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'''Benson Henderson''' (born November 16, 1983) is an [[United States|American]] [[mixed martial arts|mixed martial artist]]. He currently fights as a lightweight for the [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]]. Henderson, a former [[List of WEC champions#Lightweight Championship|WEC Lightweight Champion]], is known for his aggressive style and his ability to escape from deep submission attempts. As of November 2011, Henderson is ranked as the #4 lightweight fighter in the world by [[Sherdog]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/6/Sherdogs-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-39259 |title=Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings |date=October 11, 2011 |publisher=sherdog.com |accessdate=2011-10-11}}</ref>
'''Benson Henderson''' (born November 16, 1983) is an [[United States|American]] [[mixed martial arts|mixed martial artist]]. He currently fights as a lightweight for the [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]]. Henderson, a former [[List of WEC champions#Lightweight Championship|WEC Lightweight Champion]], is known for his aggressive style and his ability to escape from deep submission attempts. As of November 2011, Henderson is ranked as the #2 lightweight fighter in the world by ''[[Top10mmaRankings.com]]''.<ref>[http://www.top10mmarankings.com/lightweight-division/ top10mmarankings Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings] top10MMArankings.com </ref>, #4 lightweight fighter in the world by [[Sherdog]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/6/Sherdogs-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-39259 |title=Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings |date=October 11, 2011 |publisher=sherdog.com |accessdate=2011-10-11}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==

Revision as of 14:21, 24 February 2012

Benson Henderson
Born (1983-11-16) November 16, 1983 (age 40)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Other namesSmooth, Bendo, Ben
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight156 lb (71 kg; 11 st 2 lb)
DivisionLightweight (155 lb)
Welterweight (170 lb)
Reach70 in (178 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofGlendale, Arizona
TeamMMA Lab
RankBlack belt in Taekwondo
Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
NAIA All American Wrestler
Years active2006 - present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins15
By knockout2
By submission8
By decision5
Losses2
By submission1
By decision1
Amateur record
Total3
Wins2
By knockout2
Losses1
By knockout1
Other information
UniversityDana College
Notable school(s)Decatur High School
Websitehttp://www.smoothben.com/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: October 11, 2011
Benson Henderson
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's Grappling
IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Long Beach -76 kg (Brown)

Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Henderson, a former WEC Lightweight Champion, is known for his aggressive style and his ability to escape from deep submission attempts. As of November 2011, Henderson is ranked as the #2 lightweight fighter in the world by Top10mmaRankings.com.[1], #4 lightweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.[2]

Early life

Henderson was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to a Korean American mother and an African American father.[3] He was raised in Federal Way, Washington. He attended Decatur High School from 1998 to 2001. After graduating from high school, he attended Dana College in Blair, Nebraska and graduated in 2006 with a double major in criminal justice and sociology. While attending Dana College, Henderson was on the wrestling team, and was twice named an NAIA All-American. Henderson is a proud Christian, and uses his fighting to share his beliefs. He is known to quote scripture after bouts, and walks into each fight to a gospel song.

"I don't drink -- I've never had a sip of alcohol. I've never had a puff of a cigarette or weed or anything like that. Growing up in Tacoma, that wasn't a very popular choice. I made a decision, and whenever it came up, I passed the dutchie to the left hand side ... People have seen that. They see I don't do the club scene. By people seeing that, that affects them in a bigger way than me talking about it." [4]

Henderson is currently a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brown belt under John Crouch, who is a black belt under Royce Gracie.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Henderson compiled a 2–1 record as an amateur before turning professional in 2006, winning his first match against Dan Gregary.[6] He lost his third fight to Rocky Johnson via submission. However, this defeat was a minor setback. He rebounded with four straight wins before facing his toughest fight yet, against a UFC veteran, Diego Saraiva. Henderson came prepared as he dominated Saraiva for three rounds, winning a unanimous decision and his 7th professional win.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Three months later, Henderson made his World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) debut against Anthony Njokuani. Henderson defeated Njokuani with a guillotine choke early in round two. He made his second appearance in the WEC at WEC 40 knocking out contender Shane Roller.

Henderson was given an opportunity to fight for the Interim WEC Lightweight Championship against Donald Cerrone when lightweight champion Jamie Varner was unable to defend his title due to an injury. The fight was the main event for WEC 43 which was held in Texas. Henderson won an exciting back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. Both Henderson and Cerrone were awarded with an additional purse of $20,000 for fight of the night.[7] The bout was also awarded 2009 Fight of the Year for all of MMA by Sherdog.com[8]

Henderson defeated Jamie Varner with a Guillotine choke to unify the WEC Lightweight Championship at WEC 46 on January 10, 2010. After being outboxed and outwrestled in the first two rounds, Henderson came back and caught Varner in a standing Guillotine choke ending the fight at 2:41 of the third round.[9]

Henderson had his first title defense in a rematch with Donald Cerrone on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48, defeating Cerrone via guillotine choke in the first round.[10]

Henderson faced Anthony Pettis on December 16, 2010 at WEC 53.[11] Henderson lost his title by unanimous decision. The fight won Fight of the Night honors.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[12]

Henderson made his UFC debut at UFC 129 on April 30, 2011, defeating Mark Bocek via unanimous decision.

Henderson next faced Jim Miller on August 14, 2011 at UFC on Versus 5.[13] Henderson dominated the streaking Miller throughout the fight, utilizing a stiff jab, great transitions, and vicious ground and pound throughout the match to snap Miller's 7 fight win streak, the third longest in the UFC at the time. Despite being threatened with multiple deep submission attempts, Henderson escaped each attempt and advanced position with increasingly brutal punches and elbows. He earned a unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26).[14]

Henderson faced Clay Guida on November 12, 2011 at UFC on Fox 1.[15] He won the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds in a action packed war that earned both fighters Fight of the Night honors. With the win, he became the #1 contender for the UFC Lightweight title.

Henderson is expected to face Frankie Edgar on February 26, 2012 at UFC 144.[16]

Personal life

Ben has one older brother, Julius Henderson.[17]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Submission grappling

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation
    • 2011 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship Brown Belt Bronze Medalist
  • Arizona State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation
    • AZSBJJF MVP of the Year (2010)
    • 2011 Arizona State Championship Brown Belt Openweight Bronze Medalist
    • 2011 Arizona State Championship Brown Belt Middleweight Silver Medalist
    • 2011 Arizona Open Brown Belt Openweight Silver Medalist
    • 2011 Arizona Open Brown Belt Middleweight Gold Medalist
    • 2011 Southwest Classic Brown Belt Openweight Gold Medalist
    • 2011 Southwest Classic Brown Belt Middleweight Gold Medalist
    • 2010 Arizona State Championship Purple Belt Openweight Gold Medalist
    • 2010 Arizona State Championship Purple Belt Middleweight Gold Medalist
    • 2010 Arizona Open Purple Belt Openweight Silver Medalist
    • 2010 Arizona Open Purple Belt Middleweight Gold Medalist

Amateur wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
17 matches 15 wins 2 losses
By knockout 2 0
By submission 8 1
By decision 5 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 15–2 Clay Guida Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos November 12, 2011 3 5:00 Anaheim, California, United States UFC Lightweight title eliminator; Fight of the Night.
Win 14–2 Jim Miller Decision (unanimous) UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle August 14, 2011 3 5:00 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Win 13–2 Mark Bocek Decision (unanimous) UFC 129 April 30, 2011 3 5:00 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Loss 12–2 Anthony Pettis Decision (unanimous) WEC 53 December 16, 2010 5 5:00 Glendale, Arizona, United States Lost WEC Lightweight Championship; Fight of the Night.
Win 12–1 Donald Cerrone Submission (guillotine choke) WEC 48 April 24, 2010 1 1:57 Sacramento, California, United States Defended WEC Lightweight Championship; Submission of the Night.
Win 11–1 Jamie Varner Submission (guillotine choke) WEC 46 January 10, 2010 3 2:41 Sacramento, California, United States Won and unified WEC Lightweight Championship.
Win 10–1 Donald Cerrone Decision (unanimous) WEC 43 October 10, 2009 5 5:00 San Antonio, Texas, United States Won Interim WEC Lightweight Championship; Fight of the Night.
Win 9–1 Shane Roller TKO (punches) WEC 40 April 5, 2009 1 1:41 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win 8–1 Anthony Njokuani Submission (guillotine choke) WEC 38 January 25, 2009 2 0:42 San Diego, California, United States
Win 7–1 Diego Saraiva Decision (unanimous) Evolution MMA October 4, 2008 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 6–1 Ricardo Tirloni Submission (guillotine choke) MFC 17 July 25, 2008 2 3:49 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win 5–1 Mike Maestas Submission (rear-naked choke) MFC 16: Anger Management May 9, 2008 3 4:11 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win 4–1 Bryan Corley Submission (rear-naked choke) VFC 21: Infamous December 7, 2007 1 2:36 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win 3–1 David Dagloria Submission (punches) UCE: Round 26: Episode 12 June 23, 2007 1 1:45 Ogden, Utah, United States
Loss 2–1 Rocky Johnson Technical Submission (anaconda choke) Battlequest 5: Avalanche March 31, 2007 1 0:46 Vail, Colorado, United States 160 lb catchweight bout.
Win 2–0 Alien Williams TKO (punches) VFC 18: Hitmen February 16, 2007 1 1:37 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win 1–0 Dan Gregary Submission (punches) MCF: Genesis November 18, 2006 1 4:21 North Platte, Nebraska, United States

References

  1. ^ top10mmarankings Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings top10MMArankings.com
  2. ^ "Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings". sherdog.com. October 11, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  3. ^ http://news.msn.co.kr/article/read.html?cate_code=8400&article_id=201001131050103012
  4. ^ "WEC - World Extreme Cagefighting - Ben Henderson". www.wec.tv.
  5. ^ http://smoothben.ning.com/profiles/blogs/so-yeah?xg_source=shorten_twitter
  6. ^ "Ben Henderson "Smooth" Official Mixed Martial Arts Record". www.mixedmartialarts.com.
  7. ^ "HENDERSON & CERRONE EARN EXTRA WITH WEC BONUSES". www.mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  8. ^ "Sherdog's Fight of the Year". www.sherdog.com. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  9. ^ WEC 46 live results and play by play
  10. ^ "WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber - Live Results and Commentary". BLOODYELBOW.com. 2010-04-24. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  11. ^ "HENDERSON VS. PETTIS OFFICIAL FOR WEC DEC 16". MMAweekly.com. 2010-09-23.
  12. ^ "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010.
  13. ^ "Jim Miller Faces Ben Henderson in a Lightweight Bout at UFC on Versus 5". mmaweekly.com. May 11, 2011.
  14. ^ "UFC on Versus 5 Play-by-Play: Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson". MMAweekly.com. 2011-08-14.
  15. ^ "Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson in the works for UFC on FOX 1". mmajunkie.com. 2011-09-06.
  16. ^ "UFC champ Frankie Edgar faces Ben Henderson at February's UFC Japan event". mmajunkie.com. November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  17. ^ "Northwest Asian Weekly - Smooth Operator". www.nwasianweekly.com. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
New title 1st WEC Interim Lightweight Champion
October 10, 2009 - January 10, 2010 		Vacant
Preceded by 6th WEC Lightweight Champion
January 10, 2010 - December 16, 2010 		Succeeded by


Template:Persondata

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