Henderson, Shalorus, and Campuzano Reflect on WEC 46

By Frank Curreri

Awesomeness has defined the past year for Benson Henderson. The affable Arizonan has engineered the kind of magical run most fighters imagine but never actualize – going 4-0 against lightweight powerhouses in the WEC, winning the title, and getting engaged.

Though the opponent for his first title defense has yet to be determined, Henderson has a strong hunch that challenge will come from his Who’s Who quartet of victims, which is comprised of Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone, Shane Roller and Anthony Njokuani. Only Cerrone went the distance with Henderson in a five-round classic that many pundits and fans hailed as MMA’s Fight of the Year.

Bendo: Ready for a Rematch
“I believe it will be a rematch for me,” said Henderson, who dethroned Jamie Varner at WEC 46 on Sunday and resumed training only three days later. “I just have to get back to the grind. I realize that there are a ton of guys who want what I have and they are going to bust their butts to get what I have, so I have to bust my butt that much harder to keep it. I have a big bull’s eye on my back and I love it, I relish it.” Watch post-fight interview

Against Varner, a former sparring partner, patience formed the cornerstone of Henderson’s strategy.

“I knew he was going to come out and try to go gangbusters and probably have a little adrenaline dump, and that’s exactly what he did,” Henderson said. “I think he honestly believed he was going to knock me out in the first 30 seconds, that he was going to hit me and I was going to explode and go away.”

Indeed, Varner tried to test Henderson on their feet in the opening stanza.

“I wanted to get a feel for him, get his timing and rhythm down, and then pick it up in the second, fourth and fifth rounds,” Henderson said. “So it went exactly according to plan. He wore out down toward the beginning of the second round, I could feel that he wasn’t as strong.”

While some perceived Varner to be less than a class act in defeat (saying ‘I came to fight … he came to grapple’), Henderson took no umbrage with anything the former champ had to say.

“I understand that us fighters are very emotional people and I think that fighters should have a five-minute grace period after a fight where whatever they say can’t be held against them in the court of public opinion,” Henderson said. “We just got done with the fight, it was hard and we’re out of breath and super-emotional. Jamie was obviously mad and upset and hurt that he lost, but it would be better to give us some time to catch our breath and relax and compose ourselves and then ask us some questions.” Order fight replay

The Coming of Kamal
One fighter who is quickly creeping into Henderson’s rear-view mirror is Kamal Shalorus, a world-class wrestler who dealt Dave Jansen (11-1) his first pro loss at WEC 46. Shalorus stuffed Jansen’s takedown attempts with ease and battered and bloodied the Oregonian with power punches. Watch post-fight interview

“I looked into his eyes and I say, ‘He’s tired. I’m not tired, I have more energy, so I’m going to beat him,’” said Iran native Shalorus, adding that he was never bothered by the fact that fans began chanting U-S-A! U-S-A! during the bout. “I like it because I’m living here in the USA, and it’s not affecting me at all. I fight for Austin, Texas, and that is in the USA. If the crowd is excited I wanted to make them more excited, you know?”

Now 6-0-1 in his career (2-0 in the WEC), Shalorus said he cares not who’s next.

“I’m ready to fight anybody,” he said. “I’m ready to fight the big boys. It’s my time now. It’s Kamal time.” Order fight replay

Campuzano, Wineland: Undercard Overacheivers
Two of the most impressive performances at WEC 46 were turned in by Will Campuzano and former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland. Fighting in the first fight of the night, Campuzano fought off kneebars and footlocks from Coty “Ox” Wheeler and spent the rest of the bout putting a major beating on the scrappy New Mexican. Even in the bout’s final seconds the hard-charging Campuzano was relentlessly cracking Wheeler with heavy leather and kicks. To Wheeler’s credit, he survived, and that extraordinary toughness helped make the bout highly entertaining. Watch post-fight interview

“I tried to finish him in the third round. I was kind of frustrated,” Campuzano said. “I felt like the knockout was there but that’s the reason he’s named ‘Ox’ I guess.

Wheeler and Campuzano were awarded $10,000 bonuses each for Fight of The Night.

Campuzano, who improved to 7-1, also called out Damacio Page afterward. Page dealt Campuzano his lone loss by first-round submission last year. Campuzano had taken the fight on short notice, but said his timing benefitted from a full camp this time around.

Campuzano said the loss to Page “kind of burns” still.

“Damacio is a contender right now. I’ve got to fight my way up there so I can get a shot at him,” the 23-year-old Texan said. “I don’t like losing and being on the receiving end of a loss. It hurts my pride.” Watch fight for free on Versus.com

Wineland, meanwhile, showcased crisp boxing skills and speed in a one-sided decision victory over former UFC fighter George Roop. Watch post-fight interview

“I don’t think there are a whole bunch of people at 135 that can match my speed and power,” said Wineland (16-6-1). “I don’t know if its genetics or the way I work out. I knew I would have an advantage in speed and strength. He (Roop) thought he was going to be the bigger fighter, but just because you’re bigger doesn’t make you stronger.” Order fight replay

Mackens Moves On
Like Jansen, featherweight Mackens Semerzier suffered the first defeat of his career on Sunday in Sacramento, dropping a three-round unanimous decision to Deividas Taurosevicius. The difference in the match was Taurosevicius’ ability to overpower Semerzier early and score takedowns, though the New Yorker did little damage on top. Semerzier (7-1) turned up the heat in the third round, but it was too little too late. Watch pre-fight interview

“I thought he fought a very smart fight. He surprised me with his tactics … I thought he would try to stand a little bit more,” Semezier said. “I fought a veteran guy, he knew how to win, and I learned a lot from it. I was hoping that the effort I put out in the third round I could have put out earlier, maybe half-way through the second round I should have picked up on it. I didn’t sustain a lot of damage, and in my mind, being a little bit green, I thought I was doing fine. I was on the bottom but not taking damage, I thought I was defending well.

“I feel that I could have made a better showing if I had a little more time. I could have done some more damage. But you have to get that damage in within the time allotted. It’s a lesson learned. I felt that I didn’t leave it all out there. The fight was over and I didn’t feel exhausted. I was mad at myself that I didn’t try harder and that I wasn’t aware enough to try and change the fight in the first and second round.”

Now Semerzier, whose upset win over Wagnney Fabiano caused the Brazilian to drop a weight class, is considering doing the same.

“Maybe I need to get a little bit bigger,” he said, “or maybe I need to think about going down a weight class.” Order fight replay