FORMER UFC LIGHTWEIGHT champion Benson Henderson has announced that he is cutting his ties with the promotion and joining Bellator.
The 32-year-old (23-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) has been with the UFC since his debut in 2011 and held the lightweight title for 18 months after earning a unanimous decision win over Frankie Edgar at UFC 144.
However, in a statement released on his website today, American fighter Henderson revealed that he is making the switch without giving any details about the deal or his first fight.
“I’m beyond excited for this next phase of my career, it’s a big move, like any move when switching employers or jobs after having worked somewhere for such a long time,” Henderson said.
I have to thank the BigMan upstairs for putting some amazing people in my life, my wife (first and foremost) and a lot of truly smart and insightful people behind the scenes who helped make the connections and negotiated this deal to bring it to fruition.”
He also took the opportunity to thank the UFC president and co-owner.
“I’d be remiss to not thank Dana White and Lorenzo Fertita for the opportunities they presented me, you guys have helped me change my life for the better and to be able to provide my family with the things I didn’t have while growing up.
“I’m excited for this next chapter and building new relationships with guys I’ve heard nothing but great things about (Bellator president) Scott Coker, (matchmaker) Rich Chou and (manager) Mike Kogan.”
And John Morgan of MMA Junkie is reporting that White said the UFC declined to match Bellator’s offer.
It’s a potentially significant move for MMA as Henderson is the most high-profile fighter ever to leave the UFC for Bellator.
With recent speculation suggesting that Conor McGregor may eventually seek to co-promote his own fights, and top UFC contenders like Aljamain Sterling and Alistair Overeem currently free agents, the MMA landscape could be about to change if Henderson’s move is a sign of things to come.
- Additional reporting from Paul Dollery
