There is only a few more weeks before MMA fans witness the best free card that the UFC has produced since going to network TV. UFC on Fox: Henderson vs Diaz takes place December 8, 2012 at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. It will be broadcast live on Fox Sports. The whole card is stacked from top to bottom.
Current Lightweight champion Benson ” Smooth” Henderson (5-0 UFC) is set to defend his title against current number one contender Nate Diaz (11-5 UFC). Diaz is riding a 3 fight win streak since returning to the lightweight division holding dominate wins over Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller.
Diaz earned his title shot last May when he tapped out Jim Miller in the first round earning his fifth submission of the night award in the UFC. Diaz in an aggressive fighter who is always looking to finish his opponents and put on a show as well. “The Kid From Stockton” has complied 5 FOTN and 5 submission of the night awards since winning TUF season 5 back in 2007.
Henderson is also riding a streak of his own. Since making his UFC debut, Benson has won a whopping 5 fights in a row beating Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, Clay Guida, and Frankie Edgar twice.
Also headlining the card will be a light heavyweight match between former Pride superstar Maurício “Shogun” Rua (5-4 UFC) and current top prospect Alexander Gustafsson (6-1 UFC). Gustafsson has won an impressive 5 fights in a row since losing to Phil Davis in 2010. His most recent win was back in April where he defeated Thiago Silva in front of a Sweden crowd via unanimous.
“Shogun” is coming off a decent win over Brandon Vera and is still being scrutinized for turning down a title shot rematch against Jon Jones when Dan Henderson was forced to pull out. “Shogun” is 2-2 in his last 4 fights with losses to current champion Jon Jones and top contender Dan Henderson. Gustafsson is considered “the new big thing” at 205 and will have his hands full with “Shogun”.
The main card also consists of two big match-ups when B.J. Penn (12-7 UFC) meets Rory MacDonald (4-1 UFC) and Mike Swick (9-3 UFC) takes on Matt Brown (8-5 UFC).
Preliminary Card:
- Lavar Johnson vs. Brendan Schaub
- Mike Chiesa vs. Marcus LeVesseur
- Nam Phan vs. Dennis Siver
- Bryan Caraway vs. Mike Easton
- Ramsey Nijem vs. Joe Proctor
- John Cholish vs. Yves Edwards
- Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez
- John Albert vs. Scott Jorgensen
- Tim Means vs. Abel Trujillo
Watch the video below to view an unofficial trailer of the UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz event.
Video courtesy of YouTube uploader JamezJitsu and content by the UFC.