UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson will be looking to exercise the demons against Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 164, but the champion won’t be successful in his attempt to do so.
It was back in December of 2010 when Pettis narrowly e…
UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson will be looking to exercise the demons against Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 164, but the champion won’t be successful in his attempt to do so.
It was back in December of 2010 when Pettis narrowly edged out a victory over Henderson at WEC 53, most notably thanks to an incredible kick that made all the highlight reels.
Since that loss, Henderson has won his last seven fights and has gained the respect of a champion, however none of his wins have been particularly impressive.
Henderson has gone the distance in each of his fights since the one with Pettis and hasn’t really experienced what can be considered a convincing victory. It’s pretty clear that Smooth has a problem finishing fights and that could be a big issue against Pettis.
While Smooth has been the aggressor in some of his previous matches against Frankie Edgar and Gilbert Melendez, the pace will be quite different against Pettis. Showtime will likely push the pace against Smooth and that could immediately make things uncomfortable for the champ.
Pettis won’t be overthrowing but rather he will keep moving forward all fight long as he attempts to knock off Henderson once again. Smooth will look to land his kicks, but it’s Pettis who has proven to be able to pick his spots and counter those strikes with strikes of his own.
Not to mention, Pettis has definite knockout power, so a well-timed strike could end Henderson’s title reign before it gets to a decision. Henderson, on the other hand, doesn’t enjoy a similar ability as he hasn’t knocked anyone out since WEC 40 against Shane Roller.
What will be most important thing for Pettis is keeping his distance from Henderson and not allowing this to get to the ground. Granted, Pettis can still hold his own in that position, but he stands a far better chance of winning the lightweight crown if both are upright and Pettis can utilize his kickboxing skills.
Henderson will get his chances on the canvas, but it’s up to Pettis to take that out of the equation as much as possible and not allow prolonged periods of time to pass with Henderson on top of him.
If he can avoid such a scenario, Pettis will have ample opportunities to land combos on his opponent while scoring points en route to a victory. For Henderson, if he can’t score points on take downs and his kicks are met with a fierce response from Pettis consistently, there are few avenues he can use to beat Showtime.
The first meeting between these two was no fluke. Pettis matches up well with Henderson in many aspects and, after a victory for Pettis against Henderson in the past, Showtime has more than just a physical edge against Smooth in this one.
Ben Rothwell dropped his last fight, but on Saturday, he’s going to drop Brandon Vera. A KO victory for Rothwell is just one of my predictions for the main card for UFC 164. The event takes place at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis., not…
Ben Rothwell dropped his last fight, but on Saturday, he’s going to drop Brandon Vera. A KO victory for Rothwell is just one of my predictions for the main card for UFC 164. The event takes place at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis., not far from Rothwell‘s hometown of Kenosha, Wis.
A presumably large contingent of fans isn’t all Rothwell has going for him in this bout. Big Ben is by far the better striker and Vera has shown the vulnerability to the KO in his career. Three of his six losses have come in that fashion. Both men are accomplished grapplers, but the heavyweights tend to stand and trade primarily.
That’s bad news for Vera.
This is his first heavyweight bout since 2008 when he was stopped by Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85. He could have difficulty adjusting to the increase in weight from 205 pounds. Besides that, Vera’s career has been heavy on promise, but light on accomplishment. He’s always been talented, but injuries and other setbacks, per DannStupp of MMA Junkie, have resulted in underachievement.
Though he’s faced the likes of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jon Jones, Randy Couture, Werdum, Tim Sylvia, Keith Jardine and Frank Mir in his career, he’s only defeated Mir and that was seven years ago.
At 35 years old, Vera is still hanging on, but Rothwell may be the man to cut the rope. Rothwell was submitted in his last fight by Gabriel Gonzaga, but expect to see him rebound with an impressive KO win on Saturday.
Here’s my prediction on two other fighters, who will join Rothwell in redeeming themselves after losses in their previous bout.
Erik Koch Will Best Dustin Poirier
Both Koch and Poirier are excellent young fighters, but Koch has an edge in this bout. Despite the brutal loss he suffered at the hands of Ricardo Llamas at UFC on Fox 6, Koch has that special kind of explosiveness.
In most fights, Poirier would have the clear advantage on the ground with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess, but Koch has put in noticeable work on his ground game. The 24-year-old has seven submission victories to his credit. He should be able to handle himself there and/or stuff Poirier‘s takedown attempts enough to induce a bout fought predominantly standing.
This is where Koch will have the upper hand. He’s a superior athlete and a more dynamic striker. That will result in a huge win over another top-notch featherweight.
Chico Camus Will Not Submit to Kyung Ho Kang
The South Korean fighter known as “Typhoon” has one realistic chance to beat Camus and that is by submission. Camus will be more than prepared for Kang‘s attempts to take the fight to the ground, though.
After losing his last fight to Dustin Kimura via Rear-Naked Choke (Camus’ first-ever loss via submission) guarding against Kang‘s grappling attempts will undoubtedly be at the forefront of Camus’ mind.
Kang can’t maintain the work rate or pace Camus can produce. Though the latter doesn’t have destructive power, he should be able to use his quickness to land more significant strikes and win by decision.
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UFC 164’s main event is a rematch of the lasting legacy of WEC.
Anthony Pettis stunned Benson Henderson in the last WEC event to take his lightweight championship. The “Showtime Kick” is still seen in UFC highlight packages today, and Henderson will ha…
UFC 164‘s main event is a rematch of the lasting legacy of WEC.
Anthony Pettis stunned Benson Henderson in the last WEC event to take his lightweight championship. The “Showtime Kick” is still seen in UFC highlight packages today, and Henderson will have a chance to get a bit of revenge at UFC 164.
Pettis was supposed to unify the two titles with a UFC Lightweight Championship bout, but championship rematches and injuries kept that from happening. Pettis would take a fight against Clay Guida and lose by decision.
In order to get his title shot, Pettis had to win three in a row. He took Jeremy Stephens to a decision and then won back-to-back Knockout of the Night awards over Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone, respectively. With Henderson slated to defend the title against TJ Grant, Pettis opted to drop to featherweight for a shot at Aldo.
An injury forced Pettis off the card, and then an injury to Grant opened the door for Pettis to stay at 155 for a rematch against Henderson. The timing worked out well for Pettis, and he still gets a crack at UFC gold.
Henderson got on a winning streak that took him to the title. He won the gold and subsequently defended it three times. Frankie Edgar, Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez have all tasted defeat in championship matches against Henderson. Now, he has a chance to defend it against the man to last beat him.
Saturday night will answer a lot of questions about both fighters, and with such high stakes, everyone can be sure that we will see another exceptional bout between the two talented lightweights. Bleacher Report will be here to chronicle the bout from start to finish.
UFC 164 features a stacked card capped off by a lightweight title defense.
UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to do battle with Anthony Pettis. The two last met in the final WEC fight for its lightweight belt. Pettis grabbed a narrow deci…
UFC 164 features a stacked card capped off by a lightweight title defense.
UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to do battle with Anthony Pettis. The two last met in the final WEC fight for its lightweight belt. Pettis grabbed a narrow decision and put himself in the MMA highlight reel with his “Showtime Kick.”
Now it is time to settle the score. Pettis has worked his way up to a title shot after dropping his UFC debut, and he meets a familiar face in the main event.
The co-main event is a fight a long time in the making. Longtime heavyweight contenders, and former UFC heavyweight champions, Frank Mir and Josh Barnett will finally meet. Barnett returns for the first time since 2002, and Mir is trying to get back in the win column after dropping two straight.
UFC 164 will kick off with the Facebook/YouTube preliminary bouts at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
UFC 164 Fight Card
Benson Henderson (155 lbs) vs. Anthony Pettis (155 lbs) Frank Mir (248 lbs) vs. Josh Barnett (255 lbs) Chad Mendes (145 lbs) vs. Clay Guida (146 lbs) Ben Rothwell (262 lbs) vs. Brandon Vera (241 lbs) Erik Koch (145 lbs) vs. Dustin Poirier(145.5 lbs) Jamie Varner(156 lbs) vs. GleisonTibau(155 lbs) Louis Gaudinot(125 lbs) vs. Tim Elliott(125.5 lbs) Pascal Krauss(170 lbs) vs. HyunGyuLim(171 lbs) Chico Camus (135 lbs) vs. Kyung Ho Kang(136 lbs) SoaPalelei(265 lbs) vs. Nikita Krylov(236 lbs) Ryan Couture (156 lbs) vs. Al Iaquinta(156 lbs) Jared Hamman(185.5 lbs) vs. MagnusCedenblad(185 lbs)
We started our road trip in Las Vegas, of all places.
Las Vegas is typically a road trip destination, not the starting point. You make your way to Vegas, sometimes stopping at the Grand Canyon or the Hoover Dam, and then you do in Vegas what people typ…
We started our road trip in Las Vegas, of all places.
Las Vegas is typically a road trip destination, not the starting point. You make your way to Vegas, sometimes stopping at the Grand Canyon or the Hoover Dam, and then you do in Vegas what people typically do in Vegas. Which is to say, you make some bad decisions and then you go home with a sad look on your face and an exhausted bank account.
But we were leaving Las Vegas and heading to Glendale, Arizona. At the time, I worked for another mixed martial arts website, and myself, Matt Brown and Megan Olivi had just returned from Montreal, where we covered the Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck bout for our previous employer.
We were driving to Glendale because it was close enough to drive, and because we would be covering the final World Extreme Cagefighting event.
I had mixed emotions. I was glad to see all of the WEC fighters I’d had the privilege of covering finally getting the chance to make their way to the UFC, where they could compete against their Zuffa brethren. No longer would they be the redheaded stepchildren, doomed to fight in smaller venues in a smaller cage in front of less fans. Now, they’d be on the same playing field as the rest of their friends, training partners and foes.
We arrived in Glendale. We went through our standard fight week coverage, which includes interviews, press conferences and open workouts where we all stood around and watched fighters go through the motions of shadowboxing and half-hearted grappling. By that point, they’ve already finished their training camps, and so anything they do is for the benefit of the assembled media and our cameras.
WEC events were always fun. But because the real focus would always be on the UFC, there was always a slight feeling that they didn’t really matter in the long run. Fighters debuted and fought and rose up the ranks, but what did it all mean? They’d reign over a promotion that would always be second-fiddle to the UFC. Not in terms of excitement; the WEC events I attended and covered were always among the most thrilling ones I can remember. But like every other promotion in the world, it wasn’t the UFC, and so no matter what the fighters did, they could never really be considered the best.
With WEC 53, that was changing, and in a big way. The winner of the main event between Benson Henderson, then the reigning lightweight champion, and Anthony Pettis would move on to face the UFC lightweight champion in an effort to unify the titles. Of course, that never actually happened, but we didn’t know what would happen in the coming months when we arrived at the arena that night.
I had my own history with Henderson. His 2009 fight against Donald Cerrone in San Antonio where he captured the interim lightweight championship was my second event as a member of the accredited media. That fight won the Fight of the Year honors from many media outlets, and I can almost remember every moment of that night four years later.
And so, arriving at the Jobing.com Arena (possibly the worst-named arena in the United States) in Glendale that night, I can remember being excited. Henderson almost always delivered exciting fights, and Pettis had developed the same type of reputation. I didn’t know exactly what we’d see that night, but I was sure it would be good.
Oh, how little I knew.
Much of that night is a blur. I remember Shane Roller beating former WEC champion Jamie Varner, and I remember that it surprised me because Varner had been so good for so long. He was the former champion, but the loss was his third since losing the belt to Henderson.
Wikipedia tells me that Renan Barao defeated Chris Cariaso in the opening fight, and that Yuri Alcantara beat Ricardo Lamas in the next fight. Danny Castillo, Eddie Wineland, Brad Pickett, Ivan Menjivar, Danny Downes, Donald Cerrone, Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen all competed on the card. All would go on to fight in the UFC.
Cruz won the UFC championship by beating Jorgensen in the co-main event that night. He’s only fought two times since then.
But the real treat, the one that we still remember today, was the main event. It’s the one that provided one of the all-time great highlight reel moments. And it’s the one that has particular significance today, on the eve of the UFC 164 rematch between Henderson and Pettis.
Both men were focused on the fight, but they were also cognizant of the opportunity that would be provided for the winner.
“I’m going to go out as the last WEC champion ever and then go in as the number one contender for the UFC belt,” Henderson said. “I’m gonna get that also.”
“There’s only one man standing in front of me and all my dreams, and that’s Ben Henderson,” Pettis countered. “Tonight I’m going to go in there, get the WEC title and head over to the UFC and unify these belts.”
***
It’s funny the way your memory works. Henderson and Pettis fought for five rounds, and there were but a few moments where it was not thrilling. The fight was so good, in fact, that it was awarded Fight of the Year, nearly unanimously, by media outlets covering the sport.
But looking back, I don’t remember much of it. I watched the entire fight again in preparation for writing this story, and it felt like I was watching for the first time. I remember it being a close fight, and I remember going into the final round thinking that Henderson might be up and would win the fight if he put together a strong final frame.
That’s what happens, I guess, when you have a moment like the one that happened in the closing moments of the fight.
With just over a minute left, Pettis moved forward. He landed a few hooks and launched a right head kick that was mostly blocked by Henderson.
And then, the unthinkable.
With 1:05 left on the clock, Henderson moved his back off the cage and started moving backwards. Pettis moved forward quickly and jumped on the cage with his right foot. Henderson dropped his hands, likely confused as to what was happening in front of him. The hands went down, and Pettis used the same right foot to push off the cage and kick Henderson in the face.
Henderson dropped to the mat, his arms to his sides. He wasn’t unconscious, but he was certainly stunned. But it’s very likely that he was not as stunned as I was, sitting cageside.
I don’t remember Pettis trying to finish Henderson with ground and pound, or Henderson desperately grabbing Pettis’ right leg and then his left in an attempt to regain his composure. In truth, I don’t remember much of the final 55 seconds of the fight, because I was trying to come to grips with what I’d just seen.
I do remember turning to the media person sitting next to me—and I don’t even remember who it was, such is the state of my memory. My mouth was agape. I probably cursed. In fact, I’m sure I did. In the heat of a moment like that, you lose a bit of yourself. In the media, we’re supposed to remain impartial and emotion-free, and I think I do a pretty good job of that, for the most part.
But there are moments where you just can’t help yourself, or at least I can’t. And this was one of those moments, when the professional clothing we assume in the name of good journalism falls away. When you remember why you started watching this stuff in the first place. When you know you’ve seen something you will never forget, even after you move on to do something else with your life.
It’s been nearly three years since that night in Glendale. Saturday night, Henderson and Pettis will meet in the Octagon for the UFC lightweight title. They’re in familiar roles; Henderson is the champion and Pettis is the challenger.
Henderson tries to downplay the significance of that night, of the Showtime Kick that shocked the world, every chance he gets. I understand why. It wasn’t exactly a highlight of his career, and he’s forced to see it again on every UFC highlight reel and at every event he attends. He answers countless questions about what it meant, which is probably frustrating for a champion on the verge of setting a new UFC record for consecutive lightweight title defenses.
Perhaps Henderson is telling the truth, and he’s past it and doesn’t think about it and doesn’t care. Perhaps that’s just a line he gives to the media so we’ll stop asking him about it.
But even if it doesn’t mean anything to Henderson, it means something to me. It was a moment I’ll never forget, and if I never see anything else like it in the rest of my days covering this sport—and even if Henderson and Pettis put on a boring, clinical stinker at UFC 164—I will never forget exactly where I was and exactly how I felt when I saw Pettis launch himself off that cage in Glendale.
Last Wednesday kicked off a stretch where the UFC is putting on three fight cards in a seven-day span, and none will be bigger than UFC 164.
Check that. For better clarification, there will be no bigger fight than the main event at UFC 164 when lightwe…
Last Wednesday kicked off a stretch where the UFC is putting on three fight cards in a seven-day span, and none will be bigger than UFC 164.
Check that. For better clarification, there will be no bigger fight than the main event at UFC 164 when lightweight champion Benson Henderson looks to redeem his only loss in the past three years against current No. 1 contender Anthony Pettis.
Their first meeting at WEC 53, back in December 2010, was one of the most action-packed fights in recent history with Pettis creating the ultimate MMA highlight by landing the “Showtime” kick in the fifth round of the affair. The Milwaukee native earned the victory on the judge’s scorecards that night in Phoenix and went down in the record books as the last man to hold the WEC 155-pound strap.
That being said, their careers have gone in different directions since their first meeting. Henderson has been on a tear under the UFC banner, winning seven consecutive bouts, including winning the lightweight title and successfully defending the strap on three occasions.
Pettis, on the other hand, has also found success inside the Octagon, but injuries and setbacks have stunted his quest to earn a shot at UFC gold.
Until now that is, and on Saturday night, a rematch nearly three years in the making will go down at the Bradley Center in downtown Milwaukee. Henderson will be looking to get the shadow of Pettis off his back, and the 26-year-old title challenger will be looking to make good on his claim of being the top 155-pound fighter in the world.
While the main event is certainly a high-stakes affair, two other tilts on the card also hold heavy implications as well. In the heavyweight division, former champions Frank Mir and Josh Barnett will be battling for relevancy in an increasingly competitive division.
And in the 145-pound mix, former No. 1 contender Chad Mendes and fan favorite Clay Guida will scrap it out to determine who remains in the title hunt at 145 pounds.
The dice will be rolling on Saturday night in Milwaukee. Let’s take a look at what’s at stake for the major players at UFC 164.
Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis
The lightweight division is one of the most competitive under the UFC banner, and Benson Henderson is king of the mountain.
The MMA Lab product is undefeated in seven fights inside the Octagon and has tied the record for all-time title defense at 155 pounds with three. While his championship reign has been impressive, Henderson’s time atop the division hasn’t necessarily been dominant.
The 29-year-old has come out on the winning side of two close decisions with Frankie Edgar and edged out former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez by a razor-thin margin when they fought at UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose back in April. That being said, Henderson has emerged victorious in every tilt and held on to the UFC title every step of the way.
The bout with Pettis on Saturday night at UFC 164 will not only afford him the opportunity to add another impressive feather to his cap, but it will also erase the stain of the biggest loss of his career in the process. A victory over Pettis would be Henderson’s fourth successful title defense, establishing him as the most dominant champion in lightweight history.
And there is that word again…dominant.
While Henderson has been criticized for his lack of finishes and his fights going to decisions, the fact remains, the Arizona native continues to find a way to win, and a victory over Pettis—in any fashion—could be his most impressive feat to date.
On the other hand, a loss to Pettis would amplify the lingering criticism and put him down two notches to his rival.
Where the champion will be looking to add another rung to his belt, Pettis is eager to finally get his hands on a prize he’s had his eye on for years. After his proposed immediate title shot was shelved due to the Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard rivalry adding a third chapter, it has been an uphill battle for the Duke Roufus-trained fighter to get back to a championship opportunity.
A loss to Guida in his official UFC debut and a series of injuries made the UFC a difficult path for Pettis to navigate, but once the Milwaukee native found his groove, it was clear sailing to the top of the ladder. Impressive first-round knockout victories over Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone proved the former WEC champion was back in form and ready to compete for the UFC strap.
With his long-awaited title shot coming in his hometown, the ideal stage is set for what could be Pettis’ biggest moment. That being said, a loss to Henderson would serve to damage the notion that he is the future of the lightweight division.
Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett
MMA media and fans have debated who would emerge victorious in a battle between Frank Mir and Josh Barnett, and on Saturday night, the world will find out the answer. They are two of the most decorated submission artists in heavyweight history, and their meeting at UFC 164 will prove, once and for all, which fighter is the superior over the other.
There hasn’t been any time in the past five years where Mir hasn’t been at least one or two wins away from a title shot. The two-time former champion has remained a fixture in the upper tier of the heavyweight fold by defeating Mirko Cro Cop, Roy Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, but a recent two-fight skid has put that status in jeopardy.
Coming in to the fight with Barnett at UFC 164, the Las Vegas native will be facing a crucial juncture in his career. A victory over the former UFC champion will keep him in stride with the elite of the division, while a loss would push him out of that tier for the foreseeable future.
While Mir’s legacy as one of the most dangerous grapplers to ever compete in the division won’t be affected by the outcome in Milwaukee, he will need a victory over Barnett to keep his status as a top heavyweight intact.
The same rings true for Barnett. The well-traveled veteran has remained one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world, despite having competed outside of the Octagon for the past 11 years. That accomplishment is a task in itself, but now “The Warmaster” will finally have his opportunity to return to an organization he once championed.
The 35-year-old has found victory in nine of his last 10 outings with all but one of those wins coming by way of finish. A victory over Mir would prove the former Pancrase champion belongs in the title conversation in the heavyweight division, where a loss could serve to push him out of divisional upper tier.
Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida
The featherweight title race is absolutely on fire, and both Chad Mendes and Guida are hungry to get a shot at Jose Aldo’s 145-pound strap.
The Team Alpha Male fighter came up short in his first attempt to dethrone the Brazilian phenom at UFC 142 back in January 2012, but “Money” has lived up to his nickname in every appearance since, as he’s scored three consecutive first-round knockouts.
Mendes has toppled his last three challenges, while putting in a grand total of 3:34 of work inside the Octagon. Where decision victories piled up at the beginning of his career, Mendes has put a new side of his game on display in recent outings.
Since his loss to Aldo, Mendes has been eager to earn another title opportunity, and in order to stay on that radar, he will need to defeat Guida on Saturday night. With Ricardo Lamas, Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar all in the hunt, the 28-year-old Californian cannot afford a backstep against Guida, as a victory could very well put him in the position to get the next crack at the featherweight title.
The same holds true for Guida, but there may be a bit more urgency involved. Where the Chicago native was once in the upper tier of the lightweight division, back-to-back losses to Benson Henderson and Gray Maynard pushed “The Carpenter” to try his hand at a lighter weight class.
In addition to the drop, Guida received criticism from UFC brass for his performance against “The Bully” in his next outing against Hatsu Hioki. Suddenly, it seemed the fan favorite Guida had gone from live-wire excitement to a much different approach inside the cage.
Yet, no matter which way he chose to fight, Guida made a successful 145-pound debut against Hioki at UFC on Fox 6. That victory put him in position to face one of the top featherweights in the division. A victory over Mendes would put him on the fast track for a title opportunity.
On the flip side, a loss to Mendes in Milwaukee could have a much different outcome. If he comes up short against the former title challenger, that would give Guida losses in three of his last four showings, putting him in a tough position in his new division.
UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson will be looking to exercise the demons against Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 164, but the champion won’t be successful in his attempt to do so.