UFC Benson Henderson: Rising Up (FSM 98; Oct 2013)

Information: - DVD Region: Region Two - Distributor: Fight DVD - Price: £10.99 - Other info: 280 mins - Release: Out now - Weblink: FightDVD

What do Brock Lesnar, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn have in common?

The answer is that the UFC has not released a career retrospective of any of these iconic figures. This makes Rising Up a curious DVD, focusing on a fighter who is not only still in his prime, but judging by his pay-per-view and box office numbers, has yet to connect with fans.

The release spans Henderson's full Zuffa career, from his WEC 38 debut to the first defence of his lightweight title at UFC On FOX 5. Almost as soon as Henderson begins talking, the emphasis shifts to his rivalry with Anthony Pettis - the man who, just weeks after this DVD came out, knocked him off the UFC title perch that this retrospective is supposed to celebrate. The documentary brilliantly depicts the mental toll that their previous fight, at WEC 53, took on Henderson, showing his emotional breakdown at the post-fight press conference.

Indeed, the documentary is excellent in offering glimpses into Henderson's personal life. His family is heavily featured, with his mother a highlight, as her enthusiasm is genuinely heartwarming. Benson, too, is engagingly candid, opening up about how problems with his father made him determined to be a better man. He describes the reasons for his religious beliefs, and we're shown the role that he plays in the Christian community.

Where the documentary falls down is in the analysis of Henderson's fighting career. While the man himself gives brief comments about each of his UFC fights, none of his opponents are asked for their views. That leaves the discussion of each fight oddly one-sided. More than that, Henderson's comments are heavily focused on what the fight meant to his career, rather than trying to break down the encounters themselves, and explain how he approached his opponents.

Equally there's no attempt to place his career in a broader context, such as contrasting the success he and other WEC alumni had in 2011 and 2012 with the rather low opinion most people had of the WEC lightweight division before the UFC merger. It leaves the presentation of his career overly superficial; all broad strokes and no detail.

DO YOUR TALKING IN THE RING
Luckily, the fights speak largely for themselves. With over three-and-half hours of action from one of the sport's most exciting fighters, this set is a must-have. The two undoubted highlights are Henderson's legendary back and forth wars with Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis from his WEC days, both of which are thinking man's brawls.

These battles combine a furious pace and non-stop action with high-level technique. And while none of the other fights meet those high standards (since very few fights do), his UFC bouts with Clay Guida, Jim Miller and Nate Diaz show off the full range of his skills, as he consistently out-thinks and overpowers dangerous opponents.

His bouts with Frankie Edgar are nerve-wracking, with neither man able to establish dominion over the other, despite the gutsy Edgar taking a hellacious beating. It is a real shame that his excellent title defence against Gilbert Melendez is not included, especially as his post-match proposal to his girlfriend would have tied into several of the documentary's themes.

That small criticism doesn't change the fact that these 12 fights are a powerful testament to Benson Henderson's ability, and a worthwhile reminder about the entertainment value of a lightweight division that has struggled to capture fans' attention in recent years. While Henderson may not have proven himself to be a Hall of Famer, his career retrospective is far superior in terms of match quality to any of the fighter collections that the UFC has put out in the past.