Report: Henderson-Bocek Scheduled for UFC 129
Mike Whitman Jan 4, 2011
Mark
Bocek: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
Following a hard-fought defeat at the hands of Anthony Pettis at WEC 53, an emotional Benson Henderson vowed he would be victorious in his next bout.
On April 30 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the former WEC lightweight champion will have a chance to make good on his word, as he takes on submission ace Mark Bocek at UFC 129. MMAJunkie.com broke word of the matchup on Tuesday.
Henderson dropped his title to Pettis on Dec. 16 after five grueling rounds in the last-ever WEC bout. In the fifth frame, the man known as “Smooth” found himself on the receiving end of a spectacular Pettis maneuver, now known as the “Showtime” kick. Pettis was unable to finish Henderson, but did lift the strap with a unanimous decision. Prior to that contest, Henderson had won 10 consecutive fights, conquering all of his WEC opponents.
Bocek comes fresh off a “Submission of the Night” win over fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Dustin Hazelett at December’s UFC 124. Bocek dominated the ground wizard, taking mount and locking up a topside triangle choke to force the tap mid-way through the opening round. Prior to that bout, Bocek had a three-fight winning streak interrupted by a contentious unanimous decision loss to top contender Jim Miller at UFC 111 in March.
UFC 129 will be headlined by a welterweight title clash between Georges St. Pierre and top contender Jake Shields. Also reportedly in the works for the show is a light heavyweight matchup between former champions Lyoto Machida and Randy Couture. The event will mark the UFC’s first trip to Toronto.
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