Henderson promises Rocky Balboa action in tonight’s WEC 43 title fight

The main event at tonight’s WEC 43 featuring striker Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (10-1) versus grappler Ben Henderson (9-1) for the interim lightweight title should be an exiting fight. That’s not hyperbole. These two fighters were punched out of a mold at the rock ‘em sock ‘em factory. They both run on Energizers and can take a punch and belly up for more.

Cerrone is a former Muay Thai champion and professional bullrider who trains with Greg Jackson, and he’s actually pretty comfortable off his back, having earned nine of his wins by submission (five of them by triangle). And he’s made no secret that he’s already looking ahead to a rematch with champ Jamie Varner. Varner’s been sidelined with injuries since their battle at WEC 38 that saw Henderson lose a technical decision (split) after landing an illegal knee to Varner’s temple in the fifth round that prevented him from continuing. Cerrone and Varner hate each other. The question is whether Cerrone’s fueling his animosity toward Varner at the expense of treating Henderson too lightly.

Henderson, meanwhile, hasn’t lost since his second fight back in 2006 and has six wins by submission and three by knockout or TKO. I love what he says to expect from the fight:

“I want a Rocky Balboa fight where I get the crap beat out of me for four rounds, and I come back to win in the fifth round. I want a highlight reel, knockdown, drag ‘em out 25-minute war. That’s what I want. The true champions, the guys who really want it, they show their heart, they show their mettle, they show what they have inside their soul. I want that every time I defend the belt. I want every challenger to push me so hard that I come out barely squeaking at the end. It’s good to be Anderson Silva and knock everybody out in 30 seconds, and not get hit and all that, but that’s too pretty. I want the wars.”