UFC Fight Night 59: Benson Henderson vs. Eddie Alvarez Head-to-Toe Breakown

In just over two months, former lightweight champion Benson Henderson returns to the Octagon to face former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC Fight Night 59.

Henderson last fought in August, when he suffered his first career knockout loss in brutal fashion at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos.

Alvarez is also coming off a loss. His last fight was his UFC debut, in which he dropped a unanimous decision to perennial contender Donald Cerrone.

Both fighters will be looking to get back on track, and with Henderson ranked at No. 5 and Alvarez at No. 10, this is a fight with serious implications in the stacked lightweight division.

Let's take a look at who has the edge in this early head-to-toe breakdown. 

Striking

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This is a tough one to call.

Henderson is a solid all-around fighter, with good striking. However, he has only two wins by (T)KO in his career, the most recent of which came in 2009.

In addition, he suffered his first career knockout loss in his last fight, when Rafael dos Anjos planted him in the first round. Some may consider it a controversial stoppage, but Henderson was hurt and getting battered.

Meanwhile, Alvarez is known for his striking. Of his 25 career wins, 14 have come by (T)KO, including two of his last three victories.

Alvarez has been knocked out once in his career, but it came all the way back in 2007.

Edge: Alvarez 

Grappling

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Henderson is known for his wrestling. He is very flexible and able to avoid a lot of takedowns, but he hasn't been doing so well at that as of late.

Against Rustam Khabilov, Henderson was taken down six times. Against Josh Thomson, he was taken down four times. Meanwhile, in his two fights with Frankie Edgar, he was taken down a combined seven times.

Offensively, Henderson should have the advantage with takedowns, but he could just as well be taken down by Alvarez.

Henderson could have the overall grappling edge come fight night, but it's far from a guarantee.

Edge: Push 

Submissions

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Of Henderson's 21 career wins, nine have come by way of submission. His most recent occurred in June, when he submitted Rustam Khabilov in the fourth round. He also has a submission victory over Donald Cerrone back in the WEC.

Henderson has lost by submission twice in his career—once in his third professional fight, and more recently against Anthony Pettis in 2013.

Alvarez has earned seven of 25 wins by submission, and he has lost by submission twice as well. His most recent submission loss came against Michael Chandler in 2011, while his most recent submission win was in 2010 over Josh Neer.

Even though their numbers are very similar, Henderson's submission wins have come over higher quality competition, while his loss came at the hands of the top lightweight in the world. 

Edge: Henderson 

Intangibles

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Eddie Alvarez

There are a lot of intangibles in play in this fight. First is that Alvarez is coming off a loss in his UFC debut.

It's impossible to know if Alvarez is overhyped, if he had Octagon jitters or any number of things.

As far as fight night intangibles, Alvarez is known as a slow starter, as he generally gets rocked early in each bout before he really gets into a groove.

That shouldn't be a huge issue for him against Henderson, as Henderson has just one first-round finish dating back to 2010. 

Benson Henderson

Henderson has several advantages going into this one, the first of which is his experience in big fights.

Henderson has been with the UFC for a long time, and he has headlined eight cards in a row. This will be his first non-headliner since 2011.

In addition, that means Henderson has trained for five-round fights for more than three years now. He will have the cardio to go nonstop for the full 15 minutes. Maybe he can get off to a fast start and take advantage of a slow start from Alvarez?

Henderson will also have to be wary of his chin. Alvarez hits hard, and with a knockout in his last fight, it remains to be seen how Henderson's chin will stand up to a big shot now. 

Prediction

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Eddie Alvarez is getting fed to the sharks thus far in his UFC career. He lost to Donald Cerrone in his first fight, and now he's facing a man who has already beaten Cerrone twice.

Henderson should have every ability to win this fight. He will be able to hang with Alvarez in the striking game, he will be able to take Alvarez down if he needs to, and he can look for submissions should they present themselves.

For Alvarez, his best and possibly only chance to win this fight is to land a big knockout shot. However, if Henderson is careful, he won't get that chance.

Prediction: Benson Henderson def. Eddie Alvarez by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).