Issue 053
August 2009
Smashing his way though the stacked WEC lightweight division, well-rounded newcomer Benson ‘Smooth’ Henderson is quickly gaining a reputation as an expert finisher.
In the prime of his life and unbeaten in the last two years, Henderson has racked up an impressive eight-fight winning streak, with seven of these wins coming inside the distance. Many observers see Henderson as a potential future challenger to the WEC lightweight crown, but with years of competition ahead of him the thoughtful warrior and entertainer is in no rush to get to the top.
Where are you right now?
I’m in Subway, about to get some lunch. I think I’m going to go with the Chicken Teriyaki.
What do you remember from your first fight?
I fought Dan Gregary in my first fight and he was a little bit bigger than I was, but it went pretty good. He didn’t have a lot of ground experience, so I took him down, landed some punches and he verbally submitted.
How does it feel as a fighter to beat someone up until they quit?
That’s awesome, I love it, I’m not going to lie. That is one of the best feelings on the planet. When you beat somebody so bad that they have to say, ‘Hey, you win, you’re the man, I quit, uncle!’ That’s awesome, it’s a really good feeling.
What’s the hardest punch you have ever landed?
I think it was my fight against Diego Saraiva. I landed a lot. I punched him hard, not just once or twice but like five or six times, hard ones. I was tired of punching. My hands hurt, I didn’t want to punch anymore, my knuckles were killing me after that fight!
What’s the craziest thing that has ever happened in one of your fights?
I went in for a takedown against Rocky Johnson, and he got me in an anaconda choke and I went to sleep. I woke up, looked up, saw my coaches looking down at me and said ‘Aw, dang it, something bad happened didn’t it?’ They were like, ‘Yeah, you went to sleep’. That sucks!
You’ve won eight fights in a row, what has that done for your confidence?
My confidence is pretty high, I’m careful not to be over-confident. I don’t want to be too cocky or believe the hype because I hear people saying, ‘Oh you should fight for a title, you should do this, you should do that’. I don’t want to believe the hype, but I am feeling confident.
Have you ever really disliked an opponent?
No, I haven’t. I’m not one of those guys who needs to hate his opponent. That’s definitely not the type of guy I am. I can be buddies with the guy, go into the ring and beat him up pretty bad, I’m okay with doing that, you know!
Which fighters in the sport do you admire?
As a wrestler turned MMA fighter, when I was growing up, watching the sport, I was a big fan of Matt Hughes. He is a wrestler and he was the UFC champ for a long time. Him and another guy named Yves Edwards. He seems really composed and doesn’t get too hyped-up either way. I really liked his fighting style.
How do you want to be remembered?
I would most like to be remembered as a determined fighter, someone who went to the very end to win every fight and never held anything back. I want to be remembered as an exciting fighter, somebody who always came to put on a good show, and win as well.
Benson Henderson spoke with Jim Page
