Benson Henderson has been very fortunate in his UFC career. His last two fights have taken place in cities that he has both family in friends. At UFC on Fox 5 on Saturday at the KeyArena in Seattle, he’ll again have the hometown advantage as he enters …
Benson Henderson has been very fortunate in his UFC career. His last two fights have taken place in cities that he has both family in friends. At UFC on Fox 5 on Saturday at the KeyArena in Seattle, he’ll again have the hometown advantage as he enters the cage.
Henderson spent most of his formative years in the greater Seattle area and the fan reception at the UFC on Fox 5 open workouts made it clear he’s the hometown hero.
“It’s funny how it’s worked out that way. It’s nothing on my part. I didn’t do anything but I think I’ve been blessed my entire life and it’s pretty cool to have my past three fights—pretty big fights—have been home field for me,” Henderson told Bleacher Report. “I try to take it all in stride. For this fight and for every fight, I just try and focus on myself and what I need to do. Most of my friends and family, all the ones that I care about and love, they understand that I’m busy. It’s not too bad.”
Following the build up to this fight, there has been a lot of support in favor of Diaz from other UFC fighters. In some respects it makes sense. Diaz always brings the fight and works for a finish every time out. While some viewed this as a criticism of Henderson, the UFC lightweight champion doesn’t feel disrespected.
“Just ’cause someone says something positive about one guy doesn’t necessarily mean they are talking crap about another guy. I think for some reason people take it that way but I don’t necessarily see it as that.”
He added, “but Diaz, both Nate and Nick, are fighter’s fighters. I’m a fan of Nick and Nate. The way they bring it? They’re awesome. If you talk to all of the UFC fighters on the entire roster and you take a poll of who their favorite fighter is, more than likely you’ll get Nick or Nate being mentioned just ’cause they love their fights.”
Fighting a Diaz presents its own challenges. Henderson had to prepare for those “punches in bunches” that Nick and Nate are known for as well as incredibly crafty jiu jitsu game. But most importantly, Henderson had to train for their unique style of trash talk.
In order to do this, he enlisted his training partners to talk trash in sparring sessions. Henderson admitted that at first he was caught off guard but believes that he has overcome any issues.
“All my training partners were talking crap to me. It was weird. I think I got prepared for it. We’re in the middle of sparring and they say it and then I have to work on staying calm and focused on my game plan.”
He went on to break down that it’s his belief that their trash talk has given them an advantage over past opponents. He cited Nick’s fight against Carlos Condit as the sole case of an opponent not getting caught up in worrying what the Diaz brothers say in the cage.
“Against the Diaz brothers I think a majority of their opponents do that. Nine out of 10 do that. Only guy who hasn’t was Carlos Condit and you saw how that worked out.”
“But for some reason, in the middle of a fight, they say something and people get all mad and throw a flying knee from five feet away. Why would you do that? Then they’re good enough to capitalize on that. My goal is to keep doing my game plan and not getting caught in that game.”
*All quotes attained first hand by Bleacher Report
With Frankie Edgar in his rear-view mirror, Benson Henderson is now set for his second title defense as lightweight champion. That bout will come against former The Ultimate Fighter winner Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC on Fox 5.In addition to the …
With Frankie Edgar in his rear-view mirror, Benson Henderson is now set for his second title defense as lightweight champion. That bout will come against former The Ultimate Fighter winner Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC on Fox 5.
In addition to the lightweight title fight, Saturday’s event will also feature an important 205-pound bout between former champion Mauricio Rua and rising Swede Alexander Gustafsson. Rua has been less than impressive as of late, while Gustafsson has quickly made his way up the light heavyweight rankings and is looking to earn a title shot.
Furthermore, B.J. Penn will return to the Octagon for the first time in more than a year. His opponent, Rory MacDonald, has become a 170-pound contender and is looking for the signature win that could put him in the running for a championship bout.
A fight between exciting welterweights Mike Swick and Matt Brown will complete one of most impressive main cards to ever air on free television.
Before Saturday’s event, which will take place at KeyArena in Seattle, the fighters will hit the scales on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. Video of the weigh-ins will be streamed live on the above video player.
After the weigh-ins, stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all the latest on UFC on Fox 5 and the rest of your MMA needs.
Mike Swick could’ve easily avoided the feud with Matt Brown if he would’ve simply checked his Myspace messages.The two welterweight knockout artists are set to collide in the main card opener of UFC on Fox 5, but they already have a history most don’t …
Mike Swick could’ve easily avoided the feud with Matt Brown if he would’ve simply checked his Myspace messages.
The two welterweight knockout artists are set to collide in the main card opener of UFC on Fox 5, but they already have a history most don’t even know about.
It all began with a Myspace message Brown sent Swick many years ago.
Honestly, [Swick] was the first fighter I really looked up to on “The Ultimate Fighter 1.” I actually even wrote him a message on Myspace, and I was real pissed because he never replied to my message. I was like, “He’s an asshole.”
Brown joked afterwards that his entire motivation for this fight was the Myspace incident.
He isn’t sure whether or not Swick even saw the message, but he plans on telling him about it after the fight on Saturday night.
The emergence of Brown as a potential welterweight contender has gone unnoticed as of late. He is currently riding a three-fight win streak, with two of the wins coming by TKO.
It has been three years since Brown last put together such an impressive streak, and he doesn’t plan on letting this opportunity go to waste.
A win over Swick would put Brown one step closer to contending with the upper-echelon fighters in the division, but it won’t be easy.
Swick is on a mission to prove he is still a contender in the UFC. After being out of action for over two years, he returned in August and knocked out DaMarques Johnson.
How will it end on Saturday night?
While Brown is unsure how the actually fight will end, he is confident that his hand will be raised:
I could see myself winning this fight a multitude of ways, an absolutely number of ways. I think I can beat him anywhere that this fight takes place, and it’s just going to be a matter of when he makes that mistake and when I jump on that mistake.
This may be the 5th installment of the UFC on FOX, but somehow it feels like the very first time the UFC will be showcased for the mass cable viewing audience. With a card that far and away surpasses any previous cable-accessible card in the sport’s history, FOX has dubbed this week “Fight Week” and rightfully so. Both parties seem to be maximizing their potential for UFC on FOX 5, but we’ll have to wait until Saturday to determine whether or not the key to success on network television is having both title fights with a solid supporting card and the steady promotion FOX has offered for this event in the days leading up to it.
With a 3-3 record over the past 6 UFC PPV’s, it’s time for The Gambling Addiction Enabler to sink or swim (or specifically, find ourselves at the bottom of the ocean with a fancy matching pair of cinder blocks for shoes). So Join us as we highlight some of the undercard and all the main card bouts in the hopes of bringing you Taters some early holiday funds. All the betting lines come courtesy of BestFightOdds, per usual.
By Dan “Get Off Me” George
This may be the 5th installment of the UFC on FOX, but somehow it feels like the very first time the UFC will be showcased for the mass cable viewing audience. With a card that far and away surpasses any previous cable-accessible card in the sport’s history, FOX has dubbed this week “Fight Week” and rightfully so. Both parties seem to be maximizing their potential for UFC on FOX 5, but we’ll have to wait until Saturday to determine whether or not the key to success on network television is having both title fights with a solid supporting card and the steady promotion FOX has offered for this event in the days leading up to it.
With a 3-3 record over the past 6 UFC PPV’s, it’s time for The Gambling Addiction Enabler to sink or swim (or specifically, find ourselves at the bottom of the ocean with a fancy matching pair of cinder blocks for shoes). So Join us as we highlight some of the undercard and all the main card bouts in the hopes of bringing you Taters some early holiday funds. All the betting lines come courtesy of BestFightOdds, per usual.
Hovering around -270 Jorgensen makes the parlay must category. John Albert is 1-2 in the UFC facing opponents who I believe Jorgensen would beat hands down. It was not long ago that Scott went the distance with a guy named Renan Barao (maybe you’ve heard of him?) and I cannot see Albert, despite being the bigger fighter, being able to dictate how this fight goes. Jorgensen is one of those fighters who loses fights against the upper talent in the division but destroys fighters who are not part of that group (*cough* Ken Stone *cough*).
Even though we are talking 30 cents on the dollar territory, having a victory already under his belt against one of the better 145 pounders fighting a lesser caliber fighter is a good look for Dennis Siver. Phan is solid fighter, but not an underdog who can win here up against a better striker who has plenty experience fighting higher level UFC opponents. It might not be a steamrolling, but Siver should be able to out strike Nam and keep this fight standing possibly taking a decision on the cards.
Tim Means (-340) vs Albert Trujillo (+280)
Albert Trujillo will be making his UFC debut against Tim Means, who is sporting a perfect 2-0 record in the promotion. Another -300 fighter who is parlay bound, Tim Means has lost just once in the last seven years and has half a foot height advantage like he did in his last bout, which he finished in the first round in absolutely brutal fashion. Trujillo may be able to pose the puncher’s chance here and be tough enough to take this fight the distance, but I do not see him being able to outwork “The Dirty Bird” in this one.
Anytime there is a 10 year gap between fighters, it is generally wise to go with the younger fighter and this is surely the case with Stephens (26yrs old( vs Edwards (36yrs old). This fight should be entertaining and I believe Stephens is the stronger fighter who is just as technical in the striking department and equally skilled on the ground as Edwards. Stephens has gone the distance against arguably two of the top 5 lightweights in his past two bouts while Yves has fought mid level lightweights since returning to the UFC with mixed results. A -200 line that says Stephens will not get KO’d, subbed, or outworked by a 36yr old lands this fight on the parlay as well.
Matt Brown has rallied off more wins in the past year than Swick has had fights, but “Quick” dealt with adversity well in his last fight against Demarques Johnson and proved he can finish a fight with his accurate striking. I believe this fight shows Brown as the small underdog based on the fact that Swick has the potential to win this fight standing or on the ground. Stephen Thompson had success standing against Brown but was a fish out of water on the ground and I believe Swick has the skill to keep this fight standing while out striking “The Immortal.” I like Swick and the nearly even money line is worth a look.
Another 10 year difference in age combined with the fact that BJ has not found the fountain of youth beyond his improved physical appearance…again…has me leaning on Rory to make this fight look like round 3 of Fitch/Penn. MacDonald is very hittable and BJ has some of the best hands in the UFC, but Rory trains with GSP, has takedowns like GSP, and should not have much issue bringing BJ to the ground in this fight. I think BJ is in the wrong weight class and despite having an excellent ground game, Rory may just be too strong for BJ’s submissions game. He will likely take risks to deliver his trademark GnP to BJ with little regard to the threat of being submitted. I’m not counting BJ out completely, but we have seen the Prodigy move to 170 before and the outcome was a draw and a loss leading to a retirement announcement.
A little over a year and a half ago, Shogun was +170 going into his fight with Jon Jones as the LHW champion. This Saturday against Gustafsson, Rua is right around +185 and this may be an opportunity to take advantage of picking a solid underdog to win. Gustafsson has not fought the same level of competition as Rua in the UFC and while he has looked impressive in victory, the names he has beaten do not jump off the page just yet. Gustafsson could very well take this fight to the ground and control Rua early and often looking for a decision win, but Rua has the ability to end this fight on the feet and on the ground if he hurts Alexander on the feet. I see Gustafsson by decision or Rua by KO or Submission.
Henderson is undefeated since moving over to the UFC and will be looking to defend his title against his toughest test yet. Had I not seen Nate’s last fight against Jim Miller, I would quickly predict Diaz to be taken down by Bendo and grinded out over 5 rounds. I made the mistake of picking Miller over Diaz precisely due to the fact that I believed Miller would be able to take Diaz down when the striking game was not going in his favor. What I did not know was that Nate has finally developed his take down defense, which leads me to believe he will be able to stuff the lightweight kingpin’s efforts to bring this fight to the ground. In the past, Nate has been taken down by Stevenson, Guida and Maynard with all those bouts resulting in losing efforts. Something clicked against Miller (who had never been finished) and Diaz controlled the fight from the get-go. Benson seems to be impervious to submissions, but if he allows Diaz to lock in a guillotine (like Cerrone) or take his back (like Pettis) he may find out how good Gracie Jiu Jitsu really is. Like Pettis, Diaz is heavy on his lead leg, which will offer a nice target for Henderson to hit, but Bendo was unable to take advantage of this against “Showtime” and I believe the same will happen with Nate. With an advantage in the stand up and submissions department, I will go with Nate Diaz to submit Ben Henderson to become the new UFC lightweight champion.
In one corner, you have the UFC with a stacked card, but still struggling to live up to the hype as far as ratings go. In the other corner, you have boxing, the aging champ of combat sports. While struggling to stay relevant, it is still a dominant force with two bankable stars who won’t fight each other.
It is no mistake that the UFC has put together a PPV-worthy card to be aired free to the masses. You’ve got a title fight in what is arguably the most competitive weight class in the sport. You also have two legends of MMA taking on two young up-and-comers taking on the sport by storm. Come to think of it, the Penn vs. McDonald and Rua vs. Gustafson fights are perfect analogies of what MMA is to boxing right now.
In one corner, you have the UFC with a stacked card, but still struggling to live up to the hype as far as ratings go. In the other corner, you have boxing, the aging champ of combat sports. While struggling to stay relevant, it is still a dominant force with two bankable stars who won’t fight each other.
It is no mistake that the UFC has put together a PPV-worthy card to be aired free to the masses. You’ve got a title fight in what is arguably the most competitive weight class in the sport. You also have two legends of MMA taking on two young up-and-comers taking on the sport by storm. Come to think of it, the Penn vs. McDonald and Rua vs. Gustafson fights are perfect analogies of what MMA is to boxing right now.
UFC on Fox will have a head start on the Saturday prime-time schedule, but Pacquiao vs. Marquez has the advantage of being “appointment viewing.” In other words, fight fans already planning on ordering the PPV bout are more likely to start switching over from the UFC on Fox regardless of whether or not the UFC lightweight championship has been determined. On the flip side, the UFC card has something that Pacquiao/Marquez does not: drama.
Studies show that fight fans, specifically MMA fans, are drawn to the drama aspect over the violence aspect of the sport. Does the UFC on Fox card have drama? You bet your ass it does. You have one title fight in what is arguably the most competitive weight division in MMA and two bouts featuring legends of the sport taking on the rapidly rising young-blood of MMA.
Meanwhile, boxing has scrapped together a meaningless fourth match-up between Marquez and Pacquiao. The fight doesn’t even have any title implications on the line. This fight is coming off of the huge black-eye (pun intended) on the sport of boxing in the form of the controversial Bradley/Pacquiao decision in June. Why Pacquiao’s next fight wasn’t an immediate rematch for the WBO Welterweight Title still escapes me. If it was, Pacquiao/Bradley II would have been a much better draw and stand a much better advantage over the UFC on Fox this Saturday. But alas, the gods of common sense will dictate otherwise.
Nate Diaz and Benson Henderson need to put on a great performance this Saturday. They need to keep viewers engaged and forget about switching over to the PPV event that will overlap the UFC event, when the Pacquiao vs. Marquez supporting card begins at 9 p.m. ET.
Come Monday, it will be interesting to see how the numbers play out. Will the UFC poach some of boxing’s PPV orders? Or will we see a steep decline in TV ratings during the main-event as viewers switch over to see Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV? Will we see a changing of the guard, or will it be business as usual? To me, the biggest story on Saturday does not involve anyone fighting, but which sport will be victorious with TV viewers — the aging legend, boxing, or the rising star of combat sports, MMA?
BJ Penn retired after his draw with Jon Fitch at UFC 127. He then retired again after his loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137.That brings us to his next bout out of “retirement” that he has this weekend at UFC on Fox 5 against Rory MacDonald.If this were to f…
BJ Penn retired after his draw with Jon Fitch at UFC 127. He then retired again after his loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137.
That brings us to his next bout out of “retirement” that he has this weekend at UFC on Fox 5 against Rory MacDonald.
If this were to follow the pattern of Penn’s recent work, we would see a somewhat out of shape Penn come in and scrap, gas out, lose a decision and announce yet another retirement from the sport.
For some reason, I don’t think we will see that BJ Penn this weekend.
Rory MacDonald’s acid tongue in the media has just emerged, but it has done enough to get the attention of Penn. Calling Penn old and fat has ignited a flame that has got Penn is a mindset we haven’t seen since his prime.
Don’t get me wrong, MacDonald is an extremely talented kid that has future champion written all over him. He has a similar style to that of Georges St-Pierre, a man who has defeated Penn twice.
However, MacDonald is still not on GSP’s level, nor does he have the experience that the undisputed welterweight champion possesses.
Could MacDonald’s trash talk have awoken a sleeping beast?
If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “Don’t poke the sleeping bear,” you tend to leave things that can cause harm alone. MacDonald not only called out Penn to take this fight; he hurled some insults at the former two-division champion.
All Penn needs is some motivation to get him in tip-top shape, a training camp and his legendary chin/jiu-jitsu game, and you have yourself the dangerous Penn of not long ago.
Penn is not an easy man to finish. If you let him stay around the whole fight, he will be equally dangerous.
I am sure a majority of the world expects MacDonald to win this fight, take another step up and for Penn to fade to obscurity.
Be careful with that mindset because Penn could spoil those plans.
Benson Henderson has been very fortunate in his UFC career. His last two fights have taken place in cities that he has both family in friends. At UFC on Fox 5 on Saturday at the KeyArena in Seattle, he’ll again have the hometown advantage as he enters the cage.
