Originally Posted by
El Niño
I was thinking of going large on Bendo as well. This fight is about 90% going to go to a decision. I can't see Frankie stopping Benson. Benson has a rock solid chin and you basically cannot submit the guy. Frankie has been in 3 straight wars, acquiring heavy damage and probably slight if not full concussions in all 3 fights. There is a time where every fighter who has been in these wars loses their ability to recover. Frankie won't tap, so Benson has to put him to sleep if he wants to finish. Benson could win this by KO/TKO or sub by guillotine.
As others have mentioned, concern with the judges and how they may score a 5 round decision fight. I believe Bendo has total advantage here if he shores up his TDD. I recall Frankie managed to take down Benson with relative ease 5 times. Frankie's wrestling pedigree trumps Benson's. Benson needs to avoid getting taken down as much in this fight. As far as the judging, benson's style seems more judge friendly. He is constantly moving forward, working his opponent up against the cage, throwing hard shots that cause damage when they land. Frankie's style is smart and technical. He comes in and out quickly with great footwork and lands combinations. This scores points, but doesn't inflict a lot of damage. Without watching the fight, if you saw pictures of Frankie and Benson after the fight, there would be no doubt that Benson put a beating on Frankie. Lately, I've noticed judges leaning more towards damage and octagon control over take downs. Either way, Frankie will need to implement a perfect gameplan and avoid the big shots and out point Benson. Benson has looked better and better in every fight since losing to Pettis (razor thin decision IMO. I think he will be looking out for Frankie's shot and I like him up to -190.