Just moments after the fight had begun, Benson “Smooth” Henderson found himself in a guillotine choke at the hands of Shane Roller, who had ended three of his last four fights via guillotine submission.
Unlike the other victims of this malicious submission ace, Henderson was not about to add another loss to his record, effectively evading the submission and going on the offensive.
The fighters stood up, and Henderson was successful in the clinch, sending a knee into the midsection of Roller. At the 3:28 mark, Henderson threw Roller to the mat. Three seconds later, both fighters were up on their feet.
Henderson had worked excessively on his striking for this fight with boxing coach George Garcia, and he was given an opening that he simply could not refuse.
As Roller attempted to rise to his feet, Henderson threw a flurry of punches, ending in a left-right combination, sending Roller to the floor. Five seconds later, the fight was stopped due to a TKO victory via punches.
This Technical Knock Out gave Henderson his ninth victory in MMA, extending his winning streak to an impressive eight fights, and giving him his second victory in the WEC.
Benson Henderson trains out of MMA LAB in Glendale, Arizona, a camp that has been helping him evolve in MMA ever since he began his training there. His coaches include John Crouch (jiu-jitsu), Adam Gillespey (kickboxing), and George Garcia (boxing), along with the many others involved at MMA LAB.
Benson “Smooth” Henderson has never kept his main goal in MMA a secret. Henderson intends on being “the best pound for pound fighter on the planet” before his career is over. At the age of 25, Henderson has many more years to achieve this goal, a goal he realizes will take a lot of work.
“Maybe 6 or 7 years of hard training, then I might, might be able to get to that point where I’m the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. But I have a lot of work to do in a lot of areas,” stated Henderson about his timeframe for achieving this lofty goal.
Although this goal may seem one founded upon overconfidence, Henderson was quick to point out that he is not trying to be cocky. He is simply confident in his skills. Henderson is a very modest, down-to-earth family man who is completely thankful to be able to fight for a living.
Fighting for a living has not been a problem thus far for Henderson, who is stacking up win after win. However, title shots and lightweight belts are not on his “To-Do List”.
Henderson made it clear that winning, performing, and working toward his main goals are of the upmost importance. He is not concerned with titles, and is not worried about how many fights it will take until he gets his title shot.
“I don’t concern myself in belts, in titles. It’s cool and it’s awesome if it comes along the way. But realize I have one goal, and that is to be the best pound for pound fighter on the planet, period,” explained Henderson.
Always keeping his mind on his main goal, Henderson is working toward becoming the best pound for pound fighter in the world. With an eight fight win streak, he is well on his way to bigger and better things in his career.
No matter how many wins he may gain, or how many belts he will where in his career, Henderson will never be satisfied until he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world, a goal that seems more and more realistic with every bout this “Smooth” fighter wins.
The full interview transcript is available below. To find out who Henderson believes is the best pound for pound fighter in the world, what he has heard about the disbanding of the lightweight division of the WEC, and his views on fighting WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner, all that and more can be discovered in this interview with the smoothest fighter in the WEC.
Benson Henderson Interview:
Nate Lawson:
Just to start off, I want to say thank you for sitting down and taking the time out to talk to me
Benson Henderson:
Yeah of course man, thank you for your interest.
Nate Lawson:
Just to get started, you are coming off an impressive TKO victory over Shane Roller giving you your second win in the WEC in 2009 already. In just over one minute, all your hard work seemed to pay off. How was your training for this fight, and how great was it to see it pay off so quickly?
Benson Henderson:
Of course that’s the best part. Seeing it pay off is always nice, you know. For anything, for anybody. Any type of job you have, when you put in a lot of hard work you know, to see it pay off, especially in the way, the fashion it did for me, it means a lot. It just kinds of validates.
I’m sure any lifestyle you live, it’s worth it. You’re doing your job, keep it up. Don’t get discouraged. But it definitely validates it. It made me happy obviously.
But also training for that fight, I worked hard with my kickboxing coach Adam Gillespey, with my boxing coach George Garcia. We really wanted to take the striking to another level to showcase my striking for this fight.
Nate Lawson:
You train out of MMA LAB in Glendale Arizona. Has your training there helped you a lot thus far in you MMA career?
Benson Henderson:
Oh, tons. It took my MMA game to another level.
I had my same coach that I had in Denver. We moved out together here in Arizona. He is a great coach and has helped me a ton. Here in Arizona, we are really able to really have the support of a whole gym behind us to help us, to take our training that much more seriously. Yeah, it was good.
Nate Lawson:
Your jiu-jitsu coach is John Crouch. How has he helped you in the jiu-jitsu aspect of your game? Has he been a lot of help with that? Have you seen a lot of improvement from working with him all these years?
Benson Henderson:
Oh yeah, definitely. Every jiu-jitsu class I ever had in my whole life all came from him. He is an amazing coach and an amazing instructor.
What makes him so amazing is not only is he so good and skilled himself, but he has a way of communicating with students and myself, and average, everyday students who just take jiu-jitsu for fun. He communicates. This is what you want to do. This is why you’re doing what you’re doing. He can communicate better than a lot of other instructors. They have a harder time communicating what you want to do and the reason why you are doing it.
Nate Lawson:
In an interview last year, you said that 80-85% of fighting is mental. How have you improved mentally through your last couple of fights? Are you feeling a lot more confident?
Benson Henderson:
Yeah, for me the last couple of fights because they were both in the WEC. For me it was not only being more comfortable fighting in general, but being comfortable on camera, in front of a huge stadium, a huge arena. The WEC, they pack their crowds. They’re always grateful in having that exposure.
Knowing that people, friends and family, friends from way back in the day, you know, never heard from you again, and you know, people that you are cool with; They are all watching you on TV.
And that you have a whole gym behind you. Your representing not only yourself, but the gym, and MTX Audio. So that aspect of it made me mentally tougher.
Nate Lawson:
You have had a very successful career so far. You have a lot of wins, with only one loss. Do these two wins in the WEC mean the most to you thus far, or is there another win that you would pick out instead?
Benson Henderson:
Well for me, a really big win for me personally was against Diego Saraiva. It was here in Phoenix. That was my first time fighting a UFC veteran. Diego Saraiva was a three time UFC veteran. You know, however many time world champion jiu-jitsu guy, so he’s legit jiu-jitsu.
Not only that, but in all my other fights, I was an out of town guy fighting the hometown guy. This was my first fight being the hometown guy. I had a lot of support. I had a lot of guys who came up to me saying, “Oh, were going to be there to watch you.” I wasn’t really used to that. It was different for me to have people want to come watch me. That meant a lot to me that fight, and being successful.
Nate Lawson:
Do you feel other camps and other fighters in the WEC are starting to realize your potential, and starting to see you climb up the ladder, so to speak.
Benson Henderson:
Not necessarily. I’m still a nobody. I’m not really super famous. I’m not really flying under the radar as much as I was, but I’m still a nobody.
Nate Lawson:
What are your goals for your time in the WEC? Do you expect to fight in the WEC long enough to set some pretty high goals, such as the lightweight belt?
Benson Henderson:
I don’t concern myself in belts, in titles. It’s cool and it’s awesome if it comes along the way. But realize I have one goal, and that is to be the best pound for pound fighter on the planet, period. So whether it’s fighting WEC or UFC, hopefully it’s for one of those two guys, but it doesn’t matter to me. My goal is to be the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. And when it comes along the way, it comes along the way. The rest of it will take care of itself.
Nate Lawson:
Jamie Varner, I’m sure you have heard of him, is the lightweight champion of the WEC. Do you feel like you would be ready for fight with someone like him, or another guy that is at the top of the division? Do you feel you are prepared for a fight with someone like that?
Benson Henderson:
I think it would be a very good and entertaining fight. I think it would be a good, tough fight. I’m not necessarily looking to fight Jamie. I mean if I do, I do. If they match us up, they match us up.
But I trained with him before and helped him get ready for his first title defense against Marcus Hicks. And he helped me train to get ready for the Diego Saraiva fight I was talking about earlier. But he’s been nothing but nice and respectful towards me. I think he’s a good guy. I like him, I consider him a friend. So I don’t necessarily want to fight him. That being said if they say, “Hey, you’re fighting this guy.” I won’t say no.
Nate Lawson:
On that same note of title shot, how far away do you see yourself at this point, or is that really not concerning you?
Benson Henderson:
Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve just never been that type of guy that thinks like that. Like, oh I need to win two more fights and then I’ll have the title. I don’t really think like that. So however many fights it takes, it takes.I think just as long as I keep winning and performing, all that stuff will take care of itself. There’s no need for me to think about that.
What I need to concentrate on is winning and performing well. So if I win and perform well, those sponsors will come, the title shots will come, the belts will come, all that will come. But it won’t come if I don’t win. So I just focus on winning to be honest.
Nate Lawson:
Aside from Miguel Torres, at this point Mike Brown seems to be the best pound for pound fighter in the WEC. If he or Urijah Faber decided to make a jump to lightweight, would you be ready to fight someone coming up from a lower division? Would that be a fight that you would be interested in?
Benson Henderson:
That would be a big fight for me, because they are such huge names. I don’t think them fighting me would do much for their career because I’m a nobody. But for me getting a chance to fight those guys, that would be huge. That would be ginormous. And I would definitely take it on if that opportunity presented itself.
Nate Lawson:
With the disbanding of the three heavier divisions in the WEC, do you feel like your career in the WEC could be cut short by the removal of lightweight division, or do you really not see that happening?
Benson Henderson:
I’m sure you know that better than I do. I’m really kept out of the loop. I’m just one of the guys and don’t pay much attention to that kind of stuff, the rumors and gossip and what not.
But I heard that they might be nixing the 155 pound weight class into the UFC, like they did the 170 and 185. I’m not sure if they actually are or not, but that’s just what I heard. If they do, cool, that’s awesome. The UFC and WEC are both great companies to work with. But the UFC I think is a little bit more mainstream now.
Nate Lawson:
You have never made it a secret, I mean you even mentioned it in the interview right now, that you want to be the best pound for pound fighter. Where do you feel at this point in your career you’re at in achieving that goal? Are you really happy with the steps you’ve made since going to the WEC? Do you feel like you are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak?
Benson Henderson:
I’m happy with the steps I have taken so far. But at the same time I am completely realistic because I realize I am years away from being where I want to be, where I need to be to be the best fighter, pound for pound on the planet.
You know, I’m only 25. Maybe 6 or 7 years of hard training, then I might, might be able to get to that point where I’m the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. But I have a lot of work to do in a lot of areas.
Nate Lawson:
Organizations seem to be failing, I mean you mentioned the UFC and how dominant it has become. Do you feel that right now the UFC is the “Big Show”, and all other organizations are the minor leagues?
Benson Henderson:
I think it’s hard to argue otherwise. If you look at it numbers wise, as far as viewers and money and what not.
That being said, of course the WEC, being the sister company of the UFC, is right up there as well in MMA. They’re definitely up there right along with them, and they have the backup of the UFC, which helps a lot. So yeah, I think everyone would agree that the UFC is the big show in MMA right now.
Nate Lawson:
It’s arguable that the majority, except for a couple of guys like Fedor Emilianenko, of the best pound for pound fighters are in the UFC right now, such as Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre. Do you feel you can reach your goal as best pound for pound fighter by remaining in the WEC, or do you feel that the UFC is where you need to be to reach that goal?
Benson Henderson:
I plan on being the pound for pound best fighter on the planet no matter where I go. WEC would be awesome. UFC would be awesome. I’m not saying either one, it could go one way or another. If I have not reached my goal as being the pound for pound best fighter on the planet, I fully intend to from whatever organization I fight for.
Nate Lawson:
At what point, if at any point, I am sure you are looking forward to fighting in the UFC one day. I’m sure it’s come across your mind now that you are racking up a good amount of wins, compared to a very low amount of losses. At what point in your career do you see yourself fighting in the UFC.
Benson Henderson:
I don’t know. It’s up to the Zuffa organization, the UFC and WEC, when they want to go that way with me, or with the whole weight class in general. It’s up to my managers and my coaches. See what we think, you know?
I think it’s all up in the air at this point. in my opinion, career wise. I think the UFC has, of course, some of the toughest fighters, except for Fedor and some of those guys. The UFC has some of the toughest fighters on the planet right now, and in the lightweight division. It’d be awesome to take it in there, to see how much work I need to do, or where I need to improve to get to that level.
Nate Lawson:
Do you feel like you would be ready for a UFC fight right now?
Benson Henderson:
I feel like I would be ready for any fight right now. You know, I’m not cocky. I feel like a lot of people are too cocky and their over confident. I have, you know, a confidence in my ability. So against anybody right now, I’d fight anybody right now, ten minutes from now. You know? Let’s go. Let’s dance. Let’s do this.
Nate Lawson:
Many of the WEC fighters, several of which had to leave the light heavyweight division, like Brian Stann and Steve Cantwell. I don’t know if you watched UFC 97, but both those former WEC fighters lost to pretty handily to their opponents. Do you feel like the WEC fighters really have a lack of experience compared to UFC fighters? Do you feel like the jump between WEC to UFC is maybe a little too much for a lot of the WEC fighters?
Benson Henderson:
I’d say it’s more the individual basis. Fighters compared to other fighters. Look at Fedor. He’s not in the UFC. He is considered best pound for pound fighter on the planet, and I would have to agree. But whatever organization he fights for right now, to say that he can’t make the jump because the organization he fights in is not really a good way to judge that.
That being said, to say any WEC fighter is not going to be successful because he is not ready for the jump to the UFC, it’s hard to say that, you know?
Nate Lawson:
MMA might be the hardest sport to work at and to get better in. The work ethic of many fighters is ridiculous, it’s just a crazy amount of work. What helps you strive everyday to keep working in such a difficult sport? To keep working hard to achieve your goals?
Benson Henderson:
That’s pretty much it right there. If you need, as a fighter, to be pushed by your coaches. I mean, of course your coaches are going to push you, but if you need to be really pushed, to work hard, and get up there, and bust your butt to become better, then I don’t think you are fighting for the right reasons. I came because I love this, and I want to be the best, period. I don’t need 15 guys telling me,”You need to do this, you need to do that.” I push myself. At the same time, of course, you need people around you.
Nate Lawson:
I know you are still young, and you have a lot of years ahead of you in MMA. What do you feel really needs to happen in your career so when it is over, you can look back at it and be proud, look back with total satisfaction? What really needs to happen to complete your MMA career? Do you need to be the best pound for pound fighter to say that it was a success, or if you just went out there and did your best? Would you say that would have been enough?
Benson Henderson:
That’s a good question because I’m one of those guys that if you don’t get first place then it’s not worth it. It’s not “You tried your hardest, congratulations”. But at the same time I have come to the realization that not everybody can be the best. That’s actually a really tough question.
I think for me, as long as I can provide for my family, I have a wife and kids. If I can provide for them, set a good example, and be a positive influence on other people. You know, get them headed off the wrong path and onto the right path, spiritually, as well as being smart with their lives, putting them in a direction positively. I’ll consider my career a success. But it will be less of a success if I am not the pound for pound best fighter on the planet.
Nate Lawson:
So far in your career, who do you lay in account for all the success you have had? Who do you really give credit to right now?
Benson Henderson:
First and foremost, I always give credit to the love of my Lord God. He’s why I am alive, and being able to do anything that I do. But besides Him, I have my mother. I mean there are a lot of influences right now. I mean, my mom, my brother, my family, John Crouch my coach.
He’s (John Crouch) put a lot of hard work and personal time and effort into helping me. He’s gone above and beyond what a normal coach does. He’s not only my coach, but he’s my friend. When I first started fighting, he was kind of my mentor. Then I went to training with him and he was in Denver, so I went to train with them, and I got to spend a year, year and a half, just watching out and training. Seeing how he treats himself and treats others. To be really cool and not being a typical butt head, or Terry Toughguy, or Billy Badass. He showed me a lot in my year and a half in Denver training underneath him. (I give credit to) the guys at the LAB, not only my training partners, all the staff at the lab. Everybody man. The list could go on and on forever.
