJunkie, UFC president Dana White told a Las Vegas television station this was just a “typical Ben Henderson fight,” by which he meant it was very long, very close and resulted in very few definitive answers.
Many spectators thought Thomson would be announced as the winner after he controlled much the competitive, five-round affair with his grappling. Even after he broke his thumb in the first round, he managed to take Henderson down and capture his back on numerous occasions throughout the fight.
In the end, however, the judges appeared to favor Henderson’s sheer volume of strikes over Thomson’s control, handing Henderson a split verdict (48-47, 47-48, 49-46).
MMAJunkie suggests that, had Thomson won the razor-close decision, he would have been “next in line” for a championship opportunity. Henderson, with two previous losses to Pettis on his record, won’t get the same deal. Even after Saturday’s victory, White indicated Bendoshouldn’t hold his breath.
“He didn’t do anything that’s going to have anybody screaming, ‘Oh, I want to see him get another shot at Pettis,’” White said.
In other words, there is still no clear direction for the lightweight division, still no healthy and clear-cut No. 1 contender, and still no great ideas about what exactly to do with Henderson.
Much of what happens next may depend on how quickly Pettis and Grant can get healthy. If their rehabilitation schedules somehow line up, Grant could finally get the title shot first promised to him last August. If not, then Henderson’s win could potentially open the door for a litany of contenders.
The most obvious course of action might be to have Henderson rematch with Thomson, but few people seemed to be scrambling for that in the immediate aftermath.
Perhaps half because Thomson’s broken thumb could keep him on the shelf for a while and half because fans know deep down it would only result in another “typical” Henderson fight.
Depending on any number of uncontrollable factors, Henderson may next end up with a rematch against Gilbert Melendez in what would seem like as good a title eliminator as any. A bevy of top-10 lightweights like KhabibNurmagomedov, Rafael dos Anjos or even Donald Cerrone—who also won on Saturday night—could also wind up in the pole position after another win or two.
The future is perhaps most uncertain for Thomson, who came to the post-fight press conference with his arm in a sling, emotionally wrought and saying he wasn’t sure if he could muster the will to launch another comeback.
“This could be it, man,” said the deflated former Strikeforce champion.
Though he shook Henderson’s hand and told him “good job,” no one seemed more befuddled by the decision than Thomson. At 35 years old, he said he could feel his last best chance at UFC gold slipping through his fingers.
It remains unclear if his hints at retirement will stick, but he wasn’t in a very optimistic mood after the decision was announced.
“This fight, I felt like I won,” Thomson said. “I won it with one hand. I beat the former UFC champion, the guy who was here for two years and I beat him with one hand. That’s what I can’t stomach. I’m a better fighter, that’s what pisses me off.”
Josh Thomson came up just short at UFC on Fox 10.
In a competitive five-round bout with former UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson, Thomson was on the wrong end of a split decision. Henderson’s luck with judges continued in the close bout. …
In a competitive five-round bout with former UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson, Thomson was on the wrong end of a split decision. Henderson’s luck with judges continued in the close bout. The loss for Thomson meant he would not be guaranteed the next title shot against Anthony Pettis.
After the event concluded, Thomson mentioned that “this might be it” for his illustrious career. That would be unfortunate and not at all official. If Thomson does decide to return to the cage, the question is: Who is up next for the elite fighter?
Thomson brings in a complete skill set, quality name value and a high ranking. The options are not great, but here are three names for Thomson’s next outing.
Anthony Pettis
This fight won’t happen, but the UFC should not completely take it off the table.
Why? Timing, injuries and the lack of a for-sure top contender.
Henderson is not likely to get the title shot, and TJ Grant has yet to return from injury. That leaves Gilbert Melendez as the lone opponent for Pettis. What if something happens to Melendez in training, or what if the timing isn’t quite right? Thomson still makes sense as the backup contender.
The UFC can push how close and contentious the decision loss to Henderson was. The fighters below Thomson in the rankings are not ready to challenge for the championship, and that leaves Thomson sitting pretty.
The UFC should not throw Thomson out of the title picture just yet.
TJ Grant
Grant was on a roll, and he earned a title shot. A concussion in training forced him out of the title shot. He has not returned since.
There is no set timetable for Grant’s return, and with Thomson’s post-fight revelation, that could work to this fight’s benefit.
Grant will most likely not return to a title shot after such a lengthy absence, and the fight with Thomson could be a title eliminator bout later in 2014 when both men are ready to return to action. It is a fight that makes a lot of sense for both men and the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Benson Henderson
Rematches are not the fans’ favorites, but sometimes they makes the most sense. That is the case with this potential rematch.
Henderson is not getting the next title shot, and it was a very contentious split decision. There is little reason not to make this fight.
Thomson broke his hand early in the bout, and that altered how the fight played out. It left questions surrounding the contest. With both men sitting high in the rankings, this fight could play out as a title eliminator.
The fight would not sell a pay-per-view, but it would make an outstanding main event for a future Fox Sports 1 or UFC on Fox card. It cannot be a co-main event. This fight must be five rounds and not three.
Henderson vs. Thomson was one of the most fun lightweight tilts in the past year. Seeing it again would be a treat. The result would hopefully be more definitive than the one we got on Saturday in Chicago.
Controversy is common for every sport. But when the outcome of a match in MMA is so widely disputed, it does a little more than raise some eyebrows about the scoring system itself.
