UFC on Fox 10: Key to Victory for Every Main Card Fighter

This Saturday will mark the 10th installment of the UFC on Fox.
Headlined by a sizzling lightweight showdown between former champion Benson Henderson and a resurgent Josh Thomson, Saturday’s main card should serve as a perfect appetizer leading up to U…

This Saturday will mark the 10th installment of the UFC on Fox.

Headlined by a sizzling lightweight showdown between former champion Benson Henderson and a resurgent Josh Thomson, Saturday’s main card should serve as a perfect appetizer leading up to UFC 169 on Feb. 1.

But what exactly does each prime-time matchup entail? How will the fighters separate themselves from their opponents?

Here are the keys to victory for every main card participant at UFC on Fox 10.

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UFC on Fox 10: Keys to Victory for Benson Henderson

At UFC on Fox 10, at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday, Benson Henderson will attempt to defeat a game opponent in Josh Thomson and solidify himself as the lightweight division’s No. 1 contender.
Thomson earned the right to face Hende…

At UFC on Fox 10, at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday, Benson Henderson will attempt to defeat a game opponent in Josh Thomson and solidify himself as the lightweight division’s No. 1 contender.

Thomson earned the right to face Henderson after his crushing knockout defeat over Nick Diaz at UFC on Fox 7. The win was so impressive that it caught the eye of UFC president Dana White.

In fact, according to Matt Erickson of MMA Junkie, at a media event in Chicago, White confirmed that Thomson would be granted a title shot upon his win at UFC on Fox 10. The UFC president exclaimed, “Here’s the reality: If Thomson wins, he’s the next in line (for a title shot).”

However, despite his most recent loss and relinquishing of the lightweight belt, Henderson has plans to remain the No. 1 contender and ultimately defeat the champion who has bested him twice in their last two outings—Anthony Pettis. Henderson has made a career out of remaining elusive in the Octagon and has outworked many of his foes in the area of grappling.

The latter has led Henderson on a 7-1 run in his past eight fights and represents his keys to victory at UFC on Fox 10.

 

The Stand-Up: Elusiveness 

Henderson is an intelligent fighter. He has sustained little damage throughout his career. The Washington native is able to dole out a barrage of blows to his opponents and swiftly retreat before being struck.

His footwork and speed are perplexing to many of his adversaries. In that, the former champion has never been knocked out and has only lost one bout by decision.

 

Grappling: Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 

Henderson is a former two-time NCIA All-American wrestler and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He has the ability to take down his opponents and submit them on the ground. In fact, according to UFC.com, Henderson boasts a 51 percent takedown rate and has submitted almost half of his foes en route to victory.

Although Henderson is able to grapple at the highest levels, he has, on occasion, carelessly left himself open to elementary submission attempts. The 30-year-old has fought out of many submission holds and has only lost twice in this fashion. At the same time, one of the bouts (UFC 164) in which Henderson lost via armbar cost him the UFC lightweight title.

However, the former champion remains undeterred in his resolve to face the champion for a third time. At a media event promoting UFC on Fox 10, according to the Associated Press (h/t Newsday), Henderson stated:

Every guy UFC would give a title shot to, send them my way. I’ll go down the entire list of the top 10. I will beat everybody. Let’s do that. When he (Pettis) is healthy, when he does come back then I’ll be waiting.

Overall, the former champion is well-rounded and experienced, and he sports a respectable record of 19-3. At UFC on Fox 10, Henderson will square off against the former Strikeforce lightweight champion in Thomson and attempt to defeat all comers thereafter to earn his way to a shot at Pettis and another world title.

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UFC on Fox 10 Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

The UFC on Fox series hits a milestone this Saturday night, airing its 10th installment. The action is now underway, so follow along with Bleacher Report’s live blog below.
We will report the action as it unfolds, with round-by-round recaps, real-time …

The UFC on Fox series hits a milestone this Saturday night, airing its 10th installment. The action is now underway, so follow along with Bleacher Report’s live blog below.

We will report the action as it unfolds, with round-by-round recaps, real-time results and analysis.

The UFC on Fox 10 fight card shapes up as follows:

UFC on Fox 10 Main Card

  • Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
  • Stipe Miocic vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
  • Donald Cerrone vs. Adriano Martins
  • Darren Elkins vs. Jeremy Stephens

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

  • Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis
  • Eddie Wineland vs. Yves Jabouin
  • Chico Camus vs. Yaotzin Meza
  • Junior Hernandez vs. Hugo Viana
  • Daron Cruickshank vs. Mike Rio
  • George Sullivan vs. Mike Rhodes

UFC Fight Pass Prelim

  • Nikita Krylov def. Walt Harris, TKO (Round 1, 0:25)

Follow along below for our live play-by-play coverage.

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Catch the ‘UFC on FOX 10: Henderson vs. Thomson’ Weigh-Ins LIVE Right Here Starting at 5 p.m. [UPDATED w/RESULTS]

All twenty-two fighters competing at tomorrow’s UFC on Fox 10: Here You Go, I Guess are set to hit the scales live from the Chicago Theater starting at 5 p.m. EST, so swing by CagePotato to check out the weigh-ins for a card that has been almost unanimously heralded by journalists like Chuck Mindenhall as “It is what it is.” Not since The Guilt Trip reviews have I seen such apathy, yet such disdain!

In the main event if the evening, Ben Henderson will fight for his right to party and not much else. Elsewhere, Gabriel Gonzaga will think he’s a better boxer than Stipe Miocic and break my heart again, not to mention my parlay, as a result. But it’s like my father said right before he was beaten to death by a bookie, “Go big or go-.” The bookie hit him with a crowbar before he could finish.

Live results for the UFC on FOX 10 weigh-ins are after the jump, and make sure to swing by CagePotato tomorrow starting at 8 p.m. to catch our liveblog of the event.

All twenty-two fighters competing at tomorrow’s UFC on Fox 10: Here You Go, I Guess are set to hit the scales live from the Chicago Theater starting at 5 p.m. EST, so swing by CagePotato to check out the weigh-ins for a card that has been almost unanimously heralded by journalists like Chuck Mindenhall as “It is what it is.” Not since The Guilt Trip reviews have I seen such apathy, yet such disdain!

In the main event if the evening, Ben Henderson will fight for his right to party and not much else. Elsewhere, Gabriel Gonzaga will think he’s a better boxer than Stipe Miocic and break my heart again, not to mention my parlay, as a result. But it’s like my father said right before he was beaten to death by a bookie, “Go big or go-.” The bookie hit him with a crowbar before he could finish.

Live results for the UFC on FOX 10 weigh-ins are after the jump, and make sure to swing by CagePotato tomorrow starting at 8 p.m. to catch our liveblog of the event.

UFC on Fox 10 Main Card (8 p.m. EST on Fox)

Benson Henderson (155) vs. Josh Thomson (155)
Stipe Miocic (245) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (258)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Adriano Martins (155)
Darren Elkins (145) vs. Jeremy Stephens (146)

UFC on Fox 10 Prelims (5 p.m EST on Fox Sports 1)

Alex Caceres (135) vs. Sergio Pettis (135)
Eddie Wineland (135) vs. Yves Jabouin (135)
Chico Camus (135) vs. Yaotzin Meza (135)
Junior Hernandez (136) vs. Hugo Viana (136)
Daron Cruickshank (155) vs. Mike Rio (155)
George Sullivan (170) vs. Mike Rhodes (171)

UFC on Fox 10 Online Prelims (4:30 p.m EST on UFC Fight Pass)

Walt Harris (241) vs. Nikita Krylov (218)

J. Jones

UFC on Fox 10: Henderson vs. Thomson Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

Josh “The Punk” Thomson isn’t getting the fight he’d hoped for, but he’s still in for one heck of a scrap on Saturday, when the UFC takes over the United Center in Chicago for UFC on Fox 10.
Thomson, the No. 4 lightweight in the UFC, will battle former…

Josh “The Punk” Thomson isn’t getting the fight he’d hoped for, but he’s still in for one heck of a scrap on Saturday, when the UFC takes over the United Center in Chicago for UFC on Fox 10.

Thomson, the No. 4 lightweight in the UFC, will battle former champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson. Originally, Thomson was slated to take on Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, but the lightweight champion had to pull out due to a knee injury.

Now, Thomson and Henderson will battle for the right to be next in line when Pettis returns to action. It was Henderson whom Pettis defeated at UFC 164 via armbar. It was the second time Pettis defeated his rival.

Understandably anxious for a third crack at Pettis, and another stint as UFC lightweight champion, Henderson has wasted little time jumping right back into action.

This interesting bout highlights a strong card set for Fox on Saturday. Here’s a look at the full card, viewing information and predictions.

Just beneath the table are my picks for the Fight Night bonuses. 

 

KO of the Night: Mike “Biggie” Rhodes

This prediction is going out on a limb a bit, as both Rhodes and his opponent George Sullivan are making their UFC debuts. Sullivan has never been stopped, but there is a first time for everything.

Rhodes has length and explosive power. Most importantly, he knows how to use his long arms. He fights well backing up, and is a strong, natural athlete. Sullivan comes straight forward in most every fight. He’s very strong, but his defense leaves a bit to be desired.

He swings and misses a lot. That will give a slick fighter like Rhodes the room to counter him with something big. It’s not hard to see Sullivan running into a one-hitter quitter that ends the night.

Rhodes is in a good position to make a big splash in his first UFC fight.

 

Submission of the Night: Nikita “Al Capone” Krylov

Krylov was impressive in his UFC debut, even though he lost by TKO to Soa Palelei at UFC 164. His toughness stood out, but so did his superb ground skills.

Though unsuccessful, he showed he could be aggressive and dangerous from his back. Were he not physically overwhelmed and a bit winded late in the fight, he may have had a better chance of winning. It’s also easy to forget how young he is. The UFC’s official Twitter account reminds us:

Walt Harris is a pure masher with suspect grappling skills. He is an exceptional athlete who played Division I college basketball. However, if Krylov avoids the initial onslaught and takes Harris down, he should be able to have his way on the mat.

Look for Krylov to win this one by submission.

 

Fight of the Night: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. Adriano Martins

By Cerrone‘s own admission, he’s broke and desperately needs a strong showing. Cerrone was quite candid with Majority Draw Radio on MMA Weekly. He said:

What really happened is I spent all my money and now I’m broke. Now I only got one choice, and that’s to fight.

It’s hard to have money in the bank and want something and then not get it. I just (expletive) buy it. I have no idea what saving money is. It has nothing to do with wanting to go broke. I wish I had millions in the bank; I’d never go broke. Let’s get that belt and get millions in the bank.

Even before announcing his dire financial state, Cerrone has been known as an all-action fighter.

He stumbled against Pettis in Jan. 2013, but rebounded with a win over K.J. Noons four months later. Most recently, he submitted Evan Dunham via triangle choke at UFC 167 in Nov. 2013.

Cerrone needs to find some consistency, and he’s likely to bring the action to Martins.

It takes two to tango, so don’t expect Martins to back away. He’s won six straight fights, and that includes a submission victory over Daron Cruickshank in Nov. 2013. Martins is versatile, but he doesn’t mind standing and trading.

Cerrone‘s desperation and Martins’ willingness to oblige him in a brawl will make for the night’s best fight.

 

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UFC on Fox 10: Henderson vs. Thomson Live Streaming Weigh-in Video

Benson Henderson will look to begin his climb back to the top of the lightweight division at UFC on Fox 10, where the former titleholder will meet Strikeforce veteran Josh Thomson.
In his most recent outing, Henderson was dethroned by an Anthony Pettis…

Benson Henderson will look to begin his climb back to the top of the lightweight division at UFC on Fox 10, where the former titleholder will meet Strikeforce veteran Josh Thomson.

In his most recent outing, Henderson was dethroned by an Anthony Pettis armbar. Meanwhile, Thomson stopped Nate Diaz in his latest appearance to emerge as a serious contender in the 155-pound class.

A battle between heavyweight contenders Stipe Miocic and Gabriel Gonzaga will also be contested at UFC on Fox 10. Additionally, featherweight standouts Darren Elkins and Jeremy Stephens will meet on the main card, and Donald Cerrone will look to build momentum against Adriano Martins. 

The UFC on Fox 10 weigh-ins will be held on Friday at 5 p.m. EST. At that time, live streaming video will be available on the below video player.

Below is the entire fight card for UFC on Fox 10, which will be hosted by Chicago on Saturday.

 

UFC on Fox 10 Main Card (8 p.m. EST on Fox)

  • Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
  • Stipe Miocic vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
  • Donald Cerrone vs. Adriano Martins
  • Darren Elkins vs. Jeremy Stephens

 

UFC on Fox 10 Prelims (5 p.m EST on Fox Sports 1)

  • Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis
  • Eddie Wineland vs. Yves Jabouin
  • Chico Camus vs. Yaotzin Meza
  • Junior Hernandez vs. Hugo Viana
  • Daron Cruickshank vs. Mike Rio
  • George Sullivan vs. Mike Rhodes

 

UFC on Fox 10 Online Prelims (4:30 p.m EST on UFC Fight Pass)

  • Walt Harris vs. Nikita Krylov 

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