With UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson clearing Nate Diaz from the division’s No. 1 contender spot earlier this month at UFC on FOX 5, Anthony Pettis and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone hope their UFC on FOX 6 bout next month determines the champ’s next challenger.

Pettis and Cerrone didn’t have much to say about Henderson other than that his performance demonstrated why he’s holding the belt. They are too focused on each other to discuss much else, even if it is talking about their ultimate goal of being the No. 1 fighter in the world.

“I go with the task at hand.” Cerrone told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “That’s Pettis.”

Each has a history with the UFC’s current 155-pound kingpin going back to Zuffa’s 2007-2010 WEC operation. WEC champ Henderson scored a 25-minute unanimous-decision win over Cerrone at WEC 43 in October 2009 then submitted him in the title rematch six months later at WEC 48. Henderson didn’t need the championship rounds and submitted Cerrone via guillotine choke in less than two minutes. The organization’s final event is known for it’s final moment when Pettis’ “Showtime” flying cage kick stole a unanimous decision – and the lightweight title – from Henderson in December 2010 in the champion’s Arizona backyard at WEC 53. Henderson is 2-1 against Cerrone and Pettis in title fights.

Much has happened since then.

“It does feel like a long time ago,” Pettis said. “Watching that and where I’m at now, it feels like an eternity. Watching fights, watching all these guys advance their careers, and I’m in this spot . Beating ‘Cowboy’ gets me back in the mix.”

Pettis’ bad luck began immediately upon his UFC arrival as a promised title shot fell apart after an upset unanimous-decision loss to Clay Guida. He’s 2-0 since then with a split-decision win over Jeremy Stephens and a “Knockout of the Night” victory over Joe Lauzon. Cerrone leads the pack of WEC veterans with seven octagon appearances. “Cowboy” earned bonuses in five of those outings worth $350,000.

Both fighters are gunning for Henderson, who ironically, is the only of the three to leave the WEC on a loss.

Henderson has rebounded with a 6-0 UFC win streak, all via decision. That includes back-to-back “Fight of the Night” performances against Guida and Frankie Edgar, whom he snatched the belt from the same night Pettis knocked out Lauzon. That night in Japan potentially set up the Henderson-Pettis rematch, but it was sidetracked by Pettis’ injury. The two subsequent title defenses against Edgar and Diaz rounded out Henderson’s 3-0 title fight run in 2012.

If Pettis and Cerrone have their way, they will be the one to block Henderson from a UFC divisional-record-tying third title defense.

“I need to have the best performance of my career,” Pettis said about his clash with Cerrone. “‘Cowboy’ is a tough guy. He’s well-rounded. He wins besides Diaz. He’s one of the guys I can make my name off of and get a title shot.”

Lightweights used the FOX platform to make their title statements in 2012. Diaz earned his shot headlining on FOX before Henderson retained his belt on the network. Pettis and Cerrone now get 15 minutes on FOX to prove which is worthy of a title shot. It has all the loaded elements of visibility to lead to a championship storyline.

Stylistically, Pettis and Cerrone have carved out well-earned reputations for excitement. They have 13 award bonuses between them in 25 Zuffa contests (Pettis is four for nine, and Cerrone is nine for 16). In-cage fireworks are always welcome. Quotable hype resulting from bad blood doesn’t hurt either.

Cerrone insists Pettis turned down past offers in the WEC and UFC to fight him. Pettis denies the allegation. The disagreement highlights the fact this is a fight long in the making.

“I’m talking back in the WEC when I tried to fight him,” Cerrone said of pursuing Pettis. “I’m talking about in the UFC when I tried to fight him. His manager said, ‘Well, maybe you should tell ‘Cowboy’ to take another fight.’ So that’s what I did – not sit there and wait for him. All the talking of me saying that he turned it down is true. That’s that.”

There are a lot of factors in UFC championship opportunities. Pettis and Cerrone seldom agree, but their common ground comes in believing there are no guarantees when it comes to gold.

Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is stating his case that he should be next for Henderson. Maybe the winner of featherweight titlist Jose Aldo and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will ask for a super-fight with Henderson. Contenders such as Gray Maynard or wild cards such as free agent Eddie Alvarez are jostling for their place among the lightweight division’s elite. All the outside factors must be locked out as Pettis and Cerrone prepare to scrap.

“You only have 15 minutes to convince the judges that you’re a better fighter, or knock him out or submit him,” Pettis said of this upcoming contender audition. “I’ve got to get going quick. It’s one of those fights (in which) I can’t take shots to get going. Whoever makes the first mistake, it can be a short night.”

Cerrone is incredibly restless regarding the bout. When it comes to the verbal sparring sessions available in the media, Cerrone pines for the real thing.

“I don’t care; I don’t care what Pettis says,” he said. “I’mma whip his ass the same.”

Prizefights are about two things: purse size and the belt that holds up weighty earnings. Fights, even the non-title ones, are always about the championship because it’s the ultimate credibility for bragging rights – for pride and paydays. That’s the intrigue ahead with Pettis and Cerrone.

“I can guarantee that he’s going to shoot first,” said Pettis, anticipating Cerrone’s attempts to stop striking first. “He’s been talking a lot of mess that my standup is this and that, (and that) he’s going to expose me here. I guarantee you he shoots first.

“I’m going to go in there as motivated as ever. Like I said, 2012 sucked, but 2013 is going to be my year. I’m going to get after it. I’m going to go out there and finish fights.”

Cerrone, as fiery as ever, asserts: “I have to get through Pettis to get a belt. I have nothing against the guy, but the reason I’m picking on him is he’s next. That’s all there is to it. As far as me talking to s— and all that, I’m tired of him backing out and all that, so just train hard and show up, p—-.”

For more on UFC on FOX 6, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Danny Acosta is thewellversed.com‘s MMA editor. Listen to his “Acosta KO” segment on SiriusXM Fight Club (Sirius 92, XM 208) every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT). Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @acostaislegend.