Prediction for the fight Benson Henderson vs Islam Mammadov

After many years of successful career in the UFC, Benson Henderson began to lose ground, and few could have imagined that after leaving the major leagues, he would enter the Bellator cage more than ten times. The best years of the American are far behind, and at the end of his fighting journey, he was challenged by a real monster - Islam Mammadov.

The fight will take place in the co-main event of Bellator 273, and most likely, this run will be the last for Benson, in case of defeat. For a Dagestan athlete, a meeting with such an eminent opponent is a ticket to a successful future, so both have something to lose. Who will get the victory in this fight, and whether it is worth relying on odds that are disappointing for Henderson - let's look at our forecast.

• Benson Henderson vs Islam Mammadov;
• Benson Henderson;
• Islam Mammadov;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Benson Henderson vs Islam Mammadov

Benson Henderson

At this stage of his career, despite numerous defeats, the fighter takes the 6th line in the rating. In his best years, Benson owned the WEC league title, after which he confirmed his level in the UFC, defending the belt three times. Having fought back with the lion's share of the top opposition for that period of time, the deteriorating Henderson tried his luck at Bellator, where he also fought for the belt, but to no avail.

After defeating Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller and other legends, the Colorado native got really hooked, starting to beat only passing opponents. Now, relying more on experience than physical performance, Benson is trying to stay afloat, being among those who could not stop and retire in time.

Strengths

Having black belts in BJJ and taekwondo in his arsenal, the ex-champion prefers to open up at medium and close distances, using both striking power and groundwork. This is a tenacious, viscous fighter who prefers to use an exhausting style of fighting, and we have to admit that he copes with this task quite well.

More than half of his fights, regardless of the final result, Henderson brought to a referee's decision. He has an excellent base of submissions, heavy hands and everything necessary for finishes, but often, this athlete works for points, reducing everything to fuss in clinches and on the ground, which disarms his opponents and opens the way for him to win.

Weaknesses

You can fit all of Benson's cons in one go. He has become slower, not so hardy, has not been able to compete with young opponents for a long time, and the worst thing is that he no longer holds a punch. He has a lot of knowledge, but the body simply does not allow to realize them in a cage. 

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The veteran is already 38 years old, he lost three extreme fights, losing to Michael Chandler, Jason Jackson and Brent Primus. Undoubtedly, failures in fights with the tops cannot be called a complete failure, but Henderson won his last victory almost 2.5 years ago over the fading Miles Juri, so you probably shouldn’t expect him to be able to reboot and show some result in the upcoming fight .

Islam Mammadov

The Dagestan fighter has serious experience in fighting sambo (world champion and winner of the World Cup), and in addition, he has repeatedly appeared in Kudo and pankration tournaments. After his debut in Bellator, Islam immediately got into the TOP-10, and now ranks 7th in the ranking.

After a successful career in Russia, where Mamedov fought in M-1, Fight Nights and other organizations, he excelled in the PFL, and then moved to Bellator. The athlete has a number of victories over eminent opposition, including ex-UFC fighter Thiago Tavares.

Strengths

The base in combat sambo allows Islam to feel free on the ground floor. Almost half of the early victories he won by submissions, and it is worth noting that this guy is especially good at holding an armbar - with this technique he forced opponents to surrender most often.

Despite the fact that Mammadov rarely brings fights to referee decisions, in terms of endurance, he is doing just fine. High pace, good speed indicators, and most importantly - technicality, do not lose quality all 3 rounds.

Weaknesses

Against the backdrop of a well-honed stalls, Islam's percussion technique is not so good so far. He often misses, while experiencing problems when the opponent works as the first number. However, here the Russian shows good progress.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Mammadov is 32 years old and has a 19-fight winning streak, not counting a draw with Loik Radjabov. Otherwise, he passed Brent Primus and Martin Mezhlumyan, although in the last fight, he had some difficulties with the implementation of the game plan. Islam is in his prime, he had six months to recover and pass the camp, so we expect a great performance from this athlete. 

Comparative analysis

Let's start, as usual, with anthropometry and dimensions: Islam has the primacy in height by 5 cm, and arm span by 7 cm. Both athletes are dry, can work at a long distance without sagging in functionality, and also have skills at all levels of combat . Will Mamedov's fight against Henderson's BJJ work? Most likely, yes, since he is not the best way to protect himself from translations, and he lost by methods, far from the most high-class masters.

On the stand, the tenacious Benson will have an advantage, especially if it comes to the clinch, since it will not be easy for him to reach Islam, which has longer arms, from a distance. For the American, the task for the fight is not to rush things with the stalls, but to practice on serial attacks, gradually breaking through the defense of Mamedov, for whom tight stray blows of the counterpart can create inconvenience. In all other scenarios, our athlete will be able to control the opponent on the ground, and even in the event of a protracted fight, it is there that he will score the points necessary to win.

Benson Henderson vs Islam Mammadov Fight Prediction

Looking at the odds of the bookmakers, as well as the situation in the careers of the participants in this fight, there is no doubt that Islam has a very good chance of winning. Henderson is unlikely to be able to catch him on the guillotine from the stand, which he has repeatedly turned with opponents before, and with a greater degree of probability, he will not be able to oppose anything to the Dagestan wrestling and sambo. To be honest, to arrange a battle with Mamedov is not such a bad idea, because the seasoned veteran is really good in this component. But, he no longer has the former speed and power in his hands, so here, too, we will rather see attempts to crush the counterpart at the net than knock him out in the center of the cage. Therefore, it is more reasonable to expect from a Russian a competent work on the ground, which he uses in every performance and, most likely, victory by submission or technical knockout. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Islam Mammadov's victory