UFC 144 Fight Card: Why the UFC Wants Benson Henderson to Win

Whether Zuffa and its child company, the UFC, want to admit it or not, they almost always have some sort of rooting interest in every bout. Yes, the company makes money no matter which fighter comes out on top, but the difference in future earnings for the promotion can be night and day depending on how things shake out.

So while they would be satisfied with Frankie Edgar staying atop the lightweight division, it is my belief that deep down, the company would love to see Benson Henderson walk out of the Saitama Super Arena as the new 155-pound champion at UFC 144.

Before you call me crazy and/or a host of other adjectives, please allow me to explain...

Frankie Edgar’s Lack of Marketability

Frankie Edgar is a lot of things. Talented, entertaining in the cage, an overachiever, an inspiration for thousands of fighters around the world. But the reality is that, like many of the other UFC lightweight champions outside of BJ Penn, he simply isn’t very marketable.

Since becoming champion at UFC 114, Edgar just hasn’t caught on in the mainstream as a major draw despite being an excellent champion. In fact, the past two pay-per-view cards that he headlined, both against Gray Maynard, combined to reach less than 500,000 buys.

By comparison, another relatively new champion, Jon “Bones” Jones, saw the past two fight cards that he headlined combine for over one million buys.

Yes, heavier weight class fighters have typically fared better as pay-per-view draws for the UFC throughout history, but it’s not as if the lower weight classes are incapable of drawing in fans. In fact, Edgar’s second fight with BJ Penn which headlined the UFC 118 pay-per-view pulled in over 570,000 buys on its own.

Sure, BJ Penn is a significantly bigger draw than is Gray Maynard, but if Edgar was a big enough draw himself, there wouldn’t be over a 50 percent drop-off in the pay-per-view buys from one champion to the next.

Benson Henderson’s Marketability

Former WEC champion Benson Henderson might not be the most talked about fighter in the company, but it’s hard to deny that there is just something about him that screams “star.”

With four “fight night” bonuses in just nine Zuffa fights, Henderson has already attracted the attention of the bosses at Zuffa who ultimately make the decision on which of their fighters are promoted most heavily.

Henderson’s humble, yet confident attitude is very reminiscent of that of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones without the side dish of cockiness. The major difference is that while Jones has been accused by numerous of his fellow fighters of being a phony, no one doubts that the Benson Henderson you see is the real deal.

Henderson vs. Pettis Rematch

For those who were lucky enough to see it live, the Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson bout for the WEC lightweight championship at the final WEC fight card is forever burned into history.

Not only was it an entertaining 25-minute war, but it also featured perhaps the most famous kick in MMA history when Pettis sprung himself off the cage like an action movie star, only to catch Henderson right on the jaw with an unbelievable shot now known as the “Showtime kick.”

Henderson came up short in a judges’ decision that night, losing his WEC championship in the process in what has been the only blemish on his Zuffa record in over three years fighting for the company. Needless to say, if Henderson can defeat Edgar and Pettis can defeat Joe Lauzon at UFC 144, a rematch between these two could draw some serious interest.

A Challenger for Jose Aldo

Perhaps the biggest underlying reason that the UFC would prefer that Benson Henderson win this fight isn’t that they dislike Frankie Edgar, but rather that they believe he would be better suited to compete at 145 pounds.

As one of the smallest lightweights in the company, Edgar has been physically undermatched against just about every opponent he has fought in the promotion to date. Give credit where credit is due, however, because Edgar has overcome that disadvantage on his way to becoming a very respectable champion at 155 pounds.

Still, UFC president Dana White has publicly said that he doesn’t know if Edgar’s future is at 155 pounds and that he would be very interested in seeing a potential fight between him and current featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

After Aldo dismantled Chad Mendes at UFC 142, the 145-pound division is almost unanimously considered to be the division with the least challengers for the champion in the UFC. Other than perhaps Hatsu Hioki, who has been unimpressive thus far in the Octagon and could tumble down the rankings with a loss to Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144, there really are no real contenders in the featherweight division.

There is no shame for Frankie Edgar if he were to opt to drop to 145 pounds after a loss to Benson Henderson. He has been great in the lightweight division, but a drop down would negate much of the size disadvantage he has fighting at 155. Not only that, but he would likely only be one fight away from fighting for the title in his new weight class.

A Benson Henderson win at UFC 145 means a new champion in the lightweight division, but it also opens up a real challenger for Jose Aldo in the featherweight division. The UFC gets to have their cake and eat it, too.

Certainly they’re not going to publicly say it, but behind closed doors, it’s tough to imagine that the Zuffa offices wouldn’t let out a collective sigh of relief if Benson Henderson is able to dethrone Frankie Edgar on Saturday night in Japan.

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: @NicholasCaron