When Ben Henderson faces off against Donald Cerrone on Saturday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, he will not only be fighting for the interim lightweight belt and a shot at current WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner. To Henderson, Saturday night is all about earning respect and recognition, and a win over Cerrone in the main event of WEC 43 could put him on the fast track to superstar status.
Tapology’s Steven Kelliher recently got a chance to speak with Henderson at length about the injury that forced the entire event to be rescheduled, his training and strategy heading into the biggest fight of his career, and his desire to be considered the best fighter on the planet before he walks away from the sport.
Tapology: You were originally supposed to fight Donald Cerrone last month but had to pull out of the fight due to an injury. Could you just talk a bit about that injury and put to rest some of the rumors surrounding your removal from the card?
Henderson: Yeah. It was a small injury, nothing serious that needed any surgery or anything. I just took some time off to let my body heal and got right back into another training camp to get ready to go for this October 10 fight.
Tapology: Was it a muscular injury?
Henderson: It was very minor. It was good for me to have the time off, but if push came to shove I could have danced.
Tapology: How did Cerrone react to the postponement? Was he cool about it?
Henderson: Yeah, he gave me a call to make sure I was okay and that it was nothing too serious.
Tapology: A few weeks ago it was announced that DirecTV would no longer be showing the Versus channel. Do you think that is going to affect the WEC promotion in the long run?
Henderson: I’m really not too sure; I haven’t given it much thought. As far as it affecting me personally, my gym is having a hard time finding a place that will put the fights on for people around the MMALab in Arizona to support me, but that’s about it.
Tapology: About training for Cerrone, you were probably in a full training camp in August, so did you just enter another full training camp last month after recovering from your injury? How has that been going?
Henderson: I did take a full week off after that injury, but then I started back up with a whole new training camp.
Tapology: And how do you feel going into this one? Do you feel 100%?
Henderson: Oh yeah. It was definitely a blessing—how it worked out for me—to have the event moved to October 10. I’m 100% ready to go. After having to go through two training camps for the same fight, I’m in the mindset now of, “Let’s go, let’s dance and get this done.”
Tapology: What do you think about Cerrone as an opponent? What kinds of problems do you think he poses for you?
Henderson: He’s always a good opponent, always game. His biggest asset, I think, is his mentality. He’s down to fight. I think he and I are similar in that way. He is down to scrap. We can do it in a parking lot tomorrow just to see who’s better. He’s a good kickboxer, we all know that, but the majority of his wins are by submission so we have to be aware of that also.
Tapology: You are both considered to be finishers, and Cerrone has never been finished in his professional career. What do you think of that? Is it important for you to get the finish, or is it just important to get the win?
Henderson: It’s important for me to get a win first and foremost. Anything else on top of that is an added bonus. Ideally, yes, I would like to finish the fight. I would like to end it early to really show that I can finish fights.
Tapology: Do you think your wrestling is going to be your biggest advantage in this fight or do you think your striking has come far enough to challenge Cerrone on the feet?
Henderson: I think my striking has come far enough along to surprise Cerrone. I think he won’t know what to expect from me. With Cerrone, there is so much film on him, so I think I can surprise him and a lot of other people with the striking aspect of my game.
Tapology: Do you still think the wrestling is the best overall part of your game at this point?
Henderson: I would say that is my base, my strength, but I have progressed from there. Cerrone started out as a Muay Thai fighter, and even though most of his wins are by submission, he is still known as a great Muay Thai fighter.
Tapology: How did you feel about your last fight against Shane Roller? You got hurt and then came back to knock him out.
Henderson: Well, it was obviously a disappointment to get clipped early on, but I managed to clear my head and get back to doing what I do.
Tapology: Can you confirm whether or not the winner of this fight is going to get a shot at Jamie Varner?
Henderson: They have told me that, but in this business you never really know. I think I’ll be fighting Varner next, but until everything is set in stone, I’m not quite sure.
Tapology: Obviously you have your plate full right now with a WEC title shot, but do you ever think about competing in the UFC lightweight division?
Henderson: I’m happy with the WEC right now. My main concern in everything I do is that I want to be the best, period. Pound-for-pound I want to be the best fighter on the planet. Whether that takes me to the UFC or wherever that is, I want to fight the best people on the planet, beat them, and then, without a doubt, be considered the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. No top three, nothing like that. I want to be the best.
Tapology: What have you been working in training specifically for this fight?
Henderson: I like to work everything equally, but in between fights I like to take time out to break down what I need to work on. I am always in the gym trying to improve, and I’m getting better. Every fight, I want to see an improvement in myself.
Tapology: You mentioned that you would like to be in the pound-for-pound discussion eventually. Just out of curiosity, who is your number one pound-for-pound pick?
Henderson: I have to go with a top two: Anderson Silva, and Fedor Emelianenko.
Tapology: Can you give a prediction for October 10?
Henderson: October 10, at the end of the fight you can expect my hand to be raised for sure.
Tapology: How long do you plan on fighting?
Henderson: I definitely will leave a legacy after my fighting career, but this won’t be my only career. Life goes on.
Tapology: Thanks a lot for your time Ben, and good luck on October 10.
Henderson: I need to thank some people who don’t get thanked enough. John Crouch, my MMA coach, is responsible for where I am today. Without the support of him and the other coaches I would not be where I am. MTX Audio and Save the Clothing.
