Mixed martial artists come from every corner of the globe, bearing a variety of styles. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring disciplines prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best mixed martial artist of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it. For example, reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Robbie Lawler may have been born in San Diego, but few would recognize him as a Californian.
While it may not be quite as impressive as California or some other states in the nation, Arizona can definitely be considered a hotbed for MMA fighters. Several high-quality mixed martial artists have come from the “Grand Canyon State,” many of them developing into championship-level fighters. The one that leads the pack from Arizona is former World Extreme Cagefighting and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, one of the best all-around fighters of this generation.
Though he was born in Colorado and raised in Washington, the Sherdog.com 2012 “Fighter of the Year” has spent virtually his entire MMA career rooted in and around Phoenix. Henderson claimed the interim WEC lightweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision over Donald Cerrone at WEC 43 in October 2009 and then unified the title with his third-round guillotine choke on Jamie Varner three months later. Henderson successfully defended the crown against Cerrone in their anticipated rematch at WEC 48 and ended it with another guillotine, this time nailing it in the first round.
After losing his title to Anthony Pettis in one of the best fights of the year in December 2010, Henderson made the “Smooth” transition to the UFC. Once there, he went on to win the UFC’s lightweight strap by edging then-champion Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision at UFC 144. He defended his throne three times: against Edgar in a rematch, Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez. However, his title reign came to a screeching halt at UFC 164, where old rival Pettis executed a textbook armbar in the first round, forcing a submission.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under MMA Lab frontman John Crouch, Henderson has gone 3-2 since losing his world title. He has spent his last two fights at 170 pounds and enjoyed positive results, with back-to-back victories over Brandon Thatch and Jorge Masvidal.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Cain Velasquez, Ryan Bader, Jamie Varner, C.B. Dollaway