“Cole Miller is a turd the UFC hasn’t flushed yet,” said Cerrone. “I think the UFC is totally against me going to 145 [pounds]. I couldn’t drink delicious, full-bodied Budweisers, so that would be a lifestyle change. I don’t know if I’m committed to that. Cole Miller, win some fights and then come see me. You’re at the ass-end of a long line of people. We’ll see.”
That right there is a solid early front-runner for Press Conference Diss of the Year. But look, nobody really cares about two guys from different weight classes squabbling with each other over some old, petty bullshit. What’s important is Cerrone’s future in the lightweight division now that he has a win streak going again. And as it turns out, Donald has some ambitious plans for 2014…
“Cole Miller is a turd the UFC hasn’t flushed yet,” said Cerrone. “I think the UFC is totally against me going to 145 [pounds]. I couldn’t drink delicious, full-bodied Budweisers, so that would be a lifestyle change. I don’t know if I’m committed to that. Cole Miller, win some fights and then come see me. You’re at the ass-end of a long line of people. We’ll see.”
That right there is a solid early front-runner for Press Conference Diss of the Year. But look, nobody really cares about two guys from different weight classes squabbling with each other over some old, petty bullshit. What’s important is Cerrone’s future in the lightweight division now that he has a win streak going again. And as it turns out, Donald has some ambitious plans for 2014…
“I want to set a record for the most fights in a year,” Cerrone said at the post-fight press conference. “Could I get six? That would be f—ing great. I think [fighting next in] Baltimore or Dallas would be great. There are fighters out there saying they can’t get fights. Hey, I’m your guy.”
Without calling him out by name, Cerrone seems to be indirectly referring to undefeated Dagestani crusher Khabib Nurmagomedov, who’s had well-publicized troubles finding an opponent lately. (It’s not that anybody’s scared of him. There are just some issues with timing and mysterious “conditions” that the UFC won’t accept, okay?) Cowboy vs. Khabib sounds like a matchup that could benefit both fighters at this point. You down to see that one, or do you have any better ideas for Cerrone’s next opponent?
There may not have been a ton of buzz surrounding Alex Caceres heading into his bout with Sergio Pettis at UFC on Fox 10, but “Bruce Leeroy” gave the MMA world plenty to talk about in the aftermath of the event.
Despite the 25-year-old Floridian having…
There may not have been a ton of buzz surrounding Alex Caceres heading into his bout with Sergio Pettis at UFC on Fox 10, but “Bruce Leeroy” gave the MMA world plenty to talk about in the aftermath of the event.
Despite the 25-year-old Floridian having gone 4-1 (1 NC) in his six showings since dropping down to the bantamweight division in late 2011, the lion’s share of the talk heading into the 135-pound scrap focused on the younger of the Pettis brothers.
The 20-year-old Milwaukee native had found victory in his first 10 fights as a professional, which included an impressive and triumphant Octagon debut at UFC 167 back in November, when he earned a lopsided unanimous decision over Will Campuzano in Las Vegas.
With solid momentum and high expectations based off Pettis’ family pedigree, the bout with Caceres in Chicago was figured by some to be another showcase bout for “The Phenom.” When the action got underway on Saturday night at the United Center, that certainly appeared to be the case. Pettis used his speed and accuracy to pepper The Ultimate Fighter season 12 alum throughout the opening round.
While Caceres was on the business end of things in the first round, he was able to turn the tables abruptly in the second round. He dropped Pettis with a crisp straight left that put the Duke Roufus-trained fighter on the canvas and in a world of trouble midway through the frame. That said, Pettis was able to survive the rough spot and made it through to the end of the round.
“I felt like I was firing on all cylinders in the second round,” Caceres told Bleacher Report. “Once I dropped him, it definitely slowed his roll. He was really fast and definitely knew how to use his striking abilities very well. When I hit him with that punch…I thought he was out. Obviously he wasn’t, but it definitely slowed him down a little bit and made him think about that cross again. It helped me open things up a little bit more.”
Although the MMA Lab product had a bright spot in the middle round, there was a good chance he was down 2-0 on the judges’ cards. Caceres fired out of the gates aggressively in the final stanza, but Pettis was able to take control as the round wore on and appeared to be on his way to picking up his second victory under the UFC banner.
Nevertheless, Caceres refused to go into the loss column quietly.
When the action hit the canvas with less than a minute on the clock, he used his sense of urgency as fuel and fought to find an opening. With 30 seconds remaining, Caceres sunk in a rear-naked choke and forced the highly touted prospect to tap with 21 seconds left in the fight. Adding Pettis’ name to his resume is an impressive feat, but proving his resilience and notching the comeback win show Caceres has heart for days.
The intangible aspects of a fighter’s skill set are the most difficult to show, but those are the elements Caceres believes he’s most in tune with.
“I feel like I’m falling into sync with who I truly was and am,” Caceres said. “I think the problem was that I forgot who I was, and I’m coming back into myself. I’m definitely getting better every single day. I feel that in the near future, I should be seeing a better version of myself every single time I step into that cage.”
While Pettis’ name may not be worth its weight in gold at this exact moment in time, his victory certainly proved to be lucrative. In addition to the substantial amount of buzz Caceres jacked by defeating Pettis, he also picked up $100,000 worth of bonus checks with Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night honors.
Derailing the ascension of a talented young fighter and picking up a hefty pair of bonus checks make for a great night at the office. And while Caceres was happy with the overall outcome and to be recognized for the work he put in on Saturday night, the financial aspect of his night at UFC on Fox 10 was the furthest thing from his mind.
“Immediately after I knew I had Fight of the Night,” Caceres said. “Then I was hoping no one else got a submission because there was a pretty good chance I was going to get Submission of the Night as well. There was only one other submission, and it wasn’t as spectacular as mine. I knew I had them both, and it has already sunk in. The money doesn’t bother me too much. Money for me is a tool to achieve my actual dream, which is to never ever use money again. I definitely want to distance myself from materialism as far as possible.
“It doesn’t really matter to me, man,” he added in regard to what he’d like to see next. “I just want to get back into that cage so I can display a little more of that skill people saw out there. I just want to get out there and fight again. This is an art, and that is what I do it for. It’s not for the money, the victory or the notoriety. I just want to get out there on the biggest stage possible and know I’m fighting the best people in the world.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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.
Benson Henderson was hoping to earn a shot at redemption on Saturday night in the form of a trilogy bout with Anthony Pettis. Instead, the former lightweight champion has left fans with more to be desired.
Henderson’s split-decision victory over …
Benson Henderson was hoping to earn a shot at redemption on Saturday night in the form of a trilogy bout with Anthony Pettis. Instead, the former lightweight champion has left fans with more to be desired.
Henderson’s split-decision victory over No. 1 contender Josh Thomson in the UFC on FOX 10 headliner was far from the “robbery” that the Internet has made it out to be. But, it also wasn’t nearly the dominant performance that the MMA Lab product needed to catapult himself back into the Octagon with Pettis either.
No, Henderson needs to do more. A lot more.
Now, maybe it would be a different story if the score between Henderson and the current champ were tied at one a piece, but it’s not. Pettis is 2-0 over Henderson and until “Smooth” leads us to believe otherwise, a third fight isn’t sexy right now.
In a bout that was billed to determine the lightweight division’s next contender, all this fight did was leave more questions than answers as to who will challenge “Showtime” next for the gold.
Thomson, despite arguably getting the better of Henderson through five rounds, lost his golden ticket following the decision. The AKA product is still an exciting opponent for Pettis, but the odds of that matchup being booked next are slim to none.
Sorry Josh, it’s not happening for you right now.
Fortunately for the UFC, they have about six months to figure out a game plan for the lightweight title. Pettis isn’t expected to return until July so there is ample time to map out the division.
UFC matchmaker Joe Silva could easily set up another “unofficial” No. 1 contender’s bout to determine the next challenger.
He could. But he doesn’t have to.
There is already a man waiting in the wings to dethrone Pettis: Gilbert Melendez.
While “El Nino” might not want to wait until July to fight again, he is the right opponent to not only challenge Pettis, but to beat him as well.
Considered by many as the “uncrowned” champ, Melendez challenged Henderson for the gold at UFC on FOX 7, last April. Like his Strikeforce-rival Thomson, Melendez arguably beat Henderson that night, but the judges saw it otherwise.
Recently, Melendez defeated Diego Sanchez in one of the craziest, back-and-forth battles in UFC history. That fight took place at UFC 166 in October, and ever since then, fans have been foaming at the mouth waiting for Melendez’s next fight.
It needs to be for the title. It has to be.
Pettis vs. Melendez is the biggest marquee matchup you can make in the lightweight division at the moment. Since winning the belt at UFC 164, “Showtime” Pettis has seen his popularity skyrocket.
This is a kid that has the potential to be a huge cash cow for the organization. He’s not there yet, but book him in thrillers with guys like Melendez and he surely will be soon.
Melendez is red hot coming off the slobber-knocker with Sanchez. Fans already think this guy is the best in the world, despite the loss on his record to Henderson.
We can beat around the bush all day and have Melendez fight guys like Khabib Nurmagomedov or TJ Grant but, quite frankly, that would be silly.
Give us the fight that we want to see. Give us the fight that we need to see.
I can understand if Melendez chooses to stay active while Pettis is on the mend, but it’s another thing entirely if the UFC makes that decision for him. It would be a mistake on their part. Nobody really wants to see anyone else take on Pettis right now.
Sure, Melendez’s teammate Nathan Diaz would be an exciting option for the champ too, but, despite what his management thinks, Diaz isn’t ready for another title shot.
The Stockton bad boy was fresh off back-to-back losses before he sent Gray Maynard crashing to the canvas at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.
I got news for you, Nate: TJ Grant did the same thing not long ago, and he’s actually got a winning record right now. Maybe you should fight Grant first before you talk about a title shot with Pettis.
Everyone else in the division has to win another fight or two before anyone in their right mind would view them as a threat to the 155-pound king.
Melendez is already there.
He’s already being talked about as the guy that could potentially shut Pettis down. It just doesn’t make sense to go in any other direction right now. Melendez needs to fight Pettis.
You can have Henderson square off with Nurmagomedov to see who’s next after that. It really doesn’t matter. Melendez and Pettis is the right choice. It’s the people’s choice.
Let’s see if it’s the UFC’s choice.
Mitch Ciccarelli is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and co-host of Alchemist Radio. He is also a United States Airman. Follow him on Twitter @MitchCiccarelli and follow @AlchemistRadio.
Former 155-pound linchpin Benson Henderson thrust himself back into title contention with a methodical win over Josh Thomson in the main event of UFC on Fox 10 Saturday in Chicago.
“Bendo” calmly fought through several trying grappling exchanges with “…
Former 155-pound linchpin Benson Henderson thrust himself back into title contention with a methodical win over Josh Thomson in the main event of UFC on Fox 10 Saturday in Chicago.
“Bendo” calmly fought through several trying grappling exchanges with “The Punk” and bounced back from his submission loss to Anthony Pettis in their title fight at UFC 164 with a split-decision win.
With Pettis’ next bout still up in the air, Henderson surely needs to score another win before he can expect another crack at UFC gold.
Here are four opponents the UFC’s brass should consider lining up for Bendo in his next bout.
A controversial decision at UFC on Fox 10 cost the lightweight division its most logical championship matchup.
Had Josh Thomson defeated Benson Henderson on Saturday, and many feel he did, “Punk” would have been an easy choice to meet 155-pound champio…
A controversial decision at UFC on Fox 10 cost the lightweight division its most logical championship matchup.
Had Josh Thomson defeated Benson Henderson on Saturday, and many feel he did, “Punk” would have been an easy choice to meet 155-pound champion Anthony Pettis. Instead, two judges sided with Henderson, who walked away with his third split decision win in five fights.
Considering he’s lost to the titleholder twice in recent years, Henderson probably isn’t the best option to be Pettis’ first title challenger. With another highly ranked contender, TJ Grant, still recovering from a concussion, the lightweight title picture is becoming cloudy.
As UFC matchmakers sort out this mess, here are the fights that should be made for Henderson, Thomson and the rest of the UFC on Fox 10 competitors.
There may not have been a ton of buzz surrounding Alex Caceres heading into his bout with Sergio Pettis at 