Karate Combat: Legacy Rivals- Pettis Vs Henderson 3

I remember the explosive first bout with these two warriors on the WEC (World Extreme Cage) fight. This event took place back in 2010 but I didn't catch it until 2021 when the world was still locked in their own cages at home due to the fallout of the release of the coronavirus or COVID-19. It was a tumultuous time where nothing could be trusted except these kinds of match-ups. I was a big fan of Benson “Smooth” Henderson he was so popular and I being a long time long haired “freedom fighter” myself could relate to him. The, then 26-year-old, champion from Glendale had captured the attention of audiences around the world and I was no exception.

Their second match for the title

Then entered the challenger in a fight that was designed to unite the belt in a UFC match to come at a later date. The name of this fighter, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, was made that night in my opinion.

Pettis refused to touch gloves at the beginning of the match which was distasteful for me at the time but he paid for it in the first round. The fight was scheduled for five and by the fifth round Pettis gave Henderson his earned respect. Both of these warriors were trained in traditional martial arts in fact Henderson and Pettis have a black belt in Taekwondo and both were accomplished mixed martial artists in their own right. The match went all five rounds and went to the judge's decision being scored 48/47, 48/47, and 49/46 but by the fifth round, Pettis had displayed an amazing ability to control his emotions and ability to escape Henderson's traps. Then it happened ... After escaping one more time Pettis used his ingenuity to pull off the most amazing flying jump kick off the cage. Showtime put on a

real show that night knocking Henderson down but not out.

Pettis just before he KO's Henderson

The second fight came a few years later in 2013 and promised to be about to be remembered. Henderson sported a new look with his hair tied back in a corn roll braids and he seemed to gain some

weight and size. From the outside, you could see the fire in him. This was a new kind of Henderson, however, it ended in the first round with an arm bar, in a very disappointing way. Henderson announced

that he would be retiring from MMA at some point afterward.

Then the best thing to happen to martial arts occurred. Karate Combat had gained speed and notoriety among the warrior class and more and more martial artists wanted to jump into the pit and display their skills in this new and exciting forum. KC has brought back to fighting, the honor and glory of the old days, and on December 15 2023 at the Expo in the World Trade Market of Las Vegas, we are set to see the exciting conclusion to what is being called the Henderson Pettis Trilogy. KC 43 will be one of the best and most exciting events in martial arts (really in the fighting industry) in a long time. I am more excited to see the outcome than I was the Mayweather and McGregor fight. These events bring together the pro-fighter, the amateur, and the consumer in a unique way. I've had the privilege of attending KC events before and they are always a blast. This one in Vegas is going to be

explosive and new Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi has also said he would “gift the combat sports community” by featuring two former UFC champs on YouTube for free. That is one heck of a gift for those of us itching to see this fight but unable to make it to Vegas. So save the date for the epic conclusion to an epic battle to be resolved in the pit and look forward to a display of true Karate and sportsmanship.

Amos Mendez is an artist, writer, and freedom fighter for entrepreneurship that promotes free enterprise.