There's all sorts of routes to UFC stardom. Benson Henderson is a great fighter, but his path to a fight with Frank Edgar could've been much different.
He graduated from WEC to UFC to the best fighter in the world's best division. How fast did it happen? Well just over three years ago, Henderson was trying to get a slot on Season 9 of the "Ultimate Fighter."
Cage Potato found this Bendo video as he tried to woo the UFC and Spike into choosing for the United States vs. United Kingdom season.
The lightweights that season were Santino DeFranco, Jason Dent, Cameron Dollar, Richie Whitson. They combined for one fight beyond the TUF 9 Finale. The field was smaller because of U.S. vs. U.K. theme, but clearly they whiffed on this one or they had bigger things in mind for Henderson. He debuted just months late in the WEC with a win over Anthony Njokuani.
At the end of the video, Henderson makes a promise.
"I fought my through the smaller shows. Now it's my time to dance underneath the lights," Henderson said. "I will win the UFC Season 9 Ultimate Fighter and I will fight for the title. You're looking at the future lightweight champ of the UFC."
Kazushi Gracie Hunter Sakuraba Hayato Sakurai Ivan Salaverry Sean Salmon Diego Sanchez Jorge Santiago
James Toney and Ken Shamrock are supposed to fight sometime in the fall of 2011. The two had a short press conference in Van Nuys, California to announce the fight, but started to get physical a little early.
Strikeforce: Josh Barnett Describes Win Over Brett Rogers as 'Perfect' Video by Josh Barnett
Scott Coker Discusses Overeem vs. Werdum, Gina Carano's Health Status Video by Strikeforce
Once the crowds and competition are gone for athletes there's only a few ways to stay in the game. If you're not coaching then the other option is broadcasting. As organized MMA reaches its 20-year mark, more and more fighters are beginning the transition into the media.
Demian Maia's journey to Vancouver starts in his home country of Brazil. Take a quick glimpse into his life as he prepares to face Mark Munoz at UFC 131
Next week, the UFC will kick off start their flyweight division with a four-man tournament to crown the division's champion. At UFC on FX 2, Joe Benavidez will fight Yasuhiro Urushutani and Demetrious Johnson will face Ian McCall. The winners of those two bouts will meet at a later date to decide the UFC's first 125-lb. champ.
Dana White UFC 131 Video Blog Day 2. Behind the Scenes of the UFC 131 press con. Dana talking to fans about fights coming up and hockey.
Hear from Dana White, Junior dos Santos, Shane Carwin, Kenny Florian, Diego Nunes, Sam Stout and Yves Edwards at the UFC 131 pre-fight press conference held June 9 in Vancouver, BC.
The race was delayed until Monday, so they had plenty of time to discuss throwing elbows, photoshoots, and wearing track suits. Hopefully, Lynch was offering "Bones" a cameo on "Glee." Nothing could prepare him better for his fight with Rashad Evans than a song and dance with New Directions.
And he even got a car with his name on it.
Full episode! Vancouver is on notice - heavy hands mean a big-time main event unlikely to go the distance in Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin. Plus Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes and Demian Maia vs. Mark Muñoz - see what's in store!
Dan Henderson appears to be a man with a world of options. Comfortable at both light heavyweight and middleweight, his winning streak and credentials in both Strikeforce and the UFC qualify him for a title shot. After his epic bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Henderson said he wanted to try for a title at whatever weight is first.
Mark Munoz Still Sees Major Holes in Demian Maia's Striking Video by UFC 131