Contributor: Connor Dillon
Welcome to the sixth installment of this series leading up to Ben “Smooth” Henderson’s title defense and a rematch against Anthony Pettis at UFC 164. As a Champion for the UFC, he has been one of the most divisive amongst fans; according to many MMA fans and journalists, Ben Henderson is recorded as 1-3 in his last four championship defenses. His razor close decision wins as champion have made many fans dislike him for lack of conclusive endings, as well as beating by dubious decisions fan favorite Frankie Edgar.
My quest for understanding leads me to watch his previous ZUFFA fights, for both the WEC and the UFC, to see where he changed and became the champion he is today. This sixth ZUFFA fight is probably one of the most, if not the most, important fights that Ben Henderson faced. At WEC 53, Anthony Pettis fought and defeated Ben Henderson for the title. It also gave rise to one of the most spectacular strikes landed in combat sports history, the ‘Showtime’ kick. The story leading up to this fight was Ben Henderson being a well-conditioned and strong fighter, able to beat (WEC) champion caliber opponents. Anthony Pettis, after losing to Bart Palaezewski in his second WEC outing, ripped through his next three opponents, finishing Shane Roller, Alex Karalexis, and Danny Castillo to get the shot at Henderson’s title. Going into the fight, which headlined the last ever World Extreme Cagefighting event, Pettis knew he’d be walking into his opponent’s backyard. Held in Glendale, Arizona, this fight became a crucible for the man that has become one of the most divisive UFC champions yet. For Anthony Pettis, this set the bar for his future career, as many people saw him as a worthy immediate UFC title challenger.
Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis
Round 1:
No glove taps from these competitors. They’re trying to test each other and get their timing. Bendo throws a nab leg kick that misses. Bendo throws a leg kick to left high kick that Pettis blocks. A minute in an nothing too grand yet. Pettis throws a head kick that Bendo blocks.More feeling out, Pettis backs Bendo to the cage but Bendo circles out. More feeling out, Bendo throws a leg kick that almost Pettis off balance and then grabs double under-hooks and gets Pettis to the cage. Throwing knees to Pettis’ midsection and legs. Bendo gets an inside leg trip and ends up in Pettis’ open guard down by the cage. Bendo with some light ground and pound. Pettis reaches up and almost gets a triangle locked up before Bendo defends and is able to get out. Bendo looks to throw some ground and pound, which he does, but Pettis pushes him off and gets up. Bendo throws a left kick that almost hits. Pettis throws a head kick that misses. A couple leg kicks from both fighters. Nice flurry from both fighters. Pettis front kicks Bendo into the cage. Bendo circles out and Pettis throws a head kick that misses. Bendo throws a superman punch and right hook that lands and Pettis counters with a right straight that lands solid. Pettis comes into and Bendo latches onto a single that he pushes Pettis into the cage with. He switches to a double and then trips Pettis to the ground. Bendo is in his open guard standing up and is throwing some ground and pound as the round closes.
Score: 10-9 Ben Henderson. He was more effective standing up, was aggressive and got takedowns and immediately defend against a triangle attempt so quickly it couldn’t even get locked in. It was a close round, but clearly Bendo’s.
Round 2:
Pettis circling Bendo to the cage against. Bendo throws a body kick that Pettis counters with a right that misses. Bendo throws a head kick that Pettis blocks, and returns fire with a inside leg kick that wobbles Bendo momentarily. Pettis with a fake right hook, left straight, and right hook that backs Bendo into the cage and makes him slip and fall. Bendo immediately shoots but Pettis sprawls and rolls around to take Bendo’s back. They stand up and Pettis lands a head kick from the back. Bendo looking for a kimura throw like Sakuraba. Pettis defends and picks Bendo up and slams him to the mat. Pettis gets his arm free after moving to a north-south position, where Bendo shoots on him and gets him to the cage. Bendo slides up into over-under position and throws some knees and heel kicks to the right leg of Anthony Pettis. Bendo overshoots on a knee and Pettis escapes to the center. More feeling out, Pettis with a jab. Bendo throws his patented double jab out. Bendo with a high kick that Pettis blocks. Pettis comes back with a right-left fake into a high kick that Bendo circles out from. Another double jab from Bendo. Pettis throws a jab out. Nice short flurry from the two Pettis landing a couple solid punches there. Bendo backs up and circle out some more. Bendo throws a jab, overhand left into a takedown fake, and then actually shoots, but it gave Pettis time to sprawl hard. Pettis slips off Bendo and falls face down and Bendo throws a high kick as Pettis stands, that gets blocked. Pettis retreats into the cage and Bendo latches onto him in an over-under position. Bendo with more knees and heel kicks to the right leg.
Bendo has some more good knees and then Pettis pushes out and escapes to the center. More feeling out space, Pettis moving forward and Bendo moving backwards. Minor flurry there, neither really owns it. Bendo keeps crossing his legs and he circles out, not sure I like that. Pettis throws a left overhook that misses and Bendo counters with a hook of his own. Pettis wings a right hook that misses. Bendo circles out. Bendo throws a couple punches to counter a kick from Pettis, neither really hits. Bendo with a jab, left high kick combo that get blocked. Pettis with a right straight into a right head kick that pushes Bendo square against the cage. Bendo fakes a superman punch that Pettis counters with a jumping knee that misses. Bendo latches onto a takedown and circle Pettis into the cage. A couple knees from Bendo, and as Pettis escape he throws one more good knee. Bendo backs out and takes the center then starts moving towards the cage. Pettis with a kick to the sack that Herb Dean calls time for. After a short ten second break Bendo perseveres and wants to keep it moving. Amen. Bendo with a jab right straight combo that Pettis lands a stinging jab halfway through on. Bendo throws a high kick and Pettis counters with a leg kick that wobbles Bendo’s stance. Bendo throws another kick that Pettis blocks and Pettis throws a leg kick that misses in return. Pettis is backing Bendo back. Couple jabs thrown out by Bendo. Pettis with a leg kick that gets checked. Looks like Pettis is faking some more kicks as Bendo backs up more. Bendo with a fake jumping knee. A head kick from Pettis that misses. Bendo with a head kick that misses. Bendo jabs out and Pettis counters with a jab-right that misses. Round ends with the two staring at each other.
Score: 10-9 Pettis. As a note, I’ve been watching this fight at half-speed, and as I’m watching I see Pettis landing more cleanly this round. He’s been leading the action on the feet, took Bendo down, and as been more aggressive this round. On the reverse, Bendo is slightly behind in the stand-up game and had Pettis against the cage a couple times, but he wasn’t able to do much with it. All tied up at 19-19.
Round 3:
A couple fakes here and there. Pettis with a front kick. Bendo throws a jumping leg kick that sounds like it hurts. Pettis backing Bendo up some more. Bendo with a high kick that gets blocked and Pettis counters with a inside leg kick that was pretty high in the crotch region if you know what I mean. Pettis throws a leg kick that Bendo checks. Bendo ducking down, faking some shots. A jab from each man. Bendo throws a right-left-right combo and almost gets off balance. Bendo throws a right-left into a clinch with Pettis then throws a knee to the body that lands solid. Pettis trips Bendo to the ground and ends up in Bendo’s half guard. Bendo with some elbows to the leg of Pettis. Pettis slips into mount as Bendo rolls, then takes his back. Pettis is latched on there pretty tightly. Bendo is standing up, but bent over with one hand posted out. Pettis has got his arms wrapped around Bendo’s shoulder and right leg, trying to keep from slipping off. Pettis has a figure four body lock here, so it doesn’t look like he’ll fall. Bendo goes to one knee then moves to put Pettis against the cage. He’s still on one knee, then on two as Pettis tries to weigh him down. Pettis with some punches to the head as Bendo stands up. Some more punches from Pettis. Looks like Bendo is trying to use the cage to scrape Pettis off of him. Most of the punches aren’t hitting Bendo that hard. Pettis trying to wrench his weight around and get Bendo to fall, but Bendo is still standing up. Bendo facing the cage and Pettis almost pulls him backwards to the ground. Pettis with body then head punches. While we’re here, I’ll point out Bendo doesn’t have angel wing tattoos right now. Pettis still on his back. More punches from Pettis. Bendo trying to scrape Pettis off him. Bendo drops his hands momentarily and Pettis reaches up and starts working for a choke but Bendo recognizes his mistake and defends. Pettis goes back to punching Bendo. Bendo hopping to get Pettis to loosen up. Some elbows to the leg of Pettis from Bendo. Pettis reaching for a choke but Bendo is defending. Pettis lets off Bendo’s back and throws a kick to the midsection. They circle out and the bell rings before anything could happen.
Score: 10-9 Pettis. This one was pretty clear. Pettis got a takedown, then for more than half the round had Bendo’s back. If he actually had put Bendo in any sort of danger, I’d have given him a 10-8, but most of the shots weren’t that powerful and he never had a significant submission attempt. Pettis takes the lead at 29-28.
Round 4:
Feeling out. Pettis lands a nice hook, but so did Bendo. Pettis with a sweet leg kick. Bendo with a vicious body kick that lands. Pettis throws a couple punches that Bendo counters back, but nothing solid lands. Bendo circles out. Bendo with a jab, elbow, body kick combo that Pettis grabs ahold of. Bendo actually shoots with his leg held like that, doing the splits. Pettis lets go and grabs onto a guillotine. He circles out off the cage and then tries to pull guard with the choke in, but Bendo rolls out and takes the top position. Pettis rolls over his shoulder and tries to go for guard but Bendo is standing up and defending well. Pettis kicks off Bendo and tries to roll away again, but Bendo is sticking to him and staying in control. Pettis kicks off Bendo again and lands on both his knees, but Bendo remains on top of him in north-south. Bendo slides over and takes the back, then gets both his hooks in. Pettis rolls over and now Bendo gets a body triangle in and is working for a choke. Holy shit, he gets his arm under the chin and is trying to lock it up, but damn, he can’t get it. Pettis defending punches well. He’s got wrist control of Bendo.
He tries to roll into Bendo’s guard, but the body triangle is tight and he can’t get it. Bendo loosens up and keeps his hooks on Pettis. He goes for another choke, but can’t get it in well. Pettis finally reverses his position and ends up in Bendo’s guard. Bendo slides his legs out and it looks like he’s gonna go for a sweep of some sort. Throws a couple elbows. Pettis steps over and takes side control. Bendo starts to stand up after getting his feet under him and Pettis slides onto his back. He can’t quite get the body triangle, but he has his hooks in. Bendo walks to the cage and Pettis gets off his back, and clinches Bendo against the cage. Bendo tries to get his arms around Pettis and Pettis backs off. Bendo is taking the center now and Pettis is staying outside. Bendo lands a front kick to the body. Bendo throws a head kick that misses. He circles out and Pettis takes the center again. Vicious body kick from Bendo that Pettis counters with a right straight that lands flush. Bendo backing up some more. Pettis comes in and Bendo lands a knee to the body and a left straight. Bendo circling out some more. Pettis comes in with a flurry that backs Bendo flush against the cage. Pettis comes in again and Bendo shoots on him. Pettis sprawls and is defending well. Pettis grabs onto the guillotine again and pulls guard but Bendo already steps over and is in his half-guard. Pettis isn’t making a serious attempt at locking his hands, and Bendo remains on top in half-guard. Twenty seconds left and Pettis gets to full guard and tries lock his hands, which he gets. Bendo is defending and Pettis can’t quite get the angle he needs. The bell rings and Bendo hops up.
Score: 10-9 Bendo. He had the more serious submission attempt, landed better shots standing up. Pettis’s two attempts at guillotines were both met with failure, and countered well by Bendo on the ground. Overall, I’d see this as a Bendo round because he defended and countered the grappling exchanges and had the closer submission. All tied up going into the fifth round at 38-38.
Round 5:
Finally a glove tap to start the round out. See, it wasn’t that hard. Bendo moving forward some. Fakes from both fighters. Bendo with a fake left front kick that Pettis counters with an overhand right that barely misses. Bendo is on the outside. Pettis comes in with a double jab right, the Bendo tries to counter with a takedown but he can’t get it and they stand up again. Bendo with a leg kick that Pettis pulls his leg back from. Bendo with a jab, Pettis counters with a hook. Bendo throws a right-left, and then pulls back on a head kick as Pettis was too far away. Pettis comes in with a left jab, inside leg kick that once again hit Bendo right in the sack. I guess he should’ve been wearing a steel thai cup, eh? Bendo takes another short break, and they start up quickly. Bendo with a head kick that Pettis blocks. Another, Pettis blocks and comes back with a left-right combo that lands and makes Bendo back up. Pettis with a right straight to the body that makes Bendo whiff on a hook. Pettis backing Bendo up to the cage. Bendo circling out. Bendo with a punch to the body that Pettis backs out from. Bendo fakes a front kick but slips on the attempt. He scoots back to the cage and Pettis comes in. Bendo grabs an ankle twice, but Pettis defends both times. Pettis goes down and takes Bendo’s back but he can’t get the body triangle in and he decides to slide off and runs up. Bendo and Pettis meet in the outside of the cage, standing up. Bendo with a fake jab, overhand right. that Pettis circles off from. Bendo shoots and Pettis counters with a jumping knee that lands beautifully.
Pettis in a great sprawling position with Bendo underneath him. Bendo pushes Pettis against the cage. He starts to pick Pettis up to slam him, but Pettis tries jumping to slip out, but it doesn’t work. Bendo is now in Pettis’s closed guard. Pettis is reaching up with his legs but Bendo keeps the pressure and Pettis rolls over his shoulder. Bendo is now controlling from the back, but hasn’t gotten both his hooks in. Pettis sweeps Bendo and ends up in Bendo’s guard. Bendo looks to reverse the position but Pettis stands up. After a second or two, Bendo does as well. They’re both in the center. Bendo with a fake takedown. Bendo backing up to the cage. He drops his hands then tries for a body punch that misses. Pettis counters but misses. Pettis throws a head kick that Bendo blocks. Bendo leans against the cage, hands down. Pettis circles to his left and is squared up from Bendo. Bendo circles to his right, crossing his legs. Pettis runs forward and jumps off the cage, kicking out at Bendo. His foot hits Bendo square in the jaw. Bendo is off balance as he’s struck and he falls flat on his back. Pettis runs in and starts throwing some ground and pound. Bendo grabs a leg but Pettis defends. Bendo grabs Pettis’s other leg and keeps going for a takedown. Pettis looks like he’s in a half-crucifix position, with Bendo’s right arm trapped. Pettis continues throwing ground and pound, but Bendo is defending. Bendo mustering strength here and tries to stand up to tip Pettis, but can’t get it. Bendo slips free and tries for a takedown, pushing Pettis back. Pettis leaps up and throws a knee that lands, but doesn’t rock Bendo. Bendo keeps pushing and Pettis defends. Bendo ends up on both knees and as Pettis comes in to throw another punch, the bell rings and Herb Dean stands between them.
Score: 10-9 Pettis. Pettis controlled the stand up and the distance. He had the better positions on the ground, landed some good ground and pound. Pettis also KICKED OFF THE FUCKING CAGE. That said, I don’t believe that Bendo was actually hurt, just knocked down. My final score is 48-47 Pettis.
The 3 Judges score it: 48-47, 48-47, 49-46, declaring Anthony Pettis the new, and final WEC Lightweight Champion. (Side note: there’s a special guest appearance from Bendo’s friend, The Toothpick, at the score reading). I think that 49-46 score was a little too much, but I figure the judge must’ve scored Round 4 for Pettis, which there’s an argument for but not a strong one.
Fighter Thoughts: Bendo’s jab isn’t very strong. It’s more like he tosses it out there to distract or maybe just ‘be there’. Other things I kept seeing is that he let Pettis lead the stand-up, and he didn’t pressure as much as he could’ve, like he did in the first Cerrone fight. The stand-up fight was where Bendo lacked the most. I think he didn’t have good aim or the aggressiveness he needed to be the top dog that night. He also wasn’t able to incorporate his takedowns as much as he did in other fights, in my eyes because he wasn’t leading the stand-up as much as he could’ve. Almost every time the two met, he’d be the one backing up, and he isn’t a good counter-striker so he misses punches and didn’t set up his kicks that well. Overall I think this fight showed off a lot of areas that Bendo could improve in, most in his stand-up control and defense.
(Keep checking back daily for The 13 Days of Bendo leading up to his rematch with Anthony Pettis!)
-Connor can be reached @connorhavok.
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