Benson Henderson

By Kelsey Mowatt

As 2015 kicked off, if you had predicted that Benson Henderson would fight Jorge Masvidal at some point, most people would have agreed it was possible. If you said the fight would go down at welterweight rather than 155, however, chances are some questions would have followed.

Henderson and Masvidal are scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 79 this coming Saturday, after both men moved to 170 and earned wins. Henderson took on Thatch in February, and submitted the punishing striker in the fourth round. Masvidal, meanwhile, battled Cezar Ferreira in July, and took out the former middleweight in the opening round.

The match-up comes at a time when other fighters and industry figures continue to debate the merits of weight cutting. It’s a discussion that’s never gone away, but after Johny Hendricks was forced to withdraw from UFC 192, due to complications he encountered while cutting weight, the debate has reached a fever pitch.

Recently Henderson’s coach, John Crouch, appeared on Full Contact Fighter Radio. While discussing whether Henderson might be one of the fighters who’s leading a trend away from significant weight cutting, The MMA Lab instructor stated:

“No, I think for Ben, he was never a massive lightweight,” said Crouch. “Of all the lightweights in my gym he was the smallest. So, he was not a massive guy. So I think he just didn’t like it and he carries around very little body fat so he just had to be really disciplined.”

“For all fighters I’m sure that–you’ve done so many interviews–every single guy, the only thing they don’t like about fighting is dieting and weight cutting. So, the chance to move up and just be relaxed and prepared for the fight, think about the fight instead of your diet so much, I think that’s a nice thing. But, with them taking out the IVs, then I think it’s going to have to be a consideration for people. The recovery won’t be as quick.”

Crouch is referring to the IV ban that was recently enacted in October, as part of the UFC’s new drug testing policies that are overseen by USADA.

“I don’t know that it will be the end, but people definitely will have to be better prepared and have a plan in place to rehydrate if they’re going to be that big.”

UFC FN 79 will take place in Seoul, South Korea.