Ben Henderson Gunning Towards a Title Shot: 5 Fights That Could Be Next for Him

Ben Henderson has looked phenomenal in his two bouts in the UFC.

At UFC 129, he faced Mark Bocek in his debut and while it appeared close at first, Henderson was clearly the more dominant fighter winning the decision and being setup against Jim Miller, who was arguably next in line for a title shot with a win.

His fight with Miller was not only the biggest win of his career, but it was also his most impressive performance as well. He truly let everyone know at 155 pounds that he is the real deal and that he is coming for that title. 

The lightweight division has a big question mark on it in terms of who is ranked where for a title shot.

Pettis was the No. 1 contender but since Edgar and Maynard went to a draw, a rematch was announced and Pettis decided to take the fight with Guida, which he lost by unanimous decision.

Jim Miller was up next, but as everyone saw the other night, he was demolished by Ben Henderson.

After Edgar and Maynard, it appears that the top guys are: Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Dennis Siver, Ben Henderson, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller and Anthony Pettis. There are a few guys who are knocking on the door, but overall those are your top guys.

Ben Henderson and Melvin Guillard appear to have the most momentum riding with them and with Guillard fighting Joe Lauzon next, what are Ben Henderson's options? 

Gleison Tibau

Winning two in a row and six of eight, Gleison Tibau is steadily moving up the ranks in the lightweight division. To most, this fight sounds kinda odd, but you must remember Ben has only had two fights in the UFC. This is one of those fights that could shake up the division like many fights have done in all divisions as of late. 

Tibau is arguably the strongest lightweight in the division and is truly improving in all aspects of his game. His grappling is great and his stand up improves every fight. His main problem is cardio, and that is the department in which Henderson has no problem with. 

This fight would be interesting on the feet and Tibau has the power, but Henderson has the overall technique and speed. On the ground again, Henderson has the speed, but black belt > brown belt. Tibau has the better BJJ skill set, technically.

Odds on submitting Henderson are slim, because Henderson has the speed, size and power to frustrate Tibau in every way possible. Tibau would literally have a puncher's chance in this bout, but there is no doubt that this could be a good fight to keep Henderson active.  

Donald Cerrone III the Trilogy

Ok, so yes Henderson is 2-0 against Cerrone and many people will say that this fight makes no sense, but look at it in a truthful aspect. Since coming to the UFC, both men have been terribly dominant.

They are both on a clear path to a title shot and it looks like no one is slowing either down. What happened in the WEC is no longer relevant anymore. These guys who came to the UFC were given a clean slate, and they decided their own fate. 

Does Cerrone have a chance? Well, they say twice is nice, but the third time's a charm. It is MMA and anything could happen. 

Odds are Henderson would be too much for Cerrone to handle, with his speed and strength advantage. Cerrone has great BJJ and stand up, but Henderson is truly a step ahead, and he has proved that in their previous two bouts.

So why would this fight make any sense?

Two guys working their way up, both have evolved and it is all up hill for both from here, but only one can achieve greatness.

Anthony Pettis II

Who wouldn't want to see this rematch? Yes, Pettis is coming off of a loss, but he did beat Henderson, so this could be the fight that really makes sense. Can Henderson do enough to defeat Pettis in a rematch is the main question here.

The answer is yes.

In the first fight, Henderson went in with a reckless attitude. Instead of using his strengths, he just put on a show. There is nothing wrong with that, but if he would've utilized his wrestling more, there is a good chance that he would've went to the UFC as the WEC champion.

This could be an outstanding rematch. Not only would it be entertaining, but it could also be the 2011 fight of the year. 

If Pettis used his speed like he did in the first bout, he would be okay. Henderson is the type of guy that when he takes you down, he will not just try to maintain position; he tries to hurt you and finish the fight.

Odds are he would not finish Pettis, but there is a good chance that he could dominate him and there would be a totally different outcome than the first fight. But, if Pettis used his striking to his advantage and could keep the fight on the feet, then he could once again defeat Henderson.

Of all of the possible match ups, this has the excitement value that fans love to see, but this is a bad fight for Pettis to take because if he were to lose two in a row, it would really set him back badly in the ranks of the division.

Whether it happens now or later, there is no doubt that we will see these two meet again in the future. 

Clay Guida

This fight is the most logical for Ben. Guida has put himself in the title picture and needs an opponent and with Henderson's most recent win, he is up there in the ranks with Guida, so a showdown with these two could be a title eliminator. 

Who has the advantage in this fight?

Well, Guida would not be able to just take Henderson down and hold him down for three rounds, Henderson is just too strong and also is an extremely talented wrestler and has the fighting style that Guida struggles most against. 

This would be a fast-paced fight, and we all know that Guida has tons of heart, but in a fight like this, heart will not win it for you. On the feet, Ben has the reach that would frustrate Guida. Guida would go for takedowns, but Henderson's takedown defense is really good.

On the ground, Henderson has all of the tools to stop Guida. Guida is a good fighter, but when it comes to fighting very well-rounded fighters, he just cannot get the job done. That does not mean that Guida has no chance to win this fight, it is just that stylistically it is a slim-to-none chance for him. 

If this is the title eliminator bout, expect Ben Henderson to be next in line for the title.

Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard Winner

Okay, yes this is a long shot, but the way things have went as of late, I personally would not be shocked to see this fight. Whoever wins the title fight will most likely want to defend as soon as possible as long as no serious injuries are suffered.

Both fighters would be a tough test for Henderson, but one thing is for sure, whomever Henderson would fight, it would be an exciting fight. 

If Frankie won the fight with Maynard and fought Henderson, this would be an extremely fast-paced fight. Edgar's wrestling would be the difference maker. While this would be a tough fight for both, to call a clear cut winner is terribly hard.

Edgar never quits and while Henderson would get the better of the stand up, Edgar would get the better of Henderson on the ground.

While both seem to be even in most aspects, Henderson's strength could play a huge factor and give him the win, while the speed and wrestling of Edgar of give him the win. This would be not only a close fight, but a great fight as well. 

If Henderson faced Maynard, this would be more of a strength vs. strength type of fight. Gray has heavy hands and has the strength to take and hold Henderson down for five rounds.

The one problem for Maynard is that his cardio is very questionable. This is the tougher fight of the two for Henderson, but once again it is truly hard to count him out.

Henderson could take Maynard and work some ground and pound on him, and in most cases, wrestlers are not too great off of their backs. This would be a back and forth battle, and the winner would be the one with the better cardio.

*I am not stating that Henderson would win any of these six possible fights, I am only stating what he must do to win them.