UFC
Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson headlines UFC on Fox 10 in Chicago on January 25
Nov 17, 2013 - 11:15:41 AM Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson headlines UFC on Fox 10 in Chicago on January 25

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

With UFC Lightweight Champ Anthony Pettis sidelined with an injury, the man he was supposed to fight at UFC on Fox 9 will instead be headlining UFC on Fox 10 against the man he took the belt from.

UFC President Dana White revealed on Saturday after UFC 167 that Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson will be squaring off in a five round main event at UFC on Fox 10, coming to Chicago, Ill. on Jan. 25.

This marks the third UFC on Fox card that Henderson has headlined, though his previous two bouts were five round title fights. He lost the belt to Pettis in August when he was caught in an armbar at UFC 164. He was targeting a February return, but will come back a little bit sooner than that.

Thomson hasn't fought since knocking out Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7 in April. He was set to challenge for the title next month, but with Pettis out for the foreseeable future, he's stepped into a fight with the former UFC Champ instead. A former Champion himself in Strikeforce, Thomson is 4-3 in his last seven fights, with two of those losses coming by decision to fellow top contender Gilbert Melendez.

Penick's Analysis: While the UFC is closing out 2013 quite strong, it's left them with a dearth of options for their early 2014 shows. This is going to be among the weakest Fox main events given Henderson's last two appearances on the network didn't draw huge numbers, and he lost his last fight. But it's a good fight for the lightweight division, and Thomson can stamp his claim on a title shot if he can pick up that win.

[Benson Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]