Ron Chenoy-USA Today Sports
The UFC on Fox 7 card takes place this weekend, which features a lightweight title fight between Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez. When fans think of these fighters, excitement immediately comes to mind. Both are known for putting on action-packed fights, showcasing their skills both standing and on the ground.
Henderson is the current lightweight champ after defending his belt against Frankie Edgar and Nate Diaz. In his bouts with Edgar, Henderson was able to showcase his dynamic striking game, and would take him down on several occasions. Both fights were extremely close, but the judges ultimately awarded Henderson with the wins. In the Diaz bout, Henderson dominated every round, where he was able to control Diaz on the ground and utilize his leg kicks.
Henderson is currently 18-2 in his fighting career; his lone losses coming at the hands of Anthony Pettis and Rocky Johnson. Henderson is a huge 155 lbs. fighter and is one of the most athletic guys in the division. He will need to use his strength and pressure to overcome Melendez.
Melendez is the former Strikeforce lightweight champion, winning the belt back in 2006. Over the years, he would beat tops guys in Clay Guida, Josh Thompson, Shinya Aoki and Jorge Masvidal. Now, he will finally get to test himself against the best fighters in the UFC. Melendez has a relentless style, where he uses his wrestling and power strikes to defeat his opponents in impressive fashion.
This bout has Fight-Of-The-Year potential, and it will be interesting to see what tactics each fighter tries to employ in order to win the bout.
