UFC Fight Night 59: Keys to Victory for Benson Henderson

The UFC heads out to Boston, MA for the 59th UFC Fight Night. With Connor McGregor in the main event, you would think it can’t get much better? Right, absolutely wrong. Just weeks after fighting to a victory Donald Cerrone answered the call and steps in to face Benson Henderson in what may be the fight that steals the show on Sunday night.

The two have fought twice before under the WEC banner and Henderson has found his way to victory both times. A lot has changed since then though. Henderson went on a run, but has suffered two losses in his last four outings. Cerrone on the other hand is riding a six fight win streak and has momentum on his side.

The talent pool in the UFC’s lightweight division is about as deep as it gets and for these two men, a loss would have severe consequences regarding a run at the title any time soon. So, how will Henderson stop the surging Cerrone and get back in the win column? Here are his keys to victory:

Cardio

Henderson has been training for a fight with Eddie Alvarez for some time. Both he and Alvarez have been in a number of five round fights during their career. Cerrone, not so much. Not only that, Cerrone just fought a couple weeks ago and probably went off of his normal diet and indulged in some of the finer pleasures in life. You can’t expect Cerrone to be out of shape though, he took little to no damage in the Jury fight and he is always ready to go according to him. That being said, with only three rounds Henderson will have to take it to him early on and pressure with his wrestling to wear Cerrone down.

Leg Kicks

Both men have elite level striking, but Henderson will have the advantage of threatening with the take downs to mix things up and keep him guessing. If Henderson can utilize that strategy to employ a barrage of leg kicks through out their fight, he will be able to nullify the great and real threat of being cut down or even knock out with one of Cerrone’s own kicks. Cerrone is a superb submission fighter, but his bread and butter is kick boxing and if Henderson can one up him in this area it’s going to take a toll on Cerrone both physically and mentally.

Wrestle

Cerrone has proven through out his career to be dangerous on the ground. With effortless transitions and snappy reflexes, he is able to submit many fighters with ease. Having fought Cerrone before and avoided that fate, he must remain confident in that department and use his wrestling ability to nullify Cerrone’s dangerous ground game.