Sherdog’s Top 10: Black Mixed Martial Artists

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6. Benson Henderson

The son of a Korean-American mother and an African-American father, Henderson currently sits atop the UFC’s lightweight division, arguably the most competitive and difficult weight class in the promotion today. Known for his ubiquitous toothpick and Christian values, “Smooth” rose to prominence in the now-defunct World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, where he became the lightweight champion and took part in memorable five-round battles against Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis. The MMA Lab standout seems to get better with each passing fight. After a pair of contentious decision triumphs in title bouts against Frankie Edgar, Henderson was thoroughly dominant in dispatching Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 5 in December. Perhaps even more impressive than the victory was the fact that Henderson had some members of the media believing he had concealed a toothpick in his mouth for the duration of the fight.

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