Willie Henderson Ram At The Fights interview on Eddie Sims

In the Willie Henderson Ram At The Fights interview, the fighter predicted a first- or second-round finish against Eddie Sims at Road to Tokyo, described the boxing and kickboxing bouts he used to prepare, and set out his ambitions in MMA and GLORY Kickboxing. Henderson also told Ram At The Fights why he manages his own career.

What did Willie Henderson say about Eddie Sims and his next fight?

Willie Henderson expected to finish Eddie Sims within two rounds of their October 17 lightweight title fight at Road to Tokyo in Ardmore, Oklahoma. He saw the matchup as personal because Sims, a teammate of Brandon Phillips, asked to fight him after an encounter following Henderson’s bout with Phillips.

A boxing match in Sacramento and a Cage of Honor title

Henderson did not spend the lead-up to the Sims fight solely in the gym. About three weeks before the interview, he took a boxing match in Sacramento on six days’ notice. He said the taller opponent gave him four competitive rounds and that he dropped him about three times. Roughly a month before that match, Henderson won a Cage of Honor kickboxing title in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, finishing a scheduled five-round bout about a minute and a half into the first round.

Henderson summed up that approach to preparation in one line:

I have fights for my training camp

He said the boxing match fell on the last weekend he was contractually able to compete before the Sims title fight. Henderson also had a Cage of Honor title defense planned for three weeks afterward, although he treated that as a future commitment rather than a completed result.

Meeting Eddie Sims after the Brandon Phillips fight

The connection to Sims began after Henderson fought Phillips, whose team is affiliated with Killer Bees Kickboxing. Henderson said Sims congratulated him at a Buffalo Wild Wings, but he did not recognize Sims and the restaurant was closing. According to Henderson, Sims took the brief exchange as a brush-off, told others he wanted the fight and later signed for it.

Henderson believed Sims had judged him by an uncharacteristic performance against Phillips. He said the outdoor event left him drained after a day in the sun, while a long wait between warming up and fighting made both men tired. Sims had since traded jokes with him on Facebook, which Henderson welcomed as part of promoting the bout. Henderson also said seeing their fight poster on an Ardmore billboard mattered to him after roughly ten years of working toward that kind of recognition.

How did Willie Henderson build his kickboxing and MMA career?

Willie Henderson said he always believed he could succeed in martial arts, though he could not know how long it would take. At the time of the interview, he described himself as 5-0 in professional kickboxing and a regional champion, while continuing to identify as an MMA fighter.

Thinking through fights like chess

Henderson said he approached martial arts through mechanics and strategy rather than simply trying to overpower opponents. He compared his patience in a fight to his approach to chess, where he said he considers moves several steps ahead. He also described his height, reach and ability to compete at kickboxing weights between 145 and 155 pounds as advantages.

That confidence did not mean his path had been uninterrupted. Henderson said he had spent a year and a half incarcerated in his late twenties and returned to training after his release. He was 32 at the time of the conversation and said he had been out for about two years. His goal, he said, was to keep developing as a martial artist while building a financial future through fighting.

Performing before he became a fighter

Henderson traced his comfort with an audience to childhood dance skits he made up with a cousin and performed for their mothers. He said he still enjoys making people laugh and promoting fights, but does not carry that joking approach into the ring or cage. For him, performance and serious preparation are parts of the same career.

Where does Willie Henderson want to fight next in MMA and kickboxing?

Willie Henderson named the Ultimate Fighting Championship, ONE Championship and GLORY Kickboxing as promotions he would like to reach. He said GLORY or ONE could be his next major step, but described himself as a prize fighter who would consider opportunities according to where the money was.

Although his professional kickboxing run was going well, Henderson said he had started in MMA and intended to take more MMA fights. During his incarceration, he could practice striking but not grappling, leaving him with work to do when he returned to that part of training. He said that gap helped explain why kickboxing had progressed faster for him professionally.

Henderson would welcome a UFC opportunity, particularly against opponents who also prefer to strike. He said grappling-heavy training is hard on the body and that a camp weighted more toward striking would suit him. He did not rule out grappling, pointing to wrestlers he said he had beaten during his MMA career.

How does Willie Henderson manage his fights and sponsors?

Willie Henderson said he managed himself, spoke directly with promoters and handled his own fight contracts. He credited his coach with helping assess matchups and said he would seek a lawyer’s review if a contract went beyond his knowledge. Sponsors, meanwhile, helped make his frequent fight camps possible.

Finding fights without a manager

Henderson said he had no trouble securing bouts on his own. To pursue larger promotions, he planned to contact matchmakers and use social media to get their attention. He viewed marketing and negotiation as business tasks he could currently perform himself, rather than reasons to hire someone to speak for him.

Support in Cape Girardeau

Among the supporters Henderson named was First Auto Credit in Jackson, Missouri, which he said had backed him for some time. He also described support from local businesses and a spinal-care practice that helped him with recovery. A supplement sponsor was especially meaningful to him because of the demands he said daily training placed on his body.

Henderson said his own dojo supported him, too. He taught martial arts while continuing to train elsewhere in jiu-jitsu, explaining that being an instructor did not remove his need to remain a student. He valued sponsors who cared about his goals as a fighter, not only the chance to promote their businesses.

What did Willie Henderson say about Sam Alvey and entertaining fans?

Willie Henderson said Sam Alvey’s friendly manner showed how a fighter could make the sport welcoming to families. Henderson had met Alvey at his first boxing match, where Alvey commentated and also fought on the show, and later appeared on Alvey’s platform to call out another fighter.

Henderson said Alvey’s constant smile lifted the mood around him. He connected that impression to his own aim of promoting fights in a way parents would be comfortable letting their children watch. That approach still leaves room for his joking exchanges with opponents, which he sees as a way to build interest without changing how seriously he takes the fight.

He also discussed a possible piece of merchandise: the rain hats associated with his RainMaker persona. People had asked him to sell them, Henderson said, and he wanted to find a manufacturer so fans could wear them at his fights. It was an idea he was considering, not a product he said was already on sale.

Who is Willie Henderson?

Willie “The RainMaker” Henderson is an amateur MMA welterweight and martial artist based in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He blends kung fu and MMA, and he also podcasts about martial arts, mindset and motivation.