Guida is coming in hot off the longest win streak in his UFC career with fours straight wins and three of those coming by way of Submission. While he has always been a fan favorite in the UFC Lightweight division, Guida's most recent outing against final WEC champion Anthony Pettis attracted much criticism from even his own loyal fans. While some saw the match up as a striker vs grappler affair to begin with, many were surprised to see Guida employ a lay-&-prey tactic that did not suit his usual style of going out to put on a show. Leading up to the bout, many were calling for title contention for Guida should he win the bout, though that call stopped seeing his performance against Pettis. With so much talk of possible contention prior to the bout, many figure that the chance at the title with just one win caused Guida to focus on doing what he felt was the safer way to win the fight, and proved so when he said what many wrestling based fighters are saying with "I did what I needed to win". Following that performance and garnering criticism for abandoning the style that made him such a fan favorite, Guida will have to prove himself when he takes on both a technical striker and a strong grappler in Henderson, as well as an opponent who fans and analysts see as an equal when it comes to speed.
Henderson came into the UFC bundled with an impressive roster of fellow Lightweights when the WEC was fully absorbed into the promotion. While coming in off what many consider the best main event the WEC ever put on, Henderson was coming in off only his second professional loss when he lost his WEC title to the final champion Anthony Pettis and was on the receiving end of the first ever "Showtime kick" ever used in the cage. While losing his title and what was also a guaranteed shot at unifying both the UFC and WEC titles, Henderson came into the UFC determined to start from scratch and make a statement in his promotional debut when he took on grappling ace Mark Bocek as part of the monumental UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields event. While taking on a highly touted BJJ practitioner, Henderson proved his mixed skills countering Bocek's BJJ with his own mixed with his wrestling background and landing powerful strikes that claimed all rounds on the judges' scorecards. Seen as a freshly added contender to the roster, Henderson was then pit against Jim Miller who was riding a seven fight win streak and was considered as to be an overlooked contender who already deserved a title shot. Seen as the underdog taking on the UFC veteran, who had actually referred to WEC Lightweights as lesser ranked compared to UFC fighters, Henderson put on a dominant performance picking Miller apart on the feet and landing devastating strikes on the ground that made one judge even score a 10-8 for Rnd3. After dominating a highly recognized contender and having been the former WEC champion, Henderson proved that the WEC elite were capable of even besting those in the UFC. Now taking on a dangerous UFC veteran in Guida for #1 contendership, Henderson will have more to prove now being within reach of the title every fighter dreams of capturing. With unrelenting strength, a technical and powerful striking skill set, fast paced grappling skill, and one of the toughest fighters to submit getting out of countless submission attempts, Henderson could possibly be the toughest opponent Guida has faced.
Henderson came into the UFC bundled with an impressive roster of fellow Lightweights when the WEC was fully absorbed into the promotion. While coming in off what many consider the best main event the WEC ever put on, Henderson was coming in off only his second professional loss when he lost his WEC title to the final champion Anthony Pettis and was on the receiving end of the first ever "Showtime kick" ever used in the cage. While losing his title and what was also a guaranteed shot at unifying both the UFC and WEC titles, Henderson came into the UFC determined to start from scratch and make a statement in his promotional debut when he took on grappling ace Mark Bocek as part of the monumental UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields event. While taking on a highly touted BJJ practitioner, Henderson proved his mixed skills countering Bocek's BJJ with his own mixed with his wrestling background and landing powerful strikes that claimed all rounds on the judges' scorecards. Seen as a freshly added contender to the roster, Henderson was then pit against Jim Miller who was riding a seven fight win streak and was considered as to be an overlooked contender who already deserved a title shot. Seen as the underdog taking on the UFC veteran, who had actually referred to WEC Lightweights as lesser ranked compared to UFC fighters, Henderson put on a dominant performance picking Miller apart on the feet and landing devastating strikes on the ground that made one judge even score a 10-8 for Rnd3. After dominating a highly recognized contender and having been the former WEC champion, Henderson proved that the WEC elite were capable of even besting those in the UFC. Now taking on a dangerous UFC veteran in Guida for #1 contendership, Henderson will have more to prove now being within reach of the title every fighter dreams of capturing. With unrelenting strength, a technical and powerful striking skill set, fast paced grappling skill, and one of the toughest fighters to submit getting out of countless submission attempts, Henderson could possibly be the toughest opponent Guida has faced.
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