Benson Henderson: Send All The Title Contenders My Way
No. 1-ranked UFC lightweight challenger Benson Henderson will look to cement his status as the as the 155-pound division’s top dog when he faces No. 11 Rustam Khabilov in the main event of Saturday night’s (June 7, 2014) UFC Fight Night 42 from Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Smooth” lost the belt to Anthony Pettis via first round submission at UFC 164 last August, his second loss to Pettis after their infamous WEC 53 bout that featured the “Showtime” kick. Henderson is looking for another shot at the belt, but with Pettis injured and then returning to face Gilbert Melendez after TUF 20 this fall, that’s a while off.
In the meantime, Henderson appeared on last night’s UFC Tonight to give his gameplan for the currently held-up lightweight division:
“Me, the way I see it is as long as the belt is being defended once a year or however long you take your time defending it; all the other top guys, whoever would fight for the belt normally, say the belt’s defended four times a year or three times a year, whoever would fight for the belt, send ‘em to me. Send ‘em way my. Let’s do that instead.”
Henderson recently won a five round decision over Josh Thomson in the main event of January’s UFC on FOX 10, a fight in which “Punk” largely dominated the takedown game but couldn’t contend with “Smooth’s” striking after breaking his hand in the first round.
It was a win, but it also left Henderson without a single finish in nine UFC bouts dating back to 2011. He could do his title plight a huge favor by notching his first stoppage inside the Octagon this Saturday night.
Will “Smooth” make a strong statement for his coveted shot at gold?
Photo: David Banks for USA TODAY Sports
