As most of the world ushered in a new year with resolutions and goals for the upcoming year, Ben Henderson…correction “Smooth” Ben Henderson began his new year with yet another step forward in his goal to become the best pound for pound fighter in the world, by defeating fellow Arizona fighter, Jaime Varner, and becoming the WEC undisputed Lightweight Champion in Sacramento, CA on January 10th.
Coming off of his “Fight of the Year” bout with fellow WEC mainstay, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, with a decision victory and capturing the Interim Lightweight title, Henderson’s unification bout with Varner was highly anticipated since both Henderson and Varner had fought battles with Cerrone. Henderson’s victory against Varner came in the third round by first, landing the last of perfectly timed knee strikes to Varner’s midsection, resulting in Varner going in for a takedown and finding himself on the losing end of a spectacular guillotine and Varner submitting, thusly, giving up his hold on the title.
Fighting out of The MMA LAB in Glendale, AZ, Henderson is always quick to remind himself and others that his success is not merely and individual accomplishment. Ever the gracious victor, Henderson thanks his family, training partners, coaches, academy, sponsors, and above all God. While much of the year is wide open with possibility, there is one thing that can be a sure bet, “Smooth” Ben Henderson will be readily poised to continue his climb to the top of the heap as the best in the world.
Congratulations Benson, from all of us at The MMA LAB. We are proud of your accomplishments, and even prouder to call you our friend, student, and gracious ambassador of our academy. Best of luck to you in 2010, continue to do, “all things…”
Smooth Ben Henderson at MMA LAB Homecoming
Picture Taken By: Rose Mary Alvarez
THE CHAMP IS HERE AT THE LAB!
THE LAB'S OWN BEN "SMOOTH" HENDERSON BRINGS BACK THE BELT FROM THE LONE STAR STATE!
LET'S CONGRATULATE EVERYONE AT THE LAB ELITE TEAM IN ALL OF THEIR HARD WORKTO BRING THE TITLE HOME!
AND THE LAB WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND WISHES! WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT THERE WOULD BE NO LAB!
UNANIMOUS DECISION! 48-47
CHECK OUT THE PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER THE FIGHT
In a world of black and white, WEC lightweight contender Ben Henderson emerges in Technicolor, a quietly charismatic 25-year old who can admit in one moment to being “a bit of a crier” while in the next he talks about his desire not to decimate opponents and walk away unscathed, but to engage in the type of grueling wars most fighters would hope to avoid.
Yet while mixing crying and the willingness to risk life and limb in professional prizefighting may be a foreign concept to some, to Henderson, it all makes sense, especially considering the journey he’s taken on the way to San Antonio and Saturday’s interim title fight against Donald Cerrone.
And if it makes it easier to understand where Henderson is coming from, a good place to start is at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska. “THE Dana College,” emphasizes Henderson with a smile while meeting with the media last month in Dallas before the UFC 103 event.
A talented athlete, Henderson arrived in Blair to get an education and to wrestle. It was his first taste of freedom, and he embraced it.
“A lot of Korean boys are pampered by their mothers and parents, so it was good for me to get away from home and be on my own,” he said. “I really needed that because I was a pretty big momma’s boy. (Laughs)”
That was the good part. The bad part was everything that happened on the mats. In his freshman year, Henderson struggled to a 5-14 record, and things weren’t much better in the wrestling room.
“You go from being King of the Hill – you’re the man, no one can touch you – to freshman year in college where you can hardly get a takedown in practice,” he said. “I was absolutely horrible. I got murdered every weekend. So that was really tough.”
That’s when the tears came – and they came often.
“I’m a bit of a crier,” he chuckled, “So I was crying after practice. Then I’d get my butt whipped on Saturdays and cry after that. Emotionally and mentally, you’re just sad and beat up.”
Henderson could have walked away, could have done anything else with his life. He wasn’t ready to give up though.
“You know you’ll eventually get better if you work hard, so it’s good to stay positive as much as possible,” he said, recalling his mantra throughout the year.
“It will pay off for me. I will be the best.”
His coach, Steve Costanzo, believed in Henderson as well, and as the months wore on, the Colorado Springs native wasn’t the worst wrestler on the team anymore.
“I had a great coach, he worked hard with me, and then eventually it got better,” said Henderson. “My technique caught up to my athleticism, and it paid off.”
In his senior year, Henderson’s record was 34-5, and he capped off his college career with the second of two NAIA All-American awards. Add in his degree in criminal justice and sociology, and it was the perfect ending to a story that wasn’t exactly heading towards one.
At this point, most successful college wrestlers hang up their singlet and get “real” jobs. Henderson did his part, applying for and making the Omaha and Denver Police Departments. But that competitive fire wouldn’t go away, and after taking a few amateur mixed martial arts fights on a dare, Henderson decided that while a career in law enforcement was something he could always go back to, being 22 years old was only going to happen once, and he needed to make the most of it now by chasing after his dream of being a pro fighter.
In November of 2006 he made his pro debut with a first round win over Dan Gregary. Less than a month later, Chad Klingensmith put him to sleep and evened his record at 1-1. Henderson, nicknamed “Smooth”, hasn’t lost since, and he brings a 9-1 record into the bout against Cerrone, one that includes WEC victories over Anthony Njokuani and Shane Roller.
It was in the WEC in 2009 that Henderson went from unknown to prospect to contender, all in the space of 10 months. It was a whirlwind that could change your outlook on things considerably, but nothing changed the way the Arizona resident saw the world more than the corrective eye surgery he underwent after his April TKO of Roller.
“I don’t like getting punched in the face,” he laughed. “I want to avoid that as much as possible, so being able to see allows me to avoid getting punched in the face, so I was all for it (the surgery). I was excited.”
He jokes about it, but when he steps into the cage with Cerrone, what having better vision now allows him to do could be the difference between winning and losing. And he admits that his reaction time, placement of punches, defense, and depth perception has all improved. Add that to his already impressive arsenal, and this fight has the potential to be one of the best of 2009. And that’s exactly what Henderson wants – now and for as long as he puts the mitts on.
“I want a Rocky Balboa fight where I get the crap beat out of me for four rounds, and I come back to win in the fifth round,” he said. “I want a highlight reel, knockdown, drag ‘em out 25 minute war. That’s what I want. The true champions, the guys who really want it, they show their heart, they show their mettle, they show what they have inside their soul. I want that every time I defend the belt. I want every challenger to push me so hard that I come out barely squeaking at the end. It’s good to be Anderson Silva and knock everybody out in 30 seconds, and not get hit and all that, but that’s too pretty. I want the wars.”
Henderson wouldn’t even mind seeing a replay of the war between Cerrone and the man who gets the winner of Saturday’s bout, current 155-pound champ Jamie Varner. There’s just one catch.
“I love MMA, I’m a big fan, and I can’t wait to watch the Varner-Cerrone rematch,” he said. “It’s gonna be a three round fight, but I can’t wait to watch it.”
Henderson smiles, making sure that everybody caught his witty turn of phrase, and though this star on the rise admits he has a long way to go before he’s as good as he can be, he has plenty of experience in fulfilling potential. And you may not understand that now, but you will.
