UFC on FOX 5 Tale of the Tape: Benson Henderson (-150) vs. Nate Diaz (+120)

Event: UFC on FOX 5 Matchup: Benson Henderson (-150) vs. Nate Diaz (+120) for the UFC lightweight title Location: KeyArena, Seattle, Washington, United States Time: 8 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, December 8, 2012 How to watch: FOX TALE OF THE TAPE: THE FAVORITE Name: Benson “Smooth” Henderson MMA Record: 17-2 UFC Record: 5-0 Age: 29 Nationality: American Height: 5-9 Weight: 155 pounds Style: Well-rounded Camp: MMA Lab Strengths: Striking, wrestling, submission defense, ground and pound, fight IQ Weaknesses: Striking defense, gets himself put in uncomfortable situations Last 5 Fights: W – Frankie Edgar (SD), W – Frankie Edgar (UD), W – Clay Guida (UD), W – Jim Miller (UD), W – Mark Bocek (UD) Notable Career Wins: Frankie Edgar x2 (SD, UD), Clay Guida (UD), Donald Cerrone x2 (SUB, UD) Notable Career Losses: Anthony Pettis (UD) Notable Career Achievements: UFC lightweight champion, former WEC lightweight champion Keys to Victory: Utilize leg kicks, mix in the takedowns, stay out of submissions TALE OF THE TAPE: THE UNDERDOG Name: Nate Diaz MMA Record: 16-7 UFC Record: 11-5 Age: 27 Nationality: American Height: 6-0 Weight: 155 pounds Style: Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Camp: Team Cesar Gracie Strengths: Boxing, rangy, excellent submissions, very tough Weaknesses: Takedown defense, doesn’t check leg kicks Last 5 Fights: W – Jim Miller (SUB), W – Donald Cerrone (UD), W – Takanori Gomi (SUB), L – Rory MacDonald (UD), L – Dong Hyun Kim (UD) Notable Career Wins: Jim Miller (SUB), Donald Cerrone (UD), Melvin Guillard (SUB) Notable Career Losses: Clay Guida (SD), Gray Maynard (SD), Rory MacDonald (UD) Notable Career Achievements: Won Season 5 of  “The Ultimate Fighter” Keys to Victory: Keep the pressure on the feet, look for submission off back if the fight hits the ground FIGHT BREAKDOWN, PREDICTION, PICK & BET UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson puts his strap on the line for the second time when he takes on Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC on FOX 5. The winner in all five of his UFC fights so far, Henderson is coming off a controversial split decision victory over Frankie Edgar and needs to prove that he deserves to be the champion by taking out Diaz, who is coming off three huge wins of his own. After moving back down to 155 after an up-and-down stint at 170 pounds, Diaz has reeled off wins over Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone, and Takanori Gomi. He showed tremendous standup in his fight with Cerrone, and his submissions of Miller and Gomi were things of beauty. Diaz looks like he’s coming into his own right now and wants to show he’s the world’s No. 1 lightweight by taking out Henderson, but that’s a tall task. Adam’s Fight Prediction: Ben Henderson is a smart fighter. He knows that Nate Diaz’ kryptonite is strong wrestlers, so look for him to go for the takedowns, trying to steal rounds and eat up time on the clock. Diaz will definitely threaten off his back, but he won’t be able to submit Henderson. Adam’s Pick: Benson Henderson (-150) via unanimous decision (click for latest MMA odds).