UFC 164 – Anthony “Showtime” Pettis vs. Benson “Smooth” Henderson
By Jared Merkley, Real Combat Media MMA Correspondent
Milwaukee, WI (August 27th, 2013)–The Lightweight Title will be on the line next week on August 31st as Benson “Smooth” Henderson (19-2) defends his title for the third time in the UFC as he faces off with Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (16-2) in Pettis’s home town of Milwaukee, WI. The last time these two met was in WEC for the Lightweight Title, in which Pettis, 26, defeated Henderson, 29, in a unanimous decision. During the bout, Pettis had controlled a good portion of the fight, while also pulling off one of the most shocking kicks heard around the world, the “Showtime Kick”. Though Pettis bested Henderson in their last battle, Henderson has no intention of letting go of his title for a second time. Lets take a look at the facts before we go making any assumptions.
Striking- When it comes to striking they’re both very dangerous with their stand-up. “Bendo”, ranked #1 Lightweight in the world (by both Sherdog, and the UFC) has a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Doe and has great speed and fluency. Pettis on the other hand ranked #2 Lightweight in the world by the UFC and #7 in the world by Sherdog, has a 3rd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Doe with great highlight reel knockouts. With plenty of viable proof, including KO’s over Lightweight contenders including Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone, and Joe Lauzon. All together Pettis has 7 knockouts compared to Henderson’s 2 knockouts, I’d have to give the edge to “Showtime” due to his more versatile striking and knockout power.
EDGE- Pettis
Grappling- In the art of grappling, again, both fighters are very well-versed in their game. Henderson, an All-American NAIA wrestler has well-known strong grappling skills, and you can see it throughout his career. One would not be wise to look past Pettis’s grappling skill, though. He’s grappled, and won against many opponents and has great takedown defense. He’ll need to stuff Henderson’s takedowns if he plans to succeed in this bout, but when it comes to grappling I’d have to say “Bendo” has the edge when it comes to grappling.
EDGE- Henderson
Submissions- Now this is where it may possibly be a toss-up. Submissions. Henderson, a Black Belt in BJJ, has 8 submission victories and has a great submission game. Henderson has submission victories over notable opponents, such as Jamie Varner, and Donald Cerrone. Pettis, on the other hand is a Purple Belt in BJJ and has 6 submission victories, submitting the likes of Shane Roller, and Alex Karalexis. I promise you, “Showtime” isn’t only flashy-striking. This guy has a dangerous ground game and knows how to work off of his back. In their previous bout, they seemed dead even and I could only imagine both of them have improved greatly since. With this being such a toss-up, I’d have to say dead even.
EDGE- Even
My final opinion? I believe we’ll have a new Lightweight champion in town due to Pettis’s ability to adapt and come out on top, along with world-class striking. I very-well could be wrong though. Make sure to tune in to UFC 164 on August 31st to watch this Lightweight battle of the titans.
PPV Card:
Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett
Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida
Brandon Vera vs. Ben Rothwell
Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier
Prelims:
Jamie Varner vs. Gleison Tibau
Louis Gaudinot vs. Tim Elliot
Pascal Krauss vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
Chico Camus vs. Kyung Ho Kang
Online Prelims:
Soa Palelei vs. Nikita Krylov
Ryan Couture vs. Al Iaquinta
Jared Hamman vs. Magnus Cedenblad
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @REALCOMBATMEDIA
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: REALCOMBATMEDIA.COM
DONATE TO HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF :REDCROSS-DONATE
HELP STOP WORLD HUNGER: RCM STOP WORLD HUNGER
LEARN MARTIAL ARTS & IMPROVE HEALTH: RCM MMA & BOXING STORE
MAIN CONTACT: [email protected]
MMA DEPARTMENT: [email protected]
MMA RADIO: [email protected]
BOXING RADIO: [email protected]
UK & IRELAND: [email protected]
GREECE: [email protected]
We are always looking for new talent for the fastest growing US and UK based, combat website. We have openings for the following positions – Internet Sales Advertising, Boxing Correspondents, MMA Correspondents and Radio Correspondents. Contact us at [email protected] if you are interested. Serious inquiries only!
COMMENTS
English