At the end of this month, current UFC lightweight champion, Benson “Smooth” Henderson, defends his title in what is arguably the most important fight of his career. The August 31, title defense against Anthony “Showtime” Pettis is a rematch of their epic battle for the WEC lightweight title in December 2010.

Pettis edged out a unanimous decision victory in that fight, claiming the title for the now defunct organization however it was that fight that helped put both fighters on the map. Henderson, now on top of the world in the UFC, has not lost a bout since their meeting.

In fact, before that fight even took place, there was only one man to ever defeat Henderson. That one man did even what Pettis could not do, he finished the fight.

Rocky “Rock Monster” Johnson, now 42, a Parker, Colo., native stood opposite Henderson at Battlequest 5, three and a half years prior to Pettis getting his shot. Johnson, a fighter second to being a husband, father, home builder, wrestling coach, and MMA gear distributor, is one of the most personable and enjoyable characters in all mixed martial arts.

At just 46 seconds into the first round, the Rock Monster put Smooth to sleep. Johnson applied an anaconda choke to the future UFC champion and seconds later the fight was stopped.

“He is half African-American and half Korean,” Johnson said. “When he woke up he was speaking Korean. He was out.” Johnson’s comment was not negative or trash talk, instead, it was that of genuine concern.

“I knew by that, that I had him out, and I went over to make sure he is ok. I don’t have hatred for any of my opponents. We are getting paid to do something most people would go to jail for,” Johnson said.

Smooth Friendship

One might think that with Johnson being the only decisive loss on Henderson’s record, that the two would be at odds. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Johnson states that just last week during the UFC 163 Aldo vs. Korean Zombie pay-per-view, he saw an advertisement stating that the winner of the upcoming Henderson – Pettis match would win a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle.

“When I saw that I texted Benson and said ‘I hope after you beat Pettis you do the right thing and either give me the bike, or let me show you how to ride it properly.’”

After Johnson had defeated Henderson early in his career, the two became friends and it was Johnson who showed Henderson how to ride a motorcycle as they became not just pals but also co-workers.

“He is definitely a different fighter now. He started working for me, my construction company, three days later,” Johnson said.

“He was trying to get into the Police Academy, and I was supportive of that. We began training together, we worked together. He’s a great guy,” he said.

Johnson states that the attitude and work ethic you see in Henderson now in training is the same way he was at work.

“I had to have a talk with him because I needed to teach him about efficiency. He was trying to turn everything into a workout,” Johnson said.

“He would carry materials the long way and when I asked him why he would tell me he could get a better workout that way. I had to tell him I’m trying to run a business and get things done on time and it wasn’t about a workout. That’s just Benson. He’s super athletic. He meant no harm. I actually had to laugh about it.”

Win-Loss Ratio

Depending on where you look Johnson’s record is somewhere between 18-12 or 19-12 however the Colorado based fighter has more fights to his credit. Johnson began fighting before sanctioning was where it is today and some of the fights have not been recorded.

“They definitely make sure they have your losses on record,” Johnson said jokingly.

On Good Trainers and even better Management

“Benson deserves everything he has earned,” Johnson said of his friend and former opponent.

“Not having a good manager early in your career can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Johnson said.

Johnson believes he himself is proof of that. Rocky Johnson is not a household name like Benson Henderson, yet he holds a win over him and also has fought a laundry list of who’s who in MMA……..and it is his belief he did it too early in his career.

Names like former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson, and UFC veterans, Leonard Garcia and Alvin Robinson are guys the Rock Monster fought in his first nine professional fights.

“I had a manager who was feeding me to the sharks. I had an uphill climb to get my record into the black,” Johnson said.

The Rock Monster told us that he believes Henderson’s trainer, John Crouch, at the MMA Lab is one of the best in the business.

“John told me he was going to make Ben a champ one day, and look, just a few years later he is there.”

Business and Passion

When he is not in the cage, Johnson is running his construction company, Acclaim Builders in Parker, but he says that his true passion and what he would like to end up doing full time is running his MMA gear line, Ugly Ear Gear.

Ugly Ear Gear also sells wrestling singlets, an outfit wrestlers wear while competing. Johnson is all too familiar with wearing a singlet. Now a wrestling coach at his local high school, he was also a standout collegiate wrestler.

“I made it all through college wrestling without being taken very often, but Alvin took me down, not once but twice,” Johnson said of his fight with Alvin Robinson.

Bad Decisions

“The dumbest choice I ever made was to go through with the Alvin Robinson title fight. I was hurt. I had blown out my knee and like I said, I was never taken down before. I’m a strong wrestler. He took me down and it was over.”

Johnson also told USCS about the struggles of cutting weight. He normally fights at 155 pounds but had made the trip down to 145 in the past.

“I was cutting 35 pounds to make 145. It puts a toll on your body. The cut it just too much for me, I’m a big 155’er.”

On a Potential Rematch with Henderson

“The two smartest guys in MMA are Ben and GSP (Georges St. Pierre),” Johnson said. They calculate game plans for each of their opponents,” Johnson said.

When asked if he believes he would win a rematch with Henderson, Johnson laughed and said “I’d give it everything I got. I would have to come in with a different strategy.”

“I was on my A-game that night, he wasn’t. That’s all it was. He is the best.”

“I knew he was self-taught back then, so I baited him with leg kicks. I guarantee you he doesn’t get caught like that again,” Johnson said.

On the Upcoming Pettis Title Fight

“He’s (Benson) going to make an example of Pettis. He got embarrassed when he got kicked in the face like that,” Johnson said in referring to the “Showtime” kick that was heard round the world.

In the final seconds of the first Henderson-Pettis bout, Pettis leapt up on to the cage, pushed off, and landed a kick flush to the face of Henderson. It may not have been a super effective move, but it stood out in the minds of the judges and may have swayed their decision.

Rocky Future

The day this interview took place, August 8, 2013, Johnson was to have weighed in for a fight. He spent the last couple days cutting weight only to find out the morning of the weigh-ins that his opponent had backed out stating he had a back injury.

Unhappy with what happened, Johnson asked to find another opponent, however due to the fight being only hours away the commission would not allow a replacement fighter to step up.

With his last two fights coming as losses and being 42 years of age he knows the end of the road is near but he is not going out without a fight.

Links

For information on Ugly Ear Gear visit Ugly Ear Gear on Facebook

Acclaim Builders - Website

Childs Play MMA where Rocky trains – Childs Play MMA

 

Video of the Rocky Johnson vs. Benson Henderson fight from March 31, 2007 is below