Anyone who calls themselves a fan of MMA will never forget what took place the night of December 16, 2010.
The beloved World Extreme Cagefighting was coming to end and on their last card fans were treated to a spectacular main event that produced perhaps the sports’ most captivating highlight in one moment. That of course is the “Showtime Kick”.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, of course we’re talking about current UFC Lightweight champ Benson Henderson and the human highlight reel himself – Anthony Pettis. Although Henderson will always be known as the fighter on the receiving end of the “Showtime Kick” (and the loser of the bout – Pettis won a close unanimous decision) he has rebounded significantly by becoming the UFC lightweight champion.
Now the stage is set for both men to do it one more time but this time the stakes are much higher as the UFC lightweight title is on the line. Let’s take a closer look at UFC 164’s main event.
Anthony Pettis (16-2)
Easily the most dangerous striker in the lightweight division, Pettis brings a wealth of problems for any opponent matched up against him and that includes the UFC Lightweight champion Henderson.
The Milwaukee native’s style is as exciting as it gets in MMA. His strikes are just as flashy as Anderson Silva’s and his power is just as devastating as Jose Aldo’s. Pettis has an affinity for doing things we’ve never seen before in the octagon each time he faces an opponent. It’s almost like he’s a magician of sorts that has yet to reveal his greatest trick and the scariest part of it all is he continues to show vast improvement.
In order to repeat his success Pettis will have to first and foremost be conditioned to go five full rounds against an athlete of Henderson’s caliber. It’s obvious that Henderson will do his best to tire Pettis out by grinding him as often as possible. It’s no secret that the weakness in Pettis’ game is his wrestling and takedown defense. If he’s able to stuff the takedowns and keep his opponent at bay with his dangerous leg strikes, Pettis will surely walk away with a KO or decision victory as he has the advantage in the striking department.
However, this is a huge IF. Pettis is coming off of a knee injury which forced him out of his August 3 featherweight title fight with Jose Aldo and we suspect he may not be fully recovered.
Benson Henderson (19-2)
Perhaps the best game planner in all of MMA, Henderson’s pace can break any man’s will.
Aside from his Taekwondo black belt, “Smooth” is an incredibly well-rounded fighter. He embraces the grind of every fight with his smothering wrestling style and he is also well versed in the art of submission with his BJJ black belt. Above all his game planning is the very reason why he’s been the UFC champion for over a year.
To retain his title against Pettis, Henderson will have to keep his opponent on his heels with his relentless pressure and takedowns. If he can back his man up with his chopping leg kicks look for Henderson to clinch his opponent against the cage and attempt to drag him down to the mat. From there he can display his vicious ground and pound and maybe even lock in a submission.
Henderson is definitely the less skilled of the two when it comes to striking but you can never count out the man’s power.
The Bottom Line
According to Bodog, Henderson (-125) is a slight favorite against Pettis (-105), but we’d say it’s more even than that. This might be the closest fight of the year as both men have vastly improved in both areas. Henderson has had the better competition in the UFC but Pettis has looked virtually unstoppable in his last two bouts.
Fight of the year anyone?
Zachary Hutton is the lead boxing writer and an MMA contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can see what he’s up to at his band’s website myunclethewolf.com or also subscribe on Facebook.
