The road to Donald Cerrone vs Benson Henderson 3

The third contest of any combat trilogy usually settles the score between two competitors. Every so often though, the bout may not be a conclusive decider. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and “Smooth” Benson Henderson find themselves in such a position as they prepare for the co-main event at UFC Boston this weekend.

A win for Henderson and it is highly unlikely he’ll ever stand across from “Cowboy” again in the UFC, however should Cerrone emerge victorious, they may meet again further down the line.

Leading up to their first fight at WEC 43, Cerrone had won three of his last four contests. His loss came against champion Jamie Varner via split decision. Henderson was coming off a first round TKO victory against Shane Roller at WEC 40.

WEC 43, 10^th October 2009, Henderson-Cerrone.

Round 1

Cerrone caught Henderson in a guillotine choke early in the round before controlling him on the deck for the first 90 seconds. Henderson sprung free, attempted a guillotine of his own before both fighters were back on their feet. The pair exchanged leg kicks before Henderson goes for a single leg and controlled Cerrone against the cage. Henderson got the takedown and landed a few blows whilst Cerrone kept busy attempting submissions from his back. Henderson controlled the rest of the round.

Round 2

The round starts sluggishly with both men circling before Henderson shot for a takedown and got Cerrone on his back. Cerrone immediately got to his feet and took Henderson’s back only for Henderson to shake Cerrone sideways and ends up on top again. The grappling continued, Cerrone isolated an arm before Henderson steps over, stands up and begins to rain blows downwards. Cerrone attempted a knee-bar with 40 seconds remaining but Henderson rotated and took position again, landing both body and head shots. Cerrone up-kicks from the bottom but with limited success.

Round 3

The third round continued to the same beat, the two briefly engaged on their feet before Henderson shot for a takedown and took top position. A scramble results with Henderson taking ‘Cowboy’s’ back before he stood up and controlled Cerrone on the canvass. Cerrone eventually double-kicks him off, the two circle each other briefly before Henderson gets another takedown and controls ‘Cowboy’ against the fence. Cerrone slips out and they return to the centre of the octagon. Henderson gets another takedown but the round ends before any damage can be done.

Round 4

Cerrone shoots for an early takedown and gets Henderson in a standing guillotine from the resulting scramble. Cerrone takes him to the ground but somehow Henderson survives and both end up on their feet. Both fighters tire and Cerrone evades two sluggish takedowns. The pace slows significantly as the competitors recharge whilst circling. With two minutes to go, Cerrone dodges another takedown but is controlled against the cage. He escapes to the centre of the octagon and controlled the last minute of the round, dropping Henderson with a leg-kick just before the bell.

Round 5

The round begins with an embrace between the two before Henderson goes on the hunt for a takedown. Cerrone holds him off, looks for Henderson to trade but he quickly shoots again. Henderson ends up on his back but Cerrone summons him to his feet after landing a couple of leg-kicks. Henderson appears to be tiring; Cerrone pushes him to the ground and controls him against the fence. Henderson escapes an arm-bar after a lengthy scramble and ends up holding Cerrone down from a standing position with a minute left in the bout. The round ends as most of the fight was fought: Cerrone on his back attempting multiple submissions.

All 3 Judges scored it 48-47 in favour of Henderson, who became the interim WEC lightweight champion. Henderson would go on to defeat Jamie Varner by 3^rd round submission for the outright WEC title. His first defence was against Donald Cerrone, who beat Ed Ratcliff via submission in the meantime.

WEC 48, September 10^th 2010, Henderson-Cerrone 2

Everyone hoped for a repeat of their first ‘Fight of the Year’ duel but despite all the anticipation the bout barley got going. They exchanged briefly in the centre before Henderson shot for a single leg takedown after Cerrone threw a kick. Cerrone rolled out but Henderson pushes him against the cage, controlled him from behind and landed multiple knees. Cerrone turned to face him but Henderson forced him to the ground. Cerrone scrambled but Henderson trapped him in a guillotine, forced him back to the ground. Cerrone tapped with only 2 minutes gone in the bout.

Going into the 3^rd fight

Cerrone is currently riding a 6 fight win streak, which includes a unanimous decision over Myles Jury earlier this month. Henderson has lost two of his last four, including a controversial stoppage defeat to Rafael Dos Anjos in his last bout. If Cerrone wins, he’ll deserve a shot at the title. It’s slightly different for Henderson as he has already lost twice to current champ Anthony Pettis. A win may earn him a rematch with Dos Anjos but that depends on the outcome of the title bout between the latter and Pettis at UFC 185 in March. Unbeaten Russian Khabib Nurmagomedev may also be waiting in the wings.

Prediction

I expect the contest to be similar to the first fight but with Cerrone taking a close decision based on his submission attempts.

@SimonGMaguire