Benson Henderson made a statement at UFC 129. Not only did his victory bring validation to the notion that he will be a force within the UFC’s stacked lightweight division, but it proved that WEC might not have been as “minor” of a league as some, including his opponent Mark Bocek, believed. In a fashion befitting the nickname “Smooth,” Henderson outworked Bocek on his way to a unanimous decision victory. He used superior striking, tough wrestling, and surprising grappling to out-maneuver and beat his opponent to the punch every chance he could. The final scores were 30-27 across the board for Henderson.
After his victory at UFC 124, Bocek made some statements that caused many to believe that he was setting himself up to be a victim of Karma, a belief that could only have been strengthened after Saturday’s defeat. During an interview with MMA Junkie, Bocek stated that he believed he was too much of a step up in competition for Henderson. Well, Ben Henderson was one of the biggest fish that WEC could serve up, and Bocek had no answers for anything offered to him by the former WEC lightweight champion.
This win for Henderson sends a strong message to the lightweight division. At the present time, the former WEC lightweights are nearly undefeated since the merger of the two organizations. Joe “Daddy” Stevenson was the biggest UFC name to fall, back at UFC Live on Versus 3, when he was defeated by Danny Castillo. Now with Bocek falling, the questions are beginning to arise regarding which group is truly better. Many fighters, writers, and experts believed that the WEC fighters would end up as the casualties of this merger, however they are instead fighting their way into roster dominance.
Now our eyes turn towards Anthony Pettis, who has to get through Clay Guida to get the title shot that he earned with his WEC championship win over Henderson. Of all the incoming WEC fighters, I believe that Pettis has the most difficult challenge placed in front of him. Yet with a victory in this battle, not only will Pettis earn a shot at the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard, and a chance to unify the belts, but he will prove that the World Extreme Cagefighting organization was the pivotal organization in developing the lighter weights within mixed martial arts. And in doing so, he will be known not just for having put the exclamation point at the end of the WEC saga with his Showtime Kick, but for having penned the epilogue that rewrites the story of that promotion’s place in MMA lore.
