Issue 097
January 2013
The unknown fighters who left their mark on the records of MMA’s biggest stars
The strange fall-out behind Denver-based Rocky Johnson choking unconscious the future UFC lightweight leader back in ‘07
ROCKY JOHNSON VS BENSON HENDERSON
31st March 2007, Battlequest 5
In March 2007, at Battlequest 5 in Vail, Colorado, future UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson suffered his first professional loss, to Rocky Johnson in just 46 seconds. Henderson wouldn’t lose again until controversially dropping his WEC 155lb belt to Anthony Pettis in 2010 at WEC 53.
For “a couple thousand bucks” Johnson, a father, husband and construction company owner, sprawled on a ‘Bendo’ takedown and immediately secured an anaconda choke to put him to sleep.
Christened Benjamin, but called Rocky since he was eight years old on account of his Rocky Marciano-like desire to scrap, 41-year-old Johnson (who estimates his 17-10 Sherdog record is missing around nine wins) recalls that night with FO.
Did people know of Benson when
you fought?
“He was relatively new. I knew he was an NAIA All-American wrestler, had got fifth in the nation, I believe, the year or so before. So I knew he was going to be a good wrestler, which is my forte and background also. But I knew he would probably be trying to shoot for my leg, so I was particularly baiting him with it as I knew I had a very good anaconda. I was able to sink it in and get the win with it.”
It was for the Battlequest 155lb belt. How did it feel to get the finish?
“At the time he wasn’t any huge name or anything. I just felt like I did my job like I had planned to do. I felt good about it because it had happened so quickly, and it was obviously my first title that I had won.
“The funny thing is, three days after fighting him, he actually started working for me at my construction company. We fought on Saturday, then I went up on Monday to Leister Bowling’s gym, who Ben had gone to college with. Ben and I started talking and he had just recently moved from Nebraska and he needed a job, so I offered him one. I was building custom homes at the time so I gave him a job and he worked really well. A super-hard worker.
“He was such a hard worker that he was usually working so hard I had to teach him about efficiency, about not working too hard, because he wanted to make everything a workout for himself. When we’re trying to make money and do everything super fast, I had to teach him a more efficient way to do stuff and not make it so hard work.
“He’s a phenomenal guy. I still talk to him quite often. He asked me to go pick his fiancé up from the airport when he fought Frankie Edgar here in Denver.”
So you struck up quite a friendship with him?
“Alvin Robinson, who got into the UFC, was our teammate. His coach, Jon Crouch, who is Ben’s coach now, kept telling me come train with Alvin to get him ready for the UFC. So I started training under Jon with jiu-jitsu and Ben was also there…
“Then Jon got a job offer down at the MMA Lab in Arizona. Ben and a lot of the guys went down there with him – unfortunately, I had my businesses and everything up here and I wasn’t able to. And he’d actually made a comment where he said, ‘You watch, Rocky. Ben Henderson will be a UFC champion.’ And he was definitely right.”
Looking at him now, do you think you could beat Benson if you fought today?
“I don’t have any visions of grandeur. He trains a heck of a lot harder than I do – he’s obviously a full-time fighter. I sure as heck wouldn’t say no to a rematch, but I don’t have any visions that I’m still better than him. He’s advanced tremendously, and I’m not some egomaniac to think that – just because I got him the first time.”
