Benson Henderson:
The world’s No. 1-ranked lightweight, former UFC and WEC champion Henderson has only failed against current UFC 155-pound champion Anthony Pettis in recent years. After taking his WEC crown in late 2010, “Showtime” ripped the UFC gold from Henderson with a shocking first round submission at UFC 164 last August.
With Pettis out of action nursing a knee injury since then, Henderson has taken on the mantra of facing all comers, issuing a challenge to the rest of the stacked UFC lightweight division that the belt goes through him. He’s lived up to that reputation as well, defeating Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 10 and earning his first UFC stoppage with a fourth round submission of Rustam Khabilov in the main event of June’s UFC Fight Night 42.
“Smooth” will take on talented No. 5-ranked contender Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of this Saturday night’s (August 23, 2014) UFC Fight Night 49 from Tulsa, Oklahoma, with an eye on getting yet another bout with Pettis. If he secures a third straight win over ranked competition, it will be increasingly hard to deny Henderson his next shot at gold.
Many are critical of his grinding style. But the fact remains that he keeps on winning, making him a fighter to watch closely this weekend.
