#1 - Bendo the King?
Compared to the other long established divisions in the UFC, there has never been a truly dominant Lightweight champion. The HWs had Randy Couture (1,113 day). The LHWs had Tito Ortiz (1,260 days). Anderson dominates the MWs (2,239). Matt Hughes and GSP own the WWs (1,577 and 1,826 days respectively). But when it comes to the LWs, BJ Penn held the title for less than 900 days. And that's even considering that BJ is in a class by himself at that weight. Even an in shape Penn couldn't get to Frankie Edgar. Frankie, for his part, was always too small to survive as the LW king forever. Just look at the damage he took from Gray Maynard. Props for his heart, but he'd have died in the cage if he'd continued on like that. Bendo (17-2) though is different. He's a huge LW with a complete skill set. Great TDD, wrestling pedigree, difficult to submit in any circumstances, and technical striking. Another key aspect to his game - remember the Pettis flying cage kick? Casual fans probably don't realize that didn't end the fight. The highlight is shown a million times with Ben going down, but that fight actually went to a decision. Henderson has a great chin. He's got all the tools and he's faced top level competition throughout his career. Along with the Welterweights, the LWs are super deep with killers lining up for the new champ. Can Bendo establish a dynasty like the other P4P rulers - Anderson, GSP, Jones, and Aldo? Those are the 10 things to watch for on the UFC on Fox 5 card. Be sure to check back tomorrow when we post the Getting Lucky podcast preview of the event.