UFC 156 Q&A w/155lbs Champion Benson Henderson

Prior to the Aldo vs. Edgar weigh-in for tomorrow’s UFC 156 event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, a special guest stopped by to answer questions from the UFC Fight Club fans just before the fighters hit the scale. Lightweight champion, “Smooth” Benson Henderson, took the time to talk to fans, here are some highlights from the Octagon aficionados inquiries from religious beliefs to his next opponent.

Do you have a pick for the UFC 156 main event tomorrow?

“WEC – never forget. I’m going with Aldo…when it comes to dropping weight, there’s pros and cons. But it won’t have much impact. Aldo is a good, strong dude. ”

Who are your biggest influences?

“The Man Upstairs and my momma.”

Besides the toothpick, do you have any other rituals?

“I try to stay away from having rituals or superstitions. Because if it doesn’t work then you think, “I’m screwed”. I always try and mix things up so I don’t have an excuse…I always try and stay away from that.”

You mentioned keeping your anger down for the Nate Diaz fight. What other things do you work on?

“Technique wise I always work on my boxing. But there’s always stuff to work on everyday in the gym.”

After you beat Nate, people said that was the blueprint for George St. Pierre to beat Nick Diaz when they fight? What do you think of that or what if you fought Nick?

I would probably approach fighting Nick Diaz the way I fought Nate Diaz. Maybe mix it up since it is a different 5-round fight…I think he (GSP) could use that game plan to his advantage.”

You have a fight coming up in April. Do you think Gilbert Melendez deserved the title shot?

“I think whoever deserves the title shot is whoever Dana White says. I don’t care who it is; it could be Nate, Gilbert, Gray, Anthony. Bring em’ all on…I think the UFC has the best 155lbs division in the world.”

You always mention the Lord in your fights. How does that affect you?

“As far as using the Lord in my training; You need the Lord in everything you do. I need him in everything, getting up going training in the morning. I rely on Him for my strength. I rely on Him for everything, its pervasive…I love talking about it but I don’t bring it up too much. You can believe in what you believe.”

What is the walk out song that you come out to in fights?

“My walk out song is, “Awesome God” by R-Swift. It gets me hyped up.”

You are a big comic book fan. What’s your favorite comic book hero?

“I always loved Cable from X-Force. Great story line.”

What did you want to be as a kid?

“I liked to use my words to solve my problems. Never had any intentions of being a fighter. I wanted to be a police officer…People talked bad about cops but as soon as something bad happens, who do they call? Cops. Not until I won my first fight did I think this was awesome. I want to be a fighter.”

You’ve been in some tough spots and submissions where you were able to get out, are you double jointed?

“What plays a part is knowing the moves. Know the dangers. Know how to defend or tilt your head. You have to stay relaxed and stay calm. If you get caught, breathe. Break it down to your coach or instructor; he can give you the instructions on how to stop that.”

What are you driving now?

“Some people want a Lambo or Ferrari as their dream car. My dream car was a 1996 Ford Bronco. So with my first big WEC paycheck, my biggest check from them I went and I got a “96 Bronco. Its not white, its red.”

Are you happy with the drug testing?

I could go for a little stricter blood testing… If I know someone is mentally weak enough and I know you’ll take steroids I’m going to destroy you. If you’re mentally weak, and you need help getting in the ring, I’m going to kill you.”