Joshua Lindsey – USA TODAY Sports
UFC lightweight Rustam Khabilov is certainly aiming high in his quest to land a high-profile opponent for his next fight. The talented Russian, who is a perfect 3-0 inside the Octagon, says he’s ready for major fights and has asked UFC President Dana White via social media about the possibility of facing former champion Benson Henderson at UFC 173. If that fight were to become a reality in May, it would represent the biggest step up in competition in the Combat Sambo specialist’s MMA career.
Khabilov has employed a steady stream of suplexes during his UFC tenure and most recently turned in a stellar effort against tough veteran Jorge Masvidal at Fight for the Troops 3. He improved to 17-1 in his career with that victory in what was a Fight of the Night performance. “Tiger” was looking forward to a key matchup in Las Vegas at UFC 170 against No. 6 ranked Brazilian Rafael dos Anjos, but unfortunately, Khabilov sustained an injury while training and was forced to withdraw from this month’s event.
It will be intriguing to see whether matchmakers will adhere to this request, as while Khabilov has looked impressive during his time with the organization, he’s currently only ranked No. 14 in the division. It would seem a case of high-risk and low-reward for the currently No. 1 ranked Henderson to agree to such a matchup. “Smooth” is fresh off a narrow split-decision victory over Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 10 that derailed a title shot for “The Punk.”
Henderson is gunning for another title opportunity after losing his belt to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164, but with an 0-2 career record against “Showtime,” it doesn’t seem as though the promotion is eager to move in that direction anytime soon. “Smooth” remains one of the best 155-pound fighters in the division, but came under criticism for his performance against Thomson for not going for the finish. Henderson has an 8-1 record in the UFC and made three successful title defenses after winning the title from Frankie Edgar. However, all of those victories have been by decision with a number of them being of the very close variety. His last finish in a fight was back in 2010 when he submitted Donald Cerrone in a Strikeforce bout.
While UFC brass will undoubtedly admire Khabilov’s confidence in asking for a fight against a proven commodity in Henderson, whether he gets it or not is another matter. Henderson likely has bigger names in mind for his next fight, but a fight against Khabilov would be bound to produce some excitement.
Rick LaFitte is an MMA Writer for Rant Sports.
