FUEL TV have announced the premiere of “UFC PRESENTS BENSON HENDERSON: RISING UP” on Wednesday, December 5 (11:00 PM ET). This one-hour special takes a look at the UFC Lightweight Champion’s struggles and motivations that helped him become one of the best in the UFC.

In exclusive interviews with Henderson, his trainer John Crouch, his mother, his brother Julius Henderson, and girlfriend Maria Magana, each discuss the defining moment in Henderson’s career: losing his WEC Lightweight Championship belt to Anthony Pettis in the last minute of the last WEC fight ever.

Henderson explains his transformation after the loss: “For me, it was a milestone. A catapult to get better. A lot of times some people face adversity and they have a tough loss. A close loss, and then they kind of go down. I think of some of the best champs- St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, a lot of NFL guys and NBA guys. They hit that and they get better from there. I want to be that guy. I used the Pettis fight [to become] a better fighter.”

Since the heartbreaking loss to Pettis, there has been no looking back for Henderson. The fighter made his UFC debut at UFC 129 in April 2011 and won a three-round unanimous decision over Mark Bocek. He has been on a five-fight winning streak and successfully captured the UFC Lightweight Championship belt from Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 earlier this year.

“The most special things about Ben are his willpower and his heart,” says Crouch in the show. “Those are things that you can’t really teach people. It’s just something either that you have or you don’t have, and [Henderson] has it in spades. He’s so mentally tough and man, you’ll never break that kid.”

When asked about the legacy he would like to leave, Henderson responds: “The best ever. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I want to be the best fighter ever.”

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Jay Cee – @JayCeeMMA

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*This is an official FUEL TV press release. A press release is an announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy item that is issued to the press.