Benson Henderson - Bring 'Em On

UFC.com checks in with new UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson... Here’s the difference between Benson Henderson and the rest of us. The week after winning the UFC lightweight title should have been a time for the Arizonan to be taking his victory lap, blowing up to middleweight on a steady diet of food not meant for world-class athletes, and generally living it up.

Instead, the newly crowned titlist, one weekend removed from winning a five rounder over Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 in Japan, was back in action, competing in the Arizona International Open jiu-jitsu tournament. As a brown belt he took first place in the middleweight division and third in the absolute class, but the results really don’t matter – not in the great scheme of things and not to Henderson. It was all about getting out there and doing it.

“I’ve done that after all my UFC fights,” he said, almost matter-of-factly, as if it’s no big deal to be back competing just a week after a grueling five round MMA fight. “It just so happens, coincidentally, that there’s always a jiu-jitsu tournament the weekend after I get back. I like to compete, I like to have fun, and it’s a nice little break for me being able to compete and the world isn’t on the line, like ‘You have to win, it’s all or nothing.’ If I lose, big deal; I get caught in an arm lock, yeah, okay, I lost, but I had fun competing.”

It’s a pleasant reminder that while this is prizefighting and a way to make a living and a business, there are still fighters out there who embrace the martial arts aspect of the sport, and that still look at getting better as the greatest reward.

“I don’t need the spotlight on me,” said Henderson. “I love to compete, I love the competition aspect of life, and I love the martial arts aspect of living and constantly improving and bettering yourself and not getting complacent. I’m trying to get better, even if it’s the weekend after a fight. I’m trying to have fun, go compete, and improve whatever realm I’m in.”

That attitude allowed Henderson to sail to the top of the WEC’s lightweight division in 2009-10, and in less than a year in the Octagon, he’s done the same in the UFC, defeating Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, Clay Guida, and Edgar to ascend to the throne. And in typical Henderson fashion, he defeated Edgar in a close and exciting battle that left no fan disappointed. Well, maybe Henderson, who, as a perfectionist, would have liked to end the bout with a flourish.

“My take on the fight is that it was a good scrap, but I definitely think I could have done better,” said the 28-year old, who earned the belt via scores of 49-46 twice, and 48-47. “I left some holes out there and didn’t quite get the finish that I wanted, but it was a good scrap.”

“Good scrap” is an understatement, and it’s the reason why Henderson and Edgar will meet up again later this year for a rematch. And that’s just fine with the new champ.

“Let’s run that back, let’s do it again,” he said. “In my eyes, I don’t really see myself as one of those primadonna wide receivers: “I want this, and this has gotta happen.” I represent the UFC, I’m the 155-pound guy right now, and even if you don’t have the belt, it’s not about you calling some guys out. To me, that’s kinda tacky and disrespectful. It’s Sean Shelby, Joe Silva, and Dana White’s job to put somebody in front of you. Whoever they put in front of me, I will beat up. It doesn’t matter. My job is not to match myself up and call this guy or that guy out. I’m not gonna go on Twitter and make my own match. Some guys are into that and that’s the way they want to pursue their career, and they can go right ahead. My job is to beat people up.”

Henderson takes that job seriously, and if you didn’t know that from a WEC career that saw him face Anthony Njokuani, Shane Roller, Donald Cerrone (twice), Jamie Varner, and Anthony Pettis, you can certainly see it in his UFC resume thus far. Simply put, Henderson doesn’t back down from a fight, and when he says that as champion he wants to fight everyone, it’s not a catchy quote; it’s reality. And while he knows it may take some time for the rest of the world to catch on, he’s willing to put in the time to make sure everyone knows that he’s not a talker, he’s a doer.

“I definitely don’t want to get too far ahead of myself,” he admits. “People seem to think that I’m arrogant or cocky, and I don’t want to come across like that. I’ve said it from the very beginning that I want to be the best fighter and I want to fight and beat everybody. It’s not me looking ahead and being cocky all of a sudden like, oh, I beat Frankie Edgar and now all of a sudden I’m gonna smash everybody. I was saying this from the beginning. I’m as confident as any other fighter on the UFC roster. I’m a very confident fighter and all fighters are, or they should be. I want to fight everybody on the roster at 155, I want to beat ‘em all, and I want to have a nice long reign at 155. I’ll do a Bernard Hopkins or Joe Louis. I want to make 155 my weight class and I want my name to be synonymous with it. I think that would be something special.”

Considering that boxing greats Hopkins and Louis each reigned for over a decade, that would be something pretty special, but Henderson is up for the challenge. And though it remains to be seen, his eventual impact may turn out to be greater outside the Octagon than in it, as he’s a many-layered individual with interests and a back story that goes far beyond what is seen as typical these days. As I wrote of Henderson back in the WEC days, “In a world of black and white, WEC lightweight contender Ben Henderson emerges in Technicolor.”

Nothing has happened since to dispel that notion. If anything, he’s turned into an even more compelling figure to watch. But he’s not about to change under the bright lights. He’s still Benson Henderson. He just has more people paying attention these days.

“It’s not something I really thought about until later on, until I started to realize that I’m on a much bigger platform to get the things that I talk about and bring up and love out there,” said Henderson, a self-proclaimed comics, sci-fi, and fantasy junkie who is also a devout Christian. “But I don’t want to be the guy who just does all that stuff just for the sake of doing it. I want people to know that it’s okay to be a comic book nerd and still go beat people up. (Laughs) But the thing I want to be adamant about is being a Christian and being that guy for some kid who always hears about it from his grandmother but doesn’t give it any serious thought; now he can hear about when he’s watching Pay-Per-View and then go ‘yeah, maybe I’ll listen to this.’”

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Update: Saffiedine-‘Cyborg’ Now Unlikely for ‘Feijao vs. Henderson’

A welterweight scrap between up-and-comer Tarec Saffiedine and recent title challenger Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (Pictured), which was reportedly being targeted for Strikeforce “Feijao vs. Henderson” on March 5, now appears unlikely.

After multiple sources close to the negotiations confirmed the rumored contest to Sherdog.com, new information gathered Thursday suggests the bout will not take place after all.

The event, which will be headlined by the light heavyweight title affair between champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante and challenger Dan Henderson, will go down from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and will coincide with the Arnold Classic.

Saffiedine was last seen dropping a hard-fought unanimous decision to fellow prospect Tyron Woodley in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 13 on Jan. 7. Prior to his loss to Woodley, “Sponge” had earned three straight victories. The Team Quest product is a veteran of both Dream and Shark Fights and owns a 2-1 record inside the Strikeforce cage. Saffiedine owns half of his 10 career victories by submission.

A product of the vaunted Chute Boxe camp, Santos just contended for the welterweight title on Jan. 29, losing by second-round submission to cagey champion Nick Diaz. Though “Cyborg” controlled the early going with powerful kicks to the lead leg of the Cesar Gracie product, Diaz’s accurate boxing proved equally effective. After taking the fight to the floor in round two, Santos was caught in an armbar and submitted with only 10 seconds remaining in the round. Fighting the majority of his career at heavier weights, his title shot against Diaz marked Santos’ second career fight at 170 pounds.

Along with the main event, a women's 135-pound title affair is also official for “Feijao vs. Henderson,” as Marloes Coenen will put her belt on the line against Miesha Tate. Also announced: a middleweight scrap between Tim Kennedy and Luke Rockhold and a lightweight tilt featuring Billy Evangelista and Jorge Masvidal.

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Plenty at Stake for Henderson and Pettis

“I am completely thankful to the WEC, which has been my home. I grew up a lot as a fighter in the WEC. I got national exposure. The life I live now is all thanks to WEC." Glendale, Ariz. -- Unlike college basketball, the sport of MMA doesn’t have a “Final Four.” But Thursday night’s main event between Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis certainly has a Final Four type of feel to it. That’s because the victor will not only walk away with the WEC lightweight title, but is also guaranteed a shot at the UFC lightweight title next year. Having so much on the line presents an extraordinary set of opportunities for both fighters as they also prepare to make history by competing in the final bout in the WEC’s illustrious 9 and ½ year existence.

Henderson, the easy-going WEC champ and winner of 10 straight, lives and trains in Glendale and welcomes the potential benefits of a home crowd advantage. He has sparred in the past with former UFC champion BJ Penn and has long been keenly aware that he would never get the full credit he deserves, or be able to prove the full extent of his skills, until he was pitted against the UFC’s lightweight crop. Now, with the WEC set to merge with its big brother, the 27-year-old and his peers will get that chance. Henderson went so far as to say that he will be taking a piece of the WEC with him into the UFC, and that despite being a world champion he will be cloaked in an underdog’s clothing, mindful that some may perceive him to be a second-tier fighter underneath of the UFC’s elite. That is a perception he, Pettis and other WEC veterans hope to shatter.

“You better believe that there’s going to still be a chip on our shoulder, a chip on my shoulder personally, when I go against any UFC guy,” said the soft-spoken Henderson (12-1). “It’s nothing that they’ve done personally but I’ve got that chip on my shoulder. So I’m definitely going to be here to leave that legacy for the WEC.”

Of course, none of the stars in Henderson’s universe will align if he doesn’t first turn back the dynamic, highly unpredictable threat that is Anthony Pettis. Appropriately nicknamed “Showtime” for his penchant for flashiness inside of the cage, Pettis is a standup force who trains under one of the game’s most respected Muay Thai instructors, Duke Roufus. Pettis’ combination of athleticism, speed and technique make him particularly dangerous with punches, head kicks, flying knees and spinning backfists – surprise elements that can end a fight in an instant. While it is widely perceived that Henderson, a former collegiate wrestler with a wicked guillotine, could dominate on the canvas, Pettis is coming off a submission victory over Shane Roller – another accomplished wrestler with a nasty guillotine.

“The biggest thing I like about Anthony is that he gets better every fight,” said Henderson, who holds two bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and sociology. “He’s shown improvement in every area of his game, every fight. He’s improved his takedown defense and is finishing his submissions as well. He doesn’t fold under pressure; I like that.”

Despite his occasional flamboyance, Pettis is also a tough character. In a 2008 pro fight, the Milwaukee native was slammed to the canvas and suffered a dislocated shoulder. He shot to his feet and soon fired a sizzling head kick that knocked out his opponent. Heading into the biggest fight of his career, the 23-year-old former subject of an MTV “World of Jenks” episode said he aims to “make Milwaukee proud.” The memory of a loved one is also something that continues to fuel his fire.

“My dad was killed in an armed robbery in 2003,” he said. “I still use many of the life lessons he taught me.”

Pettis (10-1) said he is often asked, “How would you do against UFC guys?” He believes that Thursday night’s fight will help answer that question. He is not the least bit concerned about fighting the champ in his hometown.

“I’m excited because it’s not going to be 19 degrees out,” said Pettis, alluding to the frigid Milwaukee weather. “I get to wear some shorts out there. So, I mean, the crowd’s going to boo me or however it plays out. No matter what, it’s just me and Ben in that cage and that speaks for itself. It’s not the crowd inside there, so I’m not going to let that get to my head and I’m just going to fight my fight.”

Pettis conceded that he will try to exploit Henderson in the standup realm, if possible. The No.1 challenger said he looks forward to joining the UFC, hopefully fighting for the world title in his debut.

Henderson, meanwhile, perhaps spoke for both men in framing his gratitude to the WEC and GM Reed Harris, and also the new adventure that is right around the corner.

“I am completely thankful to the WEC, which has been my home,” Henderson said, expressing his mixed emotions. “I grew up a lot as a fighter in the WEC. I got national exposure. The life I live now is all thanks to WEC. For whatever reason, maybe it’s just a small bit of jealousy … but there has been a chip on our shoulder for not getting quite the recognition that we felt we deserve.

“I think every time there was a WEC we fought with a chip on our shoulder; like we wanted to stand out. We wanted to catch people’s attention, catch their eye and make people say, ‘Oh, man, did you watch those fights the other day? That was WEC. I was flipping through the channels and I saw these guys throwing down. They were all over the place, jumping off the cage and running around and it’s just non-stop action.’

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Pettis Dethrones Henderson in Final WEC Event

Glendale, Ariz. – UFC, are you ready for “Showtime?” Because he’s coming soon.

On a night wrapped in historical overtones, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis dethroned WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at Jobing.com Arena to earn a UFC title shot. Both fighters waged a back-and-forth battle that was worthy of Fight of the Night and may have been decided in the final 80 seconds of the fifth round. With the fight apparently up for grabs, Pettis went airborne, acrobatically bounced off the cage fence and executed a beautiful high kick that landed flush on the hometown champ’s jaw and dropped him to the canvas. It was an electrifying and unprecedented move that no one in press row had ever seen, like something out of a “The Matrix” movie. It sent the live crowd at the arena into mass hysteria.

Henderson gamely weathered the crucial assault and got back to his feet, but that sequence may have anchored his defeat by unanimous decision. The riveting match was fittingly the last bout ever for the decade-old WEC, which is set to merge with its sister organization, the UFC. That means Pettis, a Milwaukee native who starred in an MTV episode of “World of Jenks,” is slated to fight the winner of the Jan. 1 bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and unbeaten challenger Gray Maynard.

An emotional Pettis, whose father was murdered during an armed robbery in 2003, credited his coach Duke Roufus for the one-of-a-kind kick that made a lot of people’s jaw drop.

“We practice that all the time,” Pettis said, “and I’ve got 10 more kicks like that coming when I get to the UFC.”

Roufus called the kick an “Ong Bak” kick, noting it is an old Muay Thai technique. Pettis dropped Henderson on another occasion with a stiff right hand, but barely survived a rear naked choke in the fourth round that was close to being dead on.

Pettis was not the only man to make history Thursday night. Dominick Cruz did, too. Cruz’s handsome reward for a night’s work: Two world titles and a slice of history. The super-quick Californian used his ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ striking style to beat up No.1 challenger Scott Jorgensen for five rounds to become the UFC’s first-ever bantamweight champion. The 25-year-old Cruz may well be on a collision course with Urijah Faber, the only man to defeat him in 18 pro fights.

“I’m ready to fight whoever,” Cruz said with the UFC belt around his waist and the WEC title strapped over one shoulder. “I want to fight Urijah. Let’s do it in Sacramento.”

If you’ve seen any of his Cruz’s fights over the past three years, you’ve pretty much seen them all. He used the same unorthodox blueprint to tame Jorgensen, a former Division I wrestling standout who had entered the bout winner of seven of his past eight fights. Since losing to Faber in March 2007, no one has been able to put a dent in the rejuvenated Dominick Cruz. He has overwhelmed and baffled seven straight foes with a blistering combination of punches, kicks, knees and takedowns. No fighter has been able to match his speed or figure out his rhythm, as he mixes up his striking and takedowns as well as anyone in the game.

At times against Jorgensen (11-4), it looked as if Cruz was engaging in target practice. He effortlessly danced around the cage and landed three-and-four strike combinations almost at will. Jorgensen, one of the sport’s most durable fighters, never came close to wilting and always kept coming. But he had difficulty mounting a sustained offense because Cruz was simply too fast, elusive and scrappy to nail down. Jorgensen did manage to take Cruz down twice and even bloodied the champ’s nose. On the other hand, Cruz took Jorgensen down in every round, bloodied the challenger’s nose and busted up his right eye enough to cause heavy swelling.

“My conditioning was top-notch, I trained 10 straight rounds in practice with a different sparring partner each round,” Cruz said. “Scotty is very tough. He took everything I had, head kicks and everything. Just a tough dude, man … The future holds a lot of title defenses. Every time I fight I’ll be fighting for another belt. That will be my mentality from beginning to end.”

In other action Thursday night:     

Donald Cerrone vs. Chris Horodecki

Opposing fighters know that Donald Cerrone loves the triangle choke, but stopping the lanky Coloradan’s slippery jiu-jitsu game still can be a tall order. In a fight where Chris Horodecki seemed to get the better of the standup battle in round one, Cerrone resorted to his most predictable move, forcing Horodecki (15-3) to tap at 2:43 of round two.

Immediately after the bout, “Cowboy” called out UFC lightweight Cole Miller for his next fight.

“Cole Miller beat a good friend of mine, Leonard Garcia,” said Cerrone (13-3, 1 NC). “Cole, I’m coming for you.”

Cerrone, who entered this contest coming off the finest performance of his career against Jamie Varner, credited coach Greg Jackson with helping him guard against a letdown.

Kamal Shalorus vs. Bart Palaszewski

The first round of this contest was a glorious testament to Bart Palaszewski’s toughness. The truth is, not many fighters could have withstood the ground-and-pound beating that “Bartimus” absorbed for the opening three minutes. Blow after blow of hard body shots, and occasional head shots, that produced loud thumping sounds for those sitting within 100 yards of cageside. Amazingly, once the human punching bag returned to his feet, Palaszewski’s face had neither blood nor swelling. But Shalorus, a world-class wrestler who hails from Iran and now trains in Austin, Texas, paid a price for his aggression. For the remaining 10 minutes he would be engaged in a nip-and-tuck battle, with Palaszewski (34-14) and his red Mohawk often getting the better of the standup exchanges with high kicks and fistic combinations.

“I took all of my strength trying to finish him,” Shalorus (7-0-2) said after judges awarded him a razor-thin split decision by scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. “I made a mistake and used all of my power and pretty much gassed out in the second round. I will make changes and come back stronger.”

Tiequan Zhang vs. Danny Downes

Fight aficionados, meet Danny “Boy” Downes. Highly intelligent, slightly geeky, and a young man who walked away from potential careers with the U.S. Secret Service or U.S. Commerce Department to be a fighter. On Thursday night, with his UFC future at stake, the Milwaukee product achieved what he called “the greatest accomplishment of my life” by upsetting previously unbeaten Chinese sensation Tiequan Zhang. The 32-year-old Zhang, a submission specialist, entered the bout with a sterling 17-0 record and furiously blitzed Downes for nearly the entire first round with submission attempts. Zhang took Downes down, and hunted for his trademark guillotine choke in vain. He wrenched on Downes’ arm with two armbars, squeezing with everything he had, and Downes kept coming. Most perilously, Zhang took Downes’ back with both hooks in and locked in several rear naked chokes. Downes, gasping for air, always managed to hand fight his way free or change the angle just a tad – though it was the Midwesterner’s heart, more than his technique, that seemed to set him free.

Never before in his career had Zhang been forced to fight beyond the first round. Downes had wanted to test his opponent’s gas tank and had succeeded. In the second round, a visibly spent Zhang looked like a 155-pound version of Shane Carwin during his UFC heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar. The turning point happened when Zhang went for a takedown, then oddly abandoned the takedown and pulled guard. The gesture signified his fatigue, and it was pretty much all Downes from that point on. The 24-year-old Duke Roufus protégé dominated positions on top and scored with ground and pound and threatened with rear naked chokes and an arm triangle. You could have arguably awarded Downes a 10-8 score for pitching a near-shutout in round two. The third round was mostly a carbon copy of the second, save for Downes (7-1) busting open Zhang’s right eye, causing significant swelling.

“I’m just really stubborn I guess,” a victorious Downes said afterward, alluding to his survival skills in the first round. “I trained really hard for this and made a lot of changes. Beating Zhang is the greatest accomplishment of my life.”

Judges scored the fight unanimously in Downes’ favor by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Jamie Varner vs. Shane Roller

For a pro fighter, few moments are as exhilarating as triumphing in front of your hometown fans, and few as disappointing as coming up short on your home turf. Unfortunately for former WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner, he tasted the latter experience on Thursday night. The Arizona native dropped Roller with a crisp left hook in the first round, but the Oklahoman recovered quickly. Roller, a highly-decorated wrestler, then scored a takedown and immediately transitioned to the back, sinking in a tight rear naked choke to win the tap at 3:55 of the first round.

The sudden and dramatic turn of events ended what has been a hellacious 2010 for Varner, who will finish this season with an 0-3-1 record. Roller, meanwhile, moved to 9-3, redeeming himself for a loss to Anthony Pettis.

“I just wanted to stay relaxed. I didn’t try to rush my takedowns and get it to the ground,” said Roller, who stood and traded with Varner for most of the fight and even cut Varner’s right eye. “I’ve got confidence in my hands and when the opportunity presents itself I’ll take it to the ground.”

Ivan Menjivar vs. Brad Pickett

The return of Ivan Menjivar to the UFC family produced an instant and leading candidate for Fight of the Night. In what played out as a predominantly standup extravaganza, Menjivar and Pickett took turns pounding each other with heavy leather, with the Montreal fighter rocking and wobbling Pickett in the second stanza and Pickett storming back in the third and returning the favor. The bout was awfully close but two Pickett takedowns in the opening round may have been the difference as the judges awarded him a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28 across the board.

The British-born fighter, who trains with American Top Team, said that some of Menjivar’s punches caused him to see “my mom, my dad.”

’I said ‘Dad, I’m fighting!’ and then came back to the fight,” said Pickett, who demonstrated both an iron jaw and iron will during the fight and ran his record to 21-5. “He hit me with some good shots, I hit him with some good shots, so I’m happy. In my opinion this is the biggest win of my career.  A lot of people don’t know about him, but he’s been fighting a long time … “

Eddie Wineland vs. Ken Stone

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, if he was watching, could definitely relate to what transpired in this matchup between former WEC bantamweight champ Wineland and WEC newcomer Stone. It was Stone, a member of American Top Team, who executed early with a bevy of stinging leg kicks that caught Wineland’s attention. One of MMA’s better boxers, Wineland momentarily stunned Stone with a potent right hand, though Stone would retaliate by cracking the Indiana fighter with a gnarly spinning backfist. Things got especially interesting when Stone jumped guard with a body triangle, forcing Wineland to stand and bear the weight of both men. Hoping to avoid going to the mat, Wineland – still carrying Stone’s weight – walked him toward the cage and eventually slammed him hard to the canvas with violent force. The impact of the blow knocked Stone unconscious at 2:11.  

“His first leg kick – wow! -- he’s got a nice leg kick and I really wasn’t expecting it,” Wineland (18-6-1) conceded afterward. “That’s definitely not a slapping leg kick. I tried to stay composed. I listened to my corner and (it was) lights out. I’m so hungry, I want it bad.”

Danny Castillo vs. Will Kerr

We now know this about Danny Castillo: Thursday was not his “last call” in MMA’s biggest league. The northern Californian was on the defensive for much of this bout, which lasted only 85 seconds but never delivered a dull moment. Kerr stormed Castillo at the opening horn, firing off a flying knee that just missed. A scramble ensued, with the ultra-aggressive Kerr applying a guillotine choke that Castillo escaped. On the mat, Kerr immediately unleashed yet another trick, threatening with a deep series of heel hooks. Castillo defended the moves, but Kerr kept insisting on the submission. Heel hooks and foot locks can be wonderful surprise attacks, but there can be a downside. Focusing two hands on an opponent’s feet means no hands to defend your chin from punches. As it turned out, Kerr would pay for his insistence as Castillo landed a few heavy shots on top, putting his Connecticut adversary out cold.

“I’ve been working on staying composed in there and making the cage a home for myself,” said Castillo, a Team Alpha Male fighter who improved to 10-4. “Right now I feel like this is my house. I feel like I’ve found myself as a fighter, I know my identity as a fighter. I’m ready to move forward and to keep winning.”

Ricardo Lamas vs. Yuri Alcantara

This fight taught us that Yuri Alcantara, a training partner of Lyoto Machida, might be a fighter to keep our eyes on. Tonight, the hot-blooded Brazilian literally punched his ticket to the UFC. Equally dangerous on his feet and on the mat, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt eschewed his ground game and instead demonstrated devastating punching power, knocking Lamas out cold with a wide left hook at 3:26 of the opening stanza. The one-punch explosion ended what had been a fairly competitive standup fight, with each lightweight scoring in the clinch with knees.

“My hands are real powerful. Thank god I have another victory,” said Alcantara, who improved to 24-3 and is riding an 11-fight win streak.

Chris Cariaso vs. Renan Barao

What looked like an intriguing matchup on paper turned into a decidedly one-sided affair as Barao, a much-hyped bantamweight and training partner of WEC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo, dominated en route to a victory via submission. The 23-year-old Brazilian burst out of the gate with a steady stream of leg kicks. When the action hit the mat, Barao deftly passed Cariao’s guard and threatened with a kimura, then smoothly transitioned to an armbar attempt before finally settling on Cariaso’s back with both hooks in. The San Franciscan’s attempts to fend off Barao failed, and Barao cinched in the choke and won the tap at 3:47 of the first round.

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Radach-St. Preux Greenlit for ‘Henderson vs. Babalu 2’

UFC and International Fight League veteran Benji Radach (Pictured) will meet Ovince St. Preux in a featured matchup at Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu” this Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Strikeforce officials on Tuesday confirmed the matchup, which will be contested at 205 pounds.

Radach has not competed since losing a hotly contested slugfest with Scott Smith nearly two years ago. The 31-year-old suffered a torn pectoral muscle while training in January, underwent surgery to repair the damage and developed a post-op staph infection. Radach has a long-standing relationship with the injury bug. Bitten by a brown recluse spider in 2004, he developed an infection that carved a golf ball-sized hole out of his leg. Still, he accepted a match against Chris Leben under the Sportfight banner and suffered a broken jaw in two places for his troubles. Radach eventually missed nearly three years of competition, as he underwent surgeries for a herniated disc and torn knee ligament, the latter of which resulted in a serious MRSA staph infection that led to talk of possible amputation. Broken hands and a broken collarbone have rounded out his injury checklist.

A potent finisher when healthy, Radach has secured 17 of his 21 career victories by knockout or technical knockout. Wins over former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua, UFC veteran Gerald Harris and one-time IFL middleweight titleholder Ryan McGivern anchor his resume.

St. Preux, a former linebacker at the University of Tennessee, will carry a five-fight winning streak into the match. The 27-year-old last appeared at Strikeforce Challengers 12 on Nov. 19, when he earned a unanimous decision over Antwain Britt.

A light heavyweight showdown between two-time Olympian Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral will headline Strikeforce’s year-end event, along with a middleweight tilt pairing former EliteXC champion Robbie Lawler with 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland.

Dan Henderson vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Lindland
Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith
Antonio Silva vs. Mike Kyle
Benji Radach vs. Ovince St. Preux
Fernando Bettega vs. Wayne Phillips
Justin Lawrence vs. Max Martyniouk
Terrell Brown vs. Patrick Cummins
Lee Brousseau vs. Mike Glenn
Ben Brown vs. JW Wright

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Henderson: Medication Issues Will Not Follow Him to ‘Babalu’

Dan Henderson: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Dan Henderson made his Strikeforce debut as a heavy favorite to dethrone then middleweight champion Jake Shields in April.

For the first round of their fight, it appeared as if “Hendo” would do just that. The veteran dropped Shields with a trademark overhand right and looked to finish, only to find the younger fighter refusing to give in. Rounds two through five belonged to Shields, as an increasingly fatigued Henderson was taken down repeatedly and dominated on the ground.

Henderson will make his second promotional appearance on Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, as he takes on Renato “Babalu” Sobral in the Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu II” main event. Henderson fielded questions during a Nov. 23 teleconference, many of them related to his lackluster performance against Shields in Nashville, Tenn.

The two-time Olympian, who has made the cut to middleweight a number of times during his 13-year career, claimed he was in good condition leading up to the bout and pointed at other factors that contributed to his fatigue. The Team Quest founder revealed the cause of his troubles to Sherdog.com in October.

“It was a medical thing. Something came up unexpected, and my weight went up when it should have been going down. It was some medication that doctors gave me for some back injuries that didn’t do well with weight-cutting,” said Henderson. “I cut 19 pounds from the night before to the weigh-ins. I’ve never had to do that ever in my whole wrestling career. I’ve cut more weight than that but never that much last-minute like that.”

His underwhelming performance behind him, Henderson’s upcoming contest against Sobral will take place at 205 pounds, where Henderson has competed and succeeded before.

“I have always felt comfortable at 205. I have never felt weak or out-powered,” he said. “I can eat a good meal the night before the fight, which means it’s one less thing I need to worry about. [Right now] I am hanging out at 203, 204.”

Casual observers may not know the pending Strikeforce headliner between Henderson and Sobral is actually a rematch of their 2000 clash in Japanese promotion Rings. Henderson edged out a split decision over Sobral to win the 1999 King of Kings tournament. Though his opponent is the same on Dec. 4, Henderson believes that both fighters have evolved so much in the last decade that little can be taken from their first encounter.

“I was primarily a wrestler trying to throw some punches before, but I have gotten more training on submission stuff,” said Henderson. “I have learned and grown as a fighter and [learned] how to use my wrestling better for MMA. I have really enjoyed learning new things along the way.”

The owner of Team Quest in Temecula, Calif., Henderson claims he feels no added pressure to beat Sobral again, nor is he stressed about entering the cage coming off a loss.

“I feel like I am out there to win and to make sure I win every fight. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way, but I don’t feel like it’s a do-or-die situation,” he said. “I am not going to retire if it doesn’t go my way, but I feel very confident in my training for this fight. Hopefully, it won’t be an issue.”

A 13-year MMA veteran, Henderson, 40, cites his decision to stop wrestling as a reason for his longevity.

“I had no idea I would be in this sport for this long,” said Henderson. “When I quit wrestling in 2000, I was going to fight full-time for a couple of years. At that time, my body felt more beat up from wrestling than it did two or three years later after I quit wrestling and focused on fighting, which has prolonged my fight career.”

As for his upcoming fight, Henderson expects fans to be pleased by what they see.

“It will not be a boring fight. I am in this to perform well, and I want to make sure it is exciting for the fans [so I can] bring new fans to the sport,” he said. “I did not do that in my last fight, so I want to make sure this one is exciting.”

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Strikeforce ‘Henderson vs. Babalu’ Preview

Dan Henderson: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu” on Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis kicks off with televised bouts running opposite “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale” Finale in Las Vegas. Which one do you watch? Your DVR can provide the answers.

Who wins at Strikeforce’s final show of 2010 remains a worthwhile question, so let us take a closer look for a breakdown of the fights.

The Matchup: As the cadre of MMA’s legends creeps toward inevitable replacement by the newer breed, Henderson soldiers along and will probably be the last of the circa-2000 stars left at the world-class level. His last performance, a loss to Jake Shields, saw him come up flat and out-grappled in a bout where his huge right hand scored early, only to see Shields dominate en route to a five-round decision win. He will be better returning to 205, where he will not have to cut huge amounts of weight. Plus, his takedowns are still dominant at light heavyweight.

Sobral, meanwhile, does pretty much everything well without one world-beating skill set, at least at the world-class level. His stand-up is functionally effective, with good jiu-jitsu, though he is probably not dangerous enough from his back to threaten Henderson, whose submission defense is excellent.

Matching up against Sobral, Henderson has a lot of options open to him. He does not have to worry about being outwrestled or outstruck. Henderson’s big right hand remains a dangerous weapon that can be used to set up room for a takedown or land simply of its own accord to change fights. With room to operate and think about what he wants to do, Henderson’s age and mileage are not likely to be readily exploited; Shields survived his opening round onslaught to counter with solid takedowns and top control to keep Henderson on the defensive, but Sobral seems unlikely to follow suit unless he can hurt Henderson standing and pounce.

Sobral’s decision win in June in a 195-pound catchweight bout against Robbie Lawler was not particularly impressive. The two largely negated one another, as Sobral seemingly sleepwalked to a snoozer decision. At times, he has been a far cry from the effective fighter that worked his way to a shot against then-UFC champion Chuck Liddell, with a trio of submission wins in the organization. Some fighters simply are inconsistent, and Sobral appears to be the prototype. At the top of his game, however, he has proven himself a very talented fighter.

To be effective against Henderson, Sobral will have to land something significant early and dictate where the fight goes, preferably moving into top position during an exchange or a scramble, where he can work his jiu-jitsu to control position and land stamina-draining strikes. Essentially, Sobral will have to play like a football team waiting for a turnover.

The Pick: Henderson should be able to pace himself, pick his spots and take the fight to the mat when he wants. He will control from top position, landing sporadic ground-and-pound while wearing down Sobral en route to a third-round stoppage.

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Brutal Knockouts Headline Strikeforce ‘Henderson vs. Babalu’

Dan Henderson (right) stopped Renato Sobral: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

ST. LOUIS -- Knockouts reigned supreme Saturday night at Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu II” as the evening’s three biggest fights each ended in violence, electrifying the Scottrade Center.

In the main event, former two-division Pride champion Dan Henderson destroyed Renato “Babalu” Sobral in a rematch of the pair’s first fight 10 years earlier in the Rings promotion.

As is typical, Henderson had his right hand cocked and ready from the get-go. Sobral ducked under one bomb early and tried to keep his distance as The Team Quest product attempted to close the gap. Henderson fired off a “Superman” punch, but “Babalu” rolled with it and avoided taking any damage. Henderson charged, winging haymakers and pushing Sobral against the cage.

The Brazilian shot for a takedown, but Henderson maintained top position, stacking Sobral and raining down vicious right hands that put the former Strikeforce champion to sleep. The brutal end came at 1:53 of round one.

Scott Smith’s welterweight debut did not disappoint, but not in the way that “Hands of Steel” would have preferred.

British bomber Paul Daley ended Smith’s night at 2:09 of the first round, knocking him out in spectacular fashion.

There was no feeling out process, as Daley winged a right hand immediately and got caught with a jab for his efforts. Smith appeared content in the early going to measure the distance, using his jab and lead leg as a rangefinder. Daley clipped him with a nice one-two about a minute in that dropped Smith, but “Hands of Steel” recovered quickly. As Smith moved forward, “Semtex” landed a tight left hook that staggered the UFC veteran.

Undeterred, Smith surged ahead and found himself on the receiving end of the exact same punch. There would be no recovery for the comeback kid this time, however, as Smith went limp before falling flat on his face as John McCarthy waved off the contest.

Matt Lindland’s night was over almost before it started, as “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler found the veteran’s chin less than a minute into the first round with a wicked right hook and followed the crumpling Team Quest founder to the mat, relieving Lindland of his consciousness with another bomb on the ground.

Both men came out quickly to start, engaging in the pocket. Lindland didn’t appear eager to clinch, and the 40-year old ended up paying for it. Lawler seemed intent on timing the Olympic silver medalist as he moved in, and missed on several attempts before finally hitting the jackpot with a colossal right hook.

Lindland still had his senses when he hit the floor, but as he turned to defend himself from further punishment, he was met with another Lawler fist. This marks the second devastating knockout Lindland has suffered in his last four fights.

The official time was 0:50 of the first.

After an early scare, former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva took care of business, stopping a game but outmatched Mike Kyle in the second round of their heavyweight tilt.

Though Silva took the center of the cage to start, Kyle used his speed advantage to land two sharp right hands, the second of which dropped the massive Brazilian. Kyle pounced on his foe, throwing dozens of punches and hammer fists. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt survived, however, and calmly recovered half guard.

As Silva shrimped, he tried to turn the position into a single-leg takedown, but Kyle’s base proved stout. The American Kickboxing Academy product bloodied Silva’s cheek before the larger man recovered full guard. From there, Kyle landed two comical -- though illegal -- headbutts to Silva’s abdomen and was admonished by referee John McCarthy.

Silva dove for a single to start round two, but Kyle stepped out of it before eating a right. The American Top Team representative shot again, this time securing the takedown and transitioning beautifully to the north-south position. As Kyle rolled to his stomach, Silva locked up what looked to be a fight-ending anaconda choke. To the American’s credit, he managed to escape the position, but Silva simply would not be denied. “Bigfoot” climbed on top of his foe, securing the mount and clobbering Kyle with sledgehammer blows until McCarthy stopped the contest at 2:49 of the round.

In the first televised fight of the evening, light heavyweight prospect Ovince St. Preux dominated an undersized Benji Radach en route to an easy unanimous decision victory.

Neither man impressed to start, but St. Preux drew figurative first blood with a hard liver kick. Radach retaliated with a takedown, but the former University of Tennessee linebacker popped right back up. After both men traded blows standing, St. Preux took the fight to the floor, securing Radach’s back and landed powerfulpunches on the floor. After dishing out considerable punishment, the former Volunteer tried to end the fight with a rear-naked choke on two occasions. St. Preux looked puzzled at points, as referee Mike England refused to stop the contest.

Round two would bring more of the same, as mere seconds into the second frame, St. Preux dropped Radach with a short left hook and followed him to the ground, riding the knockout puncher and looking to dig in his hooks once Radach exposed his back.

In the third, Radach came out with something to prove. Fighting through exhaustion, the 30-year-old landed a heavy right hand that staggered St. Preux before eating a sharp left that dropped him to the canvas. From there, it was déjà vu, as the Tennessean landed more punches on the canvas. A late stand up by England gave Radach hope, but it was too little too late.

Scores were 30-27, 30-26, 30-25 for St. Preux.

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