"I wrestled and cut weight six months, seven months out of the year since I was 12 years old," said UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in 2011. "It’s kind of getting old. I don’t like it so much anymore."
Now, according to a report from UFC Tonight on Tuesday evening, Henderson has asked to face UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre following his bout against Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7 in April.
The UFC has made no secret in their desire to put together a series of super fights with middleweight champion Anderson Silva either facing welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweight king Jon Jones.
However, just moments after his request was revealed, UFC president Dana White shot down the idea.
"No, that's not going to happen either," White said on UFC Tonight. "Ben Henderson, it's not going to happen, he just won that title not too long ago. There's plenty of guys in the 155 pound division to defend the title against, and a possible fight with Aldo, if Aldo moves up and stays at 55. A possible fight with Pettis a couple of fights away again."
"There's not going to be all this jumping around. I don’t blame Ben Henderson for wanting to go to 170, that's the big money fight. The big money fight is Georges St-Pierre, everybody knows it. If you're not fighting him you want to be fighting on his card."
mijo - Bendo wants a fight, has proven himself multiple times in the UFC already, but Pettis calls out Aldo, and Dana says ok?
Dana White is the biggest douche bag alive.
Although I'm not a fan of the Pettis vs Aldo fight, they are completely different scenarios.
how? as soon as the fight's over, the winner is leaving the division to fight the champ one class up. when bendo/melendez is over, bendo wants to go up. same scenario.
Because the top contender didn't just leave welterweight. It would be the equivalent of Hendricks beating Condit, then dropping to fight Benson and that fight determining who fights GSP next. GSP has other fights the UFC is wanting to do already. Aldo is also working on his seventh title defense, not his third.
Dodge135 - So Dana can't tell Frankie to cut weight, but he can keep Bendo on a diet?
Absolutely not... fuck that. It "may" be risky to do so, but you can do whatever you want in that regard. He's 29 years old, cutting weight gets harder and harder. I hope he makes the move and it pays off with a huge payday.
fuck the ufc monopoly sometimes I wish this sport was more like boxing so we could see these fights without all the interference. let the fighters decide who they fight. doubtful GSP would take the fight anyway.
Maybe, but we won't know until we know. GSP is about 2 years older then Bendo and he is a BIG 155'er. I see no problem in letting this happen if the cards play out the right way.
mijo - Bendo wants a fight, has proven himself multiple times in the UFC already, but Pettis calls out Aldo, and Dana says ok?
Dana White is the biggest douche bag alive.
Although I'm not a fan of the Pettis vs Aldo fight, they are completely different scenarios.
how? as soon as the fight's over, the winner is leaving the division to fight the champ one class up. when bendo/melendez is over, bendo wants to go up. same scenario.
Because the top contender didn't just leave welterweight. It would be the equivalent of Hendricks beating Condit, then dropping to fight Benson and that fight determining who fights GSP next. GSP has other fights the UFC is wanting to do already. Aldo is also working on his seventh title defense, not his third.
You're assuming Also is going to win. If Pettis wins, the champ takes the title and leaves without a defense, so the 3rd vs 7th doesn't really matter. Oh, and Aldo has 4 title defenses.
The fact of the matter is that there are more current challengers at featherweight than there are at lightweight. if Dana is going to allow these so called SUPERFIGHTS to clog the 145 division, no reason he shouldn't let it happen at 155. Imo, pettis hsould be fighting winner of benson/melendez and aldo should be defending against man who earned it, Llamas.
I agree with you about Lamas and Pettis. I just think it's different because of the different plans they have for GSP and that Benson hasn't established himself as being as dominant a champ as Aldo has.
And carrying over from the WEC, it is number 7 he's going for. He didn't win a new belt or join a new division, it just moved to a different place. Benson Henderson is one of my favorite fighters, I just don't think the timing is right.
He can't even clean out the division he's in and he's going up? Oh I get it....Pettis is going down and after he beats Aldo they'll be such a huge buzz that Bendo will have no choice but to fight Pettis again....and lose again. Better to get taken GSPed than get your belt Matrix kicked right off your waist.
