Winner of Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis will get shot at UFC belt
Amidst the shocking announcement that World Extreme Cagefighting would be merged into the Ultimate Fighting Championships, additional news also followed, stating that the two organisations’ lightweight title
belts will be unified once the WEC fighters join the UFC.
The winner of the upcoming bout at WEC 53 (the last ever WEC event) between current WEC 155lb lightweight champion Benson Henderson and challenger Anthony Pettis in December will get a shot at the UFC champion.
Currently, the UFC champion is Frankie Edgar, but he’ll be defending his title against Gray Maynard on 1 January, so the winners of both bouts will unify the belts.
The UFC confirmed the news via press release.
“[UFC president] Dana White confirmed that the winner of the December 16 lightweight title fight between WEC champion Ben Henderson and top contender Anthony Pettis live on VERSUS will take on the winner
of the UFC 125 main event title bout between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. This upcoming fight will serve as a UFC lightweight title unification bout to be held next year,” it read.
The UFC’s lightweight division is generally seen as much more talented that the WEC’s. Because both promotions are owned by the same company, and the UFC is the much larger of the two, it has traditionally
had the pick of the best fighters. Of the top 25 lightweight fighters in the
USA Today/SB Nation rankings, the UFC has 16, while only one WEC lightweight fighter, Henderson, occupies the top 25 at the 14 spot.
Nevertheless, both Pettis and Henderson have accumulated impressive records, with each of them at 12-1. Henderson hasn’t lost a fight since 2006 and has won 11 straight, while Pettis’ only loss came in 2009
via split decision. His combination of good striking, submissions and take-down defence provides fits to most fighters, while Henderson’s wrestling has allowed him to be dominant in the WEC.
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