Well, not every former UFC champion is going to ONE Championship these days.
Benson Henderson, who possessed lightweight titles in both the WEC and UFC, is staying with Bellator MMA. MMAjunkie confirmed with Bellator officials that Henderson has agreed to an “exclusive, long-term deal” with the promotion, having fought out his previous contract last month.
Henderson (26-8) is currently on a two-fight winning streak, submitting Roger Huerta in April before completing his old Bellator deal with a dominant unanimous decision win over the heavy-handed Saad Awad at Bellator 208 on Long Island. It’s Henderson’s first winning streak since submitting Brandon Thatch and edging out Jorge Masvidal in the final two fights of his UFC career back in 2015.
When Henderson signed with Bellator MMA as a free agent in 2016, he immediately challenged for the welterweight title, coming up well short against then-champion Andrey Koreshkov. He dropped back down to his more familiar lightweight division, getting a leg injury TKO win over featherweight champ Patricio Freire, setting up a title shot vs. then-champ Michael Chandler, who won a split decision. In September 2017, Henderson fought current lightweight contender Patricky Freire, and lost another split decision.
Of note with Henderson is the fact that he had surgery in 2017 to repair a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus, and with two straight wins under his belt, he’ll be among the title contenders in the Bellator lightweight division moving forward.
Henderson’s next fight has not yet been booked.