Riding a 10 fight winning streak with wins over Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone, Shane Roller and Anthony Njokuani, WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. We caught up with him to discuss his rise to the top.

Mike: What’s up Champ? How does it feel to unify those belts, and be the WEC title holder?
Henderson: It feels great to be winning against such tough competition. The WEC has given me a great opportunity and my team helped me make the most of it.

Mike: Could you give us your thoughts on how the fight with Jaime Varner went?
Henderson: My game plan was to keep scoring and keep pressing without getting into big exchanges early on. We knew Varner would fade going into the later rounds and I wanted to be as fresh as possible to capitalize on any mistake he might make.

Mike: What about his post fight comments? Were you surprised at all by what was said? (“He came to grapple, I came to fight”) When he was the one initiating takedowns and submission attempts of his own?
Henderson: I come to win. I am not looking to display a specific style in my MMA fights, I train MMA. That is wrestling, submissions, kicks, punches and whatever else you have to win. I do not hold his comments against Jamie. He has always been nice to me.

Mike: Your next match up is Donald Cerrone. How do you feel this fight will be different from the first fight?
Henderson: I think both of us will be looking for a finish. I know my game plan does not include leaving it into the judge’s hands. We know Donald will come out fast and early this time, so we will be ready right when the bell rings. I suspect he is not thinking about submitting me but trying to knock me out. I am excited to be on the 1st PPV and to be able to be fighting a guy as talented and aggressive as Donald is.

Mike: Could you also give us your thoughts on the first fight you had with Donald Cerrone?
Henderson: It was a tough fight and I learned a lot about myself and Donald. We can run that back any time.

Mike: How do you see this next fight against Donald ending?
Henderson: I am going to say round two. I will leave the way it finishes in the Lords hands. The last fight was too close to call and the fans deserve to walk out of the arena knowing they saw a great fight and a clear winner. Donald wants to be the champion, to be a true champion I have to defend this belt at least once, and why not defend it against the very best the division has to offer.

Mike: So after a big win like the last one, what do you do to celebrate after? Take some time off and relax, maybe go on a vacation?
Henderson: I went to visit my Mom in Federal Way WA. She owns a grocery store and I spent a lot of time (17 hour days) helping her with her store, eating some amazing Korean food, visiting with my friends and sleeping. After that I went to CA to spend time with my Fiancée and her family and I intend to hit the gym and start training again.

Mike: Where are you training now, and who are some of the guys that prepare you for your fights?
Henderson: I train at The Lab in Glendale AZ. It is the nicest gym in Arizona and has some great up and coming fighters and great caches. John Crouch is my head trainer.

Mike: Having fought both... if the “Cowboy” and Varner have a rematch (which seems likely) who do you think will take this one?
Henderson: I really have no say in the matter, so I do not care. Having won the legitimate belt from Jamie with a finish, I think they all need to work and earn the opportunity to fight for my belt. I had to fight through some of the toughest guys in the land for my shot, I hope they do too.

Mike: Do you have any plans of trying to move into the UFC at some point? And if so… is there one fight there that you would like to start out with? Maybe someone you feel would make for a fun fight or someone you would like to test yourself with?
Henderson: I really only want to fight the best fighters in the world. There happens to be a lot of them in the UFC 155 division, so of course I would love to fight a lot of those guys. The WEC is a full time job and until I have put my exclamation mark on this division, I have no business looking for tough
fights. I want to be one of the best fighters in the World, that means a lot of work and time ahead of me.

Mike: How did you get the nickname “Smooth”?
Henderson: Nicknames pick you in this sport. My coaches gave it to me and it just stuck.

Mike: Does your hair ever bother you, or get in the way in a fight?
Henderson: Not really, I train so much that it is just a part of the situation.

Mike: And speaking of hair… best hair in MMA. You, Clay Guida, Dan Hardy, or Liddell?
Henderson: Does Chuck have hair? I think Clay has the best hair do.

Mike: Last one. If they made a movie about your life... who would you want to play the
character of Ben Henderson?
Henderson: I would hope it would be a comic book movie and I could play myself.

Mike: Anything you’d like to add?
Henderson: Thanks to the LORD and all of my fans. I want to thank The Lab and MTX Audio for their support. My manager Jason Genet who has done amazing things for me and all my opponents who bring exciting fights to participate in.