UFC Fight Night - Benson vs Thatch: 'As a fan there have been few fights this year that I have been this excited about,' writes Dan Hardy

This week, British UFC welterweight and UFC commentator, Dan Hardy, looks ahead to the UFC’s first visit to South Korea

Benson Henderson kicks Gilbert Melendez (Ezra Shaw/ Zuffa LLC)

The UFC Octagon will be in Seoul, South Korea, this weekend for UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal. Former lightweight champion Benson Henderson recently made the move to the weight class above, and got his first welterweight victory over Brandon Thatch. He took the fight on short notice, and after four rounds of back and forth action, Henderson managed to sink in the choke picking up a performance of the night bonus in the process.

Now comfortable in his new weight class, Henderson will now face the man that he was originally scheduled to fight before being moved to face Thatch. Jorge Masvidal is one of the most skilled and competent strikers in the UFC today. Similarly to Henderson, cutting to the lightweight limit was becoming more and more difficult for Masvidal. Having already fought at the weight class above, I'm sure he felt as though the extra effort required before stepping onto the scales was effecting his performance.

Now at welterweight, both of these warriors can invest their full energy on fight night, instead of depleting themselves to make the lightweight limit. A scary prospect when you watch any of their previous bouts and see how talented and dynamic both athletes are. As for the fight itself, I'd expect Masvidal to want Benson on the end of his jab.


 Jorge Masvidal (top) punches Cezar Ferreir 
 (Mitch Viquez/ Zuffa LLC)

With boxing, kickboxing and a lot of mixed martial arts experience, Masvidal will surely have the advantage in both hand speed and technical ability on the feet. He has excellent takedown defence and an American Top Team trained ground game. Although he surely has the ability to hang with Benson in the clinch, I doubt that he will want this to move past kickboxing range.

Henderson on the other hand, has strong grappling skills. Holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under John Crouch at the MMA Lab, he would surely do better to take Masvidal out of his comfort zone and wear him down. It's hard to predict how a fighter will perform in a higher weight class, but with this being a main event fight, they will have five rounds to work. That additional ten minutes can make all the difference if one of them starts to fade later on.

No matter how this one plays out on the night, both of these fighters are at the top of their game. Henderson knows how it feels to be a champion and I'm sure that this move to a new weight class is purely tactical to improve his chances of claiming that UFC gold again.

As a fan there have been few fights this year that I have been this excited about. I always learn something from both of these fighters, so to see them face each other is a real treat. Can Henderson add a second welterweight victory to his record? Or will the sharpshooting of Jorge Masvidal prove to be too much? The answer will be provided in the Octagon on Saturday night, making this a fight not to be missed. Catch all the action on UFC Fight Pass.