Dana White was not impressed by Benson Henderson’s split-decision win over Josh Thomson on Saturday night at “UFC on FOX 10.” In fact, he was so unimpressed by Henderson that he says Bendo’s performance wasn’t deserving of a title shot. Thomson, on the other hand, probably would have earned one had he been victorious.
When asked after the fight if Bendo’s performance was worthy of another title shot, White answered simply.
“No,” White said. “But, I mean, that was a Ben Henderson fight. … We’ve seen that fight a million times.
“It’s not about being more aggressive. He’s a talented fighter. He’s just one of those guys — he’s a grinder, not a finisher.”
White expressed frustration that neither Henderson nor Thomson went all out trying to finish the fight. Thomson had an excuse — he suffered a serious right hand injury in the second round — which limited his ability to throw punches. But White says that was a typical performance from Bendo, who, prior to his loss to Pettis last August, had won seven straight fights by decision.
Bendo is 0-2 in his career against Pettis, who is out until the summer after having surgery. Henderson lost to Pettis at WEC 53 in 2010 by decision and in August at UFC 154 by first-round armbar. Maybe he’s not finishing enough fights, but the guy is still really good and usually wins his bouts.
People love seeing knockouts and submissions, but should Henderson be penalized just because he’s not finishing fights? Probably not. I’m sure White will come around to giving Henderson a good fight and possible title shot when it comes down to it.
