Benson Henderson’s manager thinks Clay Guida and Melvin Guillard need to beat “Smooth” to secure a shot at the title

Malki Kawa, the manager of former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, has explained that in his estimation top contenders such as Clay Guida and Melvin Guillard need to beat the man dubbed “Smooth” if they’re to challenge for the title down the line after he decimated Jim Miller this past weekend.

Speaking via MMAFighting.com, Kawa said:

“He’s the number one contender in my opinion and there’s no way anyone is gonna tell me different. This guy is the number one contender, hands down. Right now Melvin (Guillard) is locked up in a fight with Joe Lauzon so Melvin right now is not even on my radar at this point. For me to think he has to beat Clay and Melvin to get to a title well, he just beat a guy who was on a seven fight win streak, who beat everyone they put in front of him, and who Dana White came out and said ‘if you win this fight you get a title shot.’ I think right now it’s the other way around. I think Clay and Melvin have to beat [Henderson] to get a title shot, not the other way around. Because of scheduling, Guida is the next fight on our radar … If [Ben is] not going to fight for the title in his next fight, then I’m gonna ask the UFC to give us ‘the’ guy to beat.”

Henderson put in the performance of his career against Miller, dominating not only the stand-up but the wrestling and ground game as well. Has this former WEC champion been counted out of the lightweight title picture prematurely by fans and critics alike?