Rory MacDonald put his money where his mouth is and defeated B.J. Penn in their bout on UFC on Fox 5.While talking to Joe Rogan after the fight, MacDonald took the microphone and called out a former opponent of his.That man is the only one to hand him …
Rory MacDonald put his money where his mouth is and defeated B.J. Penn in their bout on UFC on Fox 5.
While talking to Joe Rogan after the fight, MacDonald took the microphone and called out a former opponent of his.
That man is the only one to hand him a loss so far in his UFC career. That man, if you haven’t already guessed, is former interim welterweight champion, Carlos Condit.
Both men are elite fighters right now in the UFC. Let’s take a closer look at three reasons the UFC should match them up for the second time.
Going into his bout with Nate Diaz this past Saturday night at UFC on Fox 5, champion Benson Henderson seemingly had much to prove. Despite having earned and defended the lightweight title, there was a sense that the 155-pound strap didn’t rightfully b…
Going into his bout with Nate Diaz this past Saturday night at UFC on Fox 5, champion Benson Henderson seemingly had much to prove. Despite having earned and defended the lightweight title, there was a sense that the 155-pound strap didn’t rightfully belong to him—this due, in large part, to his two victories over former champion Frankie Edgar coming in razor-thin and controversial fashion.
In facing a brash opponent the likes of Diaz, “Smooth” finally had an opportunity to silence the critics. The Stockton native had battered and smashed his way to a title opportunity and made no secret that he was bringing the scrap directly to Henderson’s doorstep.
Questions lingered as to how the MMA Lab product would react to Diaz‘s unique methods, but as soon as the action got underway in the night’s main event, Henderson wasted zero time in showing the world why he is the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
For five rounds, the 28-year-old imposed his will on the Season Five TUF winner as he slammed, dropped and hammered the younger of the Diaz brothers. Henderson’s pressure was relentless, and he overwhelmed Diaz from start to finish. In moments where Diaz attempted his classic posturing, Henderson made him pay for it in grand fashion, as he dropped the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter shortly after Diaz dropped his hands and extended his chin.
When the final bell sounded, the night belonged to Henderson, and he made his second successful title defense in unquestionable fashion. To most it looked like another night of a champion doing his thing. But to this writer, it was a clear statement made to the rest of the super-competitive lightweight division that Henderson has no plans of going back down the ladder.
Line Them Up
Post-fight press conferences have been known to present their fair share of awkward moments, but when Henderson was continuously questioned about who he would like to fight next, the champion attempted to mask his annoyance while still addressing the question. In a weight class rich with potential contenders, there is no shortage of exciting matchups waiting just around the corner.
At the current time there are a handful of fighters within striking distance of a title opportunity. At next month’s UFC on Fox 6 card, there is a showdown between Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis, which could easily determine who gets the next crack at Henderson’s belt.
While the current champion has already defeated Cerrone on two occasions under the WEC banner, since “Cowboy” has transitioned to the Octagon, he has been a force to be reckoned with. His only setback since leaving the “little blue cage” of the WEC has come at the hands of Diaz, but the Colorado native bounced back strong with victories over Jeremy Stephens and Melvin Guillard.
Things have been slightly different for Pettis. After defeating Henderson to earn the WEC lightweight championship in 2010, “Showtime” has fallen into a pattern where momentum has been difficult to build. He was originally slated to face the winner of Edgar vs. Maynard at UFC 125, but after that fight ended in a draw and an immediate rematch was scheduled, Pettis was pushed to the sidelines.
Rather than wait things out, the Duke Roufus-trained fighter agreed to a bout with Clay Guida, where he was ultimately defeated via unanimous decision. The loss pushed Pettis out of the immediate picture, but after earning victories over Stephens and Joe Lauzon at UFC 144, the 25-year-old has once again positioned himself in title contention range.
The winner of their bout on January 26th in Chicago could be granted the next shot at the UFC lightweight strap, but there is another name floating around that could put a nix on both fighters’ title hopes.
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has been battling to be recognized as one of the top 155-pound fighters in the world for years. Fighting outside the UFC banner has made this task all the more difficult, but after building a six-fight win streak and holding the title for more than four years, Melendez has been a staple atop the lightweight rankings.
The biggest issue in this scenario comes with Melendez’s current situation with Strikeforce. All signs point to the San Jose-based organization being on its deathbed. But until his contract situation is sorted out and the UFC brings the 30-year-old into the fold, it appears Melendez will remain in limbo. Should Zuffa be able to get this done in somewhat quick fashion, the time line would be perfect for a Henderson vs. Melendez battle of champions.
By earning the lightweight crown and defending the strap on two occasions, there is little doubt Henderson has made the most of his 2012. Since coming into the UFC, he has consistently faced top competition and made the most of every opportunity that has come his way. In becoming champion of an ultra-competitive division, a target has been firmly placed on his back. From listening to Henderson speak, it is a situation he not only enjoys, but also prefers.
He wants to face the best in the world, and he is in the perfect weight class for those tests to come fast and furious. Over the next 12 months, Henderson could be matched up with the likes of Pettis, Cerrone, Melendez, Maynard or even former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez. This guarantees that the title fights in the lightweight division are going to bring challenges of the highest caliber.
In the past, Henderson has been vocal about his intentions to eclipse Anderson Silva’s record of title defenses, a point he reiterated this weekend in Seattle. Should he be able to work his way through the onslaught of talent coming his way, we could finally see B.J. Penn dethroned as the greatest lightweight champion of all time.
Will this ultimately come to pass?
It is too early to answer that question at this time. But I guarantee it is going to be exciting finding out just how far Henderson’s talent can take him.
BJ Penn has had one of the most successful runs in UFC history. He’s asked where was his 10 fight winning streak. With his mentality he never could’ve had one. Despite being sometimes severely outsized at welterweight, “The Prodigy” took fig…
BJ Penn has had one of the most successful runs in UFC history.
He’s asked where was his 10 fight winning streak. With his mentality he never could’ve had one. Despite being sometimes severely outsized at welterweight, “The Prodigy” took fights with bigger guys that others shy away from. He could’ve stayed at lightweight where he held a 11-3-1 record and dominated everyone not named Frankie Edgar. He could’ve taken carefully picked opponents at welterweight and looked great defeating them.
However, he took the road less traveled. BJ always took the best fighters out there. He fought an undefeated LyotoMachida that weighed 220 pounds, took on a much larger GSP, and also took fights at middleweight. In a sense, BJ got in his own way. His warrior mentality that everybody knows and loves lead to lots of damage and a poor end to a historic career.
Whether it was Rory MacDonald punishing him with body punches and kicks or Nick Diaz wailing away at him, he never gave up. If he were to end his career right now he’d be one of the only fighters ever to never get knocked down in his entire career. One of the only fighters to step up and fight guys a weight class four classes up from where he belongs.
For that BJ should be remembered as one of the all-time greats. These days guys need $50 million to fight in a catchweight bout. BJ would just pack on the cheeseburgers and make it happen.
For all of the naysayers who say that BJ lacked motivation in some fights, I dare them to find someone else in the UFC today that has his resume and still takes on the challenges he has. Anderson Silva stepped up to light heavyweight and fought Forrest Griffin, James Irving, and Stephan Bonnar, all while refusing to fight Jon Jones. BJ has stepped up to fight GSP twice, Hall of Famer Matt Hughes twice, and a prospect in Rory MacDonald that not many people want a piece of. Many people are afraid to lose. BJ welcomed the challenge of going out to win.
With all of that said, unfortunately Father Time has come knocking at BJ’s door. He’s not going to be licking blood off of his gloves anytime soon and his days of contending for a Championship are very well over.
Despite the struggle and ineptitude of his final appearances against much larger and stronger competition, remember BJ as being quite possibly the last true warrior of the Octagon. Remember him as one to never back down from a challenge no matter how much larger his opponent was or how bad a matchup looked on paper. BJ Penn always came to fight.
Some people will leave BJ out of the conversation with the Anderson Silvas and GSPs of the MMA world. In a way it’s warranted because he will never be what Anderson and GSP are.
Nate Diaz fought through blurred vision at UFC on Fox 5, but he wasn’t able to come up with an answer for the leg kicks and wrestling of Benson Henderson. The lightweight champion was the better fighter on Saturday night and now finds himself one win s…
Nate Diaz fought through blurred vision at UFC on Fox 5, but he wasn’t able to come up with an answer for the leg kicks and wrestling of Benson Henderson. The lightweight champion was the better fighter on Saturday night and now finds himself one win short of tying the record for most consecutive title defenses in the 155-pound division.
As dominant as he was in the main event, Henderson was not the only fighter to stand out on a fight card that did not disappoint in the least. Media and fans alike had been begging the UFC to stack one of their cards on network television with meaningful and entertaining matchups. The promotion delivered on those demands with UFC on Fox 5.
No matter the ratings, this event should be considered a success, as the UFC and its fighters couldn’t have delivered much more than they did on Saturday. With that, let’s take a look at which fighters delivered the most at Seattle’s KeyArena.
Although it was unexpectedly dominant, UFC lightweight champ Ben Henderson ran a clinic on the tough Nate Diaz, flawlessly implementing his skills on the Stocktonian in a five-round title fight during UFC on Fox 5.Aside from crisp striking, solid wrest…
Although it was unexpectedly dominant, UFC lightweight champ Ben Henderson ran a clinic on the tough Nate Diaz, flawlessly implementing his skills on the Stocktonian in a five-round title fight during UFC on Fox 5.
Aside from crisp striking, solid wrestling and elite grappling defense, “Bendo” also pulled out an interesting new trick during the bout.
Diaz‘s lead leg quickly became a target for Henderson’s massive kicks, followed up by surprisingly effective jabs to the thigh. Over the course of the fight, the damage on Diaz‘s leg built up tremendously, hampering his movement and even flooring him.
Fuel TV hosted an interview with Bendo in the aftermath to ask him about that specific technique. As it turns out, the champion learned it from an unlikely source:
No, I actually planned it. I got to shout out Alex Caceres for that one. He came up to the MMA Lab for his last fight training camp—he won in Macau and looked great. But his last training camp, he did six weeks at my gym, the MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona.
He did it to me and it actually hurt. He’s a [135] pounder. He weighs 150 pounds soaking wet. He did it to me and it hurt me. I was like, “Huh, that stung a little bit. I want to see if I can steal that.”
Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres, a young fighter in the UFC and former Ultimate Fighter competitor for Team Georges St-Pierre, is widely known for an extremely unorthodox striking arsenal. Originally a lightweight during TUF, Careres now competes at bantamweight with a 3-1 record in the division.
As Henderson tells it, that knee/thigh punch tactic was extremely effective in training, even damaging his training partners in preparations for his title defense against Diaz at UFC on Fox 5. Henderson trains with notable fighters like journeyman Joe Riggs and veteran Jamie Varner.
Henderson battered Nate Diaz in a heavily one-sided decision victory on Saturday, remaining undefeated in the UFC with a 6-0 record.
Ever since coming into the promotion, Henderson has also defeated several top-ranked UFC fighters including Jim Miller, Clay Guida and Frankie Edgar (twice).
During the last five years, Henderson has only tasted defeat once at the hands of Anthony Pettis, the last World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Lightweight Champion. Although a UFC debut loss to Clay Guida disrupted a planned title shot, Pettis has since rebounded with back-to-back wins over Jeremy Stephens and Joe Lauzon.
Former UFC interim welterweight title-holder Carlos Condit seems ready to take on Rory MacDonald after the Canadian called him out following his win over BJ Penn last Saturday at UFC on Fox 5 in Seattle. Or at least Condit’s manager, Malki Kawa, …
Former UFC interim welterweight title-holder Carlos Condit seems ready to take on Rory MacDonald after the Canadian called him out following his win over BJ Penn last Saturday at UFC on Fox 5 in Seattle.
Or at least Condit’s manager, MalkiKawa, says he is.
In an interview with MMA Weekly, Kawa said:
“Carlos Condit doesn’t back down from any man…If the UFC asks us to fight Rory MacDonald, Carlos will take the fight.”
Condit was the last and only man to ever defeat MacDonald in a three-round war back in 2010 at UFC 115.
It was a close match by any measure, one which the young Canadian dominated for at least the first two rounds until Condit managed to turn it around during the dying minutes of the fight.
That loss has clearly stuck in MacDonald’s throat and one he wants to rectify.
MacDonald was utterly dominant against Penn on Saturday and in his post-fight interview was quick to explain why he wants Condit.
“I was just laying there getting beaten on [by Condit], my face looked like I was the guy from ‘The Goonies’ after. I was embarrassed about my performance and how I held myself,” said MacDonald. “It did a lot of damage and I don’t think I’ve been the same person since, so I want to get that back.”
Condit recently lost to Georges St-Pierre—MacDonald’s training partner at the Tristar gym in Montreal. And while the Canadians continue to dismiss any talk of a fight between the two, Condit’s loss to GSP clears the way for MacDonald to have his shot.
Those calls haven’t fallen on deaf ears. The word is, the UFC is now also interested in making that fight happen.
“I am interested in that,” White said of a fight between MacDonald and Condit in an interview on Fuel TV (H/T Examiner.com). “And I like when guys call other guys out. If that’s the fight he wants then we’ll try to make it.”
Going into his bout with Nate