 |
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Last November, the UFC's first event on Fox featured one of the best fights of 2011. Unfortunately, very few saw the bout live. Ben Henderson earned his shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship when he defeated Clay Guida in a 15-minute bout in the night's co-main event, but because the first broadcast centered only around the UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, the two lightweights were left in an unfortunate position.
The bout was broadcast on Facebook, but getting no exposure on the Fox card itself left the fight with little exposure, a fact that definitely saddened the winner and now Champ Ben Henderson.
"It's nice cause there was so much hype about the first UFC card on Fox, first UFC card on main TV, on free TV. There was so much hype around that, there was so much talk about it, and then when it came around I wasn't on Fox," Henderson commented in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "Clay and I weren't aired on Fox, so I was sad. I won't lie, I was very sad about that."
However, Henderson's getting a little bit of redemption this December, as he'll headline an event on the network when he defends his title against Nate Diaz.
"It's definitely cool. I like that we are the main event and that especially from the first Fox card, I was very sad about that. I didn't complain; I didn't say anything. I was like 'cool, I'm not going to be shown on Fox; alright, sounds good.' I'm not going to throw a hissy fit; it is what it is. I'm a company guy and if that's what it is, that's what it is.
"Now it's nice to be redeemed and be the main event."
Henderson is very excited for this headlining slot, but he admits that there's one thing that could have made December 8 even better for him in Seattle.
"It was nice kind of being redeemed. Now, Nate and I are headlining the Fox card. The only thing that could make it better would be having heavyweights be the co-main event," Henderson said.
"That would be a freaking feather in my cap. I would love that."
Penick's Analysis: It certainly wasn't the UFC's initial plan to have that fight go unaired last year. The unfortunate - for Henderson and Guida - set of circumstances ultimately led to Fox wanting just one bout on the broadcast to introduce the UFC to the Fox audience. It meant the No. 1 contender bout for the Lightweight Championship was unheralded, limitedly viewed, and not given the attention it deserved, but Henderson's got a chance to have his moment on Fox when he takes on Nate Diaz in Seattle. It should be a great Championship fight, and it's a fantastic main event for network television. I'd expect both fighters to come through with big performances and a big fight, and fans will be able to catch it all on Dec. 8.
[Ben Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
-Follow Us on Twitter: CLICK HERE
-Like Us on Facebook: CLICK HERE
-Listen to our Weekly Podcast: CLICK HERE
-Subscribe to our Podcast in iTunes: CLICK HERE
-Get our Free iPhone App: CLICK HERE
-Get our Free Amazon Kindle App: CLICK HERE
-Get our Free Android App: CLICK HERE
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14823.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment