UFC
Ben Henderson ready for 15 minute, insanely paced fight with Jim Miller at UFC on Versus 5 this Sunday
Aug 10, 2011 - 10:00:57 PM Ben Henderson ready for 15 minute, insanely paced fight with Jim Miller at UFC on Versus 5 this Sunday

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

When Ben Henderson was riding high atop the WEC's lightweight division, the constant talking point he would hear in interviews and comments from fans was just how he would fare against the top lightweight fighters in the UFC. Now that he's made his UFC debut and taken out a high level opponent in Mark Bocek, Henderson is hoping to prove just how legitimate a challenger he is when he takes on Jim Miller this Sunday at UFC on Versus 5.

Miller enters the event as perhaps the leading contender in the lightweight division, bringing a 20-2 record with him into this fight. Considering Miller's only losses are to the two fighters competing for the UFC Lightweight Title in October at UFC 136, Henderson knows he's in for his toughest fight to date.

"For sure this is the toughest fight in my career," Henderson admitted during a conference call for the event last week. "He's a wrestler, so I know he'll bring that wrestling mentality [of] 'I'll grind out and do whatever it takes to get my hand raised.' I'm definitely expecting the toughest fight of my career. I'm expecting to go 15 minutes, hard, at an insane pace.”

Henderson knows a win will boost his profile in the lightweight division, but he's not yet concerned about being thrust into the title picture. For him, a shot will eventually come, and all he has to do is keep winning fights.

"If you're on the right track and you're getting your hand raised, that's the only thing that matters," Henderson said. "Whether you're number 20 and you keep getting your hand raised, eventually you're going to get to the title; or if you're number two, whoever you call out next. It doesn't really matter at all. The biggest thing is getting your hand raised and keep on doing that and looking impressive."

Both fighters are similar in that they have very good wrestling and submission games, but also have some fairly good striking skills to go along with it. That means Henderson doesn't feel he'll be facing anything unexpected from Miller, and feels he'll be ready for Miller's grappling game in the fight.

"We're both former collegiate wrestlers who got into MMA afterwards," Henderson reminded everyone. "So we're pretty wrestling based on the ground. His transition to Jiu jitsu and mine followed similar paths. I think that a lot of stuff from what I could find online and what not, the stuff that he does whether it Jujitsu matches or in the MMA in the cage is a lot of the same stuff that I do. I do a lot of the same stuff that he does. So I don't know. I have a lot of guys at my gym who will kind of do the same stuff that I do, do some of the stuff that Jim does. So no, I think that it'll be something I am ready for."

"I think it could be a great technical, hard nosed grappling match for 15 minutes or a standup war where we just spit in the pocket and bang for 15 minutes."

Either way, fans are in for a war between the two of them in Milwaukee on Sunday night on Versus.

Penick's Analysis: This is the real main event for Sunday night's card, and one of the best lightweight fights even scheduled this year outside of title fights. Henderson was really impressive against Mark Bocek, but Miller is an immense challenge, and easily the toughest fight he's taken thus far in his career. WEC lightweights have had mixed success thus far in their UFC bouts, but Henderson's been one of the bright spots of the fighters that have come over from the UFC's former sister promotion, and this fight is his chance to prove himself on another level entirely. This is a fight I can't wait to see on Sunday.