Tag: Benson Henderson

GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

  • Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
  • Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
  • Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
  • Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
  • Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
  • Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

  • Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
  • Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
  • Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
  • Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
  • Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
  • Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

  • Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
  • Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
  • Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
  • Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
  • Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
  • Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

  • Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
  • Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
  • Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
  • Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
  • Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
  • Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

  • [autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

  • [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

  • [autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

  • [autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Video: Is MMA’s newest player, the Global Fight League, set to fail or succeed?

Global Fight League has announced its launch. Will it work in MMA? We discuss on the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique.”

There appears to be a new player in town.

That’s right, a new MMA promotion has emerged, and it’s looking to put on fights at the top level. Global Fight League announced its launch last week, revealing that it will begin operations in early 2025 and will feature numerous notable names in the sport.

GFL’s roster includes names such as: [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag], [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag], Frank Mir, [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], and [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and many others.

How strong is GFL’s roster? What names stand out? Could this promotion find success in a very difficult MMA industry?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George discuss the announcement of the GFL launch, along with its initial roster.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/QvKtS8RXBbs

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Global Fight League announces launch, roster includes giant list of former UFC fighters

GFL has arrived – and it’s bringing fairly massive names from UFC yesteryears with it.

A new player has entered the MMA landscape, and it has arrived with some big names.

Wednesday, Global Fight League (GFL) announced its official launch will come in the opening weeks of 2025. The GFL concept differs from that of UFC and PFL.

While it has a league format and playoffs, it is also team-based and has a draft. There will be six franchises (names and cities to follow). The draft is scheduled for Jan. 24, with an inaugural event to follow in April.

Who’s fighting?

Co-founder Darren Owen revealed on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday that the promotion has over 300 fighters under contract. Not all fighters will be drafted.

Of the 92 fighters posted to the promotion’s official website, 45 of them are former UFC fighters. Names include Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, Kevin Lee, Fabricio Werdum, and Junior Dos Santos among others.

Scroll below to see the released names:

  • [autotag]Marcel Adur[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Amirkhon Alikhuzhaev[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Omar Arteaga[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Deberson Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Raimundo Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stephen Beaumont[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claudeci Brito[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Will Brooks[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Yan Cabral[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexsandro Cangaty[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rafael Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayton de Paepe[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Patrizio de Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marcelo Dias[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tonya Evinger[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kalindra Faria[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marciano Ferreira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chauncey Foxworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Glaico Franca[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Guto Inocente[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Michael Irizarry[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]
  • [autotag]William Lima[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ruan Machado[/autotag]
  • [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksandr Maslov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Dominick Meriweather[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Silvania Monteiro[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Killys Motta[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayinda Octave[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Oliveira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oscar Ownsworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Denis Palancica[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rousimar Palharaes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jefferson Pontes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cleiton Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Julio Spadaccini[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Soukhamthath[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Roggers Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gabriel Souza Galindo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Mohamed Tarek Mohey[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diego Teixeira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oli Thompson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Austin Tweedy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Feruz Usmonov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jozef Wittner[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]

What does GFL provide athletes that other promotions don’t?

According to Owen, GFL offers fighters a 50-50 split in revenue sharing. Additionally, the promotion provides comprehensive support for training and medical bills, retirement benefits, insurance coverage, and more.

Who is behind GFL and where is the money coming from?

Owen is listed as the co-founder and commissioner for GFL and serves essentially as the public face for the promotion. He served as COO of PFL vs. October 2015 to May 2020 and was the founder and CEO of World Series of Fighting Canada, according to his LinkedIn page.

Also listed on the promotion’s website are Arun Parimi (co-founder and COO), Scott Parker (CMO), and Jeffrey Pollack (senior advisor).

Owen declined to identify the source of the funds behind the operation, but did say it’s a silicon valley investor.

How does the regular season work?

Similarly to PFL, GFL has a point system for regular season fights.

A finish victory notches a fighter’s team four points. A decision win earns three points. A draw earns two points. A decision loss earns one point. If a fighter loses by finish, he or she walks away with zero points.

Karate Combat 43 results: Anthony Pettis scores third victory vs. Benson Henderson in close decision

It took a sudden victory round, but Anthony Pettis secured another combat sports win over Benson Henderson at Karate Combat 43.

Thirteen years after their first meeting, former UFC champions [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] and [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] faced each other for the third time in combat sports.

While the first two meetings took place in a cage under MMA rules, the trilogy bout would go down in a wide-open pit with ramped walls at Karate Combat 43. The 170-pound catchweight fight was scheduled for five rounds, but would need a sixth to settle the decision. Ultimately, Pettis would deny Henderson again after winning a decision after a sudden victory round.

The familiar foes started out measuring the range with a few early kicks, with Pettis offering a flashier variety of techniques. Perhaps playing on memories of their first matchup, Pettis teased using the ramp to propel himself forward. Henderson landed a few nice punches, including a hard right to the body. Pettis finished the round looking for a back heel sweep kick.

Henderson attacked with low leg kicks early in Round 2, but Pettis answered with a well-timed side kick followed by a punch. Later in the round, Henderson would charge forward with a nice combination of punches, pushing Pettis into the ramp.

The third round was closely contested, until Pettis began building momentum after a kick to the body followed by a right hand.

Henderson started Round 4 with big power kicks, sending Pettis into the wall twice before a low blow paused the action. When the action resumed, Pettis went back to his kick-punch combos as he looked to reestablish his offense.

Henderson shucked Pettis into the wall and to the ground in an aggressive start to the fifth round. Pettis would respond with combinations upstairs while attempting a few crowd-pleasing techniques.

The fight would go to a sudden victory sixth round, and both came out firing hard. Henderson connected with a front kick to the face and landed well to the body with a punch. Quick jabs and hard right hands found the mark for both as they tried to put a stamp on the fight.

Judges determined Pettis was the winner of the sudden victory round, which according to the Karate Combat rules, the better fighter in that frame is declared the winner.

Pettis entered the trilogy bout with Henderson as the leader in their series. Pettis won a unanimous decision at WEC 53 to take the lightweight title from Henderson. It was the bout where Pettis created one of the most viral highlights in MMA history by landing the “Showtime kick.”

The second meeting came at UFC 164, where once again, Pettis took a lightweight title from Henderson in highlight fashion. Pettis cranked on a slick armbar in the final minute of the first round to get the tap.

After 42 pro fights, Henderson retired from MMA competition following a first-round loss to Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 292 in March.

On the other hand, Pettis has been active in combat sports as recently as April, when he laced up the boxing gloves against legend Roy Jones Jr. Pettis won a majority decision after eight rounds of action.

You can watch a replay of the fight in the video above.

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Karate Combat 43: Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson live stream

Watch two former UFC champions Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson fight at Karate Combat – live and free.

LAS VEGAS – Karate Combat 43 features two of the most recognizable lightweights in UFC history as they fight for the third time – but this time, in a different combat sport.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] and [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] collide Friday and the entire event is live and free on MMA Junkie. UFC Hall of Famers [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] and [autotag]Bas Rutten[/autotag] will be on commentary. The stream begins at 9 p.m. ET.

Also set to compete at the event, former UFC fighter [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] challenges champion Ross Levine, kickboxing legend Raymond Daniels competes, and a handful of other UFC alumni test their skills on the mat – with striking only and no takedowns.

Check out the full lineup below:

  • Anthony Pettis def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision
  • Sam Alvey def. Ross Levine via unanimous decision – for vacant heavyweight title
  • Raymond Daniels def. Bruno Souza via unanimous decision
  • Brandon Jenkins def. Gorjan Slaveski via TKO – Round 1
  • Melinda Fabian def. Omaira Molina via TKO – Round 3, 3:00
  • Batgerel Danaa def. Freddy Masabo via knockout – Round 2
  • Omar Morales def. Armus Guyton via unanimous decision
  • Shahzaib Khan def. Federico Avella via knockout (head kick) – Round 1
  • Chinzo Machida def. Shannon Hudson via unanimous decision
  • Saidyokub Kakhramonov def. Gabriel Stankunas via TKO – Round 3
  • Elijah Everill def. Javier Arteaga via unanimous decision
  • Loxbey Montalvan def. Gabriel Diaz via unanimous decision
  • Jordan Lee Barker def. Damian Villa via unanimous decision

UFC veterans in MMA and karate action Dec. 14-17

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC wraps up its year with a pay-per-view event in Las Vegas.

UFC 296 takes place at T-Mobile Arena, and features a pair of title fights. In the main event, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] looks to defend his welterweight title against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], and [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] defends his flyweight crown against [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Dec. 14-17.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Anthony Pettis excited to ‘jump off’ Karate Combat pit vs. Benson Henderson

Anthony Pettis will try and recreate his infamous “Showtime Kick” when he makes his Karate Combat debut.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] will try and recreate his infamous “Showtime Kick” when he makes his Karate Combat debut.

Pettis meets familiar foe [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] in the main event of Karate Combat 43 on Dec. 15 at the Expo at World Trade Market in Las Vegas, marking their third combat sports encounter.

Pettis defeated Henderson twice in title fights – once in WEC where he landed the “Showtime Kick,” and the other by submission to capture the UFC lightweight title.

“He’s not an easy opponent, bro,” Pettis told MMA Junkie. “We fought twice already. The first fight was such a close fight. Even standing, striking. The ground portion was a very close fight. Second fight I obviously had my success with the body kicks, but Ben’s a competitor. Nothing but respect for that dude. We’ve been doing this for 10-years-plus now each, and he’s still competing at the highest level.

“I know he’s coming to bring it. Obviously he has something to prove. Every time that ‘Showtime’ Kick – they basically made that promo off the ‘Showtime’ Kick. I heard the pit was designed off that, the Karate Combat pit. So I’m sure Ben is going to try to go out there and even the score up. So I’ll be ready for whatever he brings.”

Pettis also used the cage to his advantage when he became the first man to knock out Stephen Thompson, landing a perfect Superman punch to shut his lights out.

“I feel like offensively I’m going to be able to use it to my advantage,” Pettis said. “I’ll be able to jump off that thing. I’ll be able to climb up it, move around it. So I’m going to be able to have some fun with that.”

With the Karate Combat ruleset involving striking only, Pettis expects to shine against Henderson.

“I am a lifelong martial artist,” Pettis said. “This is something I’ve done forever. I come from a point sparring background, so I feel like this favors me definitely. Having the ability to throw any strike I want without having to worry about getting taken down or getting pressed against the fence. If you watch our first couple fights, a lot of his success came from that.

“Pushing me against the fence, holding me on the fence. Doing some moves I’ve never seen before on the fence, but he won’t have that opportunity this one round. That’s why I said yes to this. It plays well into what I’ve done my whole life.” I think he definitely wants to win and with these rule set, we’ve got three-minute rounds. I’ve just got to be on my game the whole time.”

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2023 MMA retirement tracker: A list of former UFC champions, legends and more who hung up the gloves

The MMA world already has said goodbye to many retiring fighters in 2023, from former UFC champions to icons of the sport.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.

2023 has seen an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).

Ex-UFC champs Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis set to headline Karate Combat 43

Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis set to meet a third time, but under Karate Combat rules.

[autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] are headed to Karate Combat.

The two former UFC lightweight champions will meet for a third time in combat sports in the main event of Karate Combat 43 on Dec. 15 at the Expo at World Trade Market in Las Vegas. They will compete in a 170-pound contest.

The news was confirmed by the promotion on Tuesday following an initial report by MMA Fighting.

Henderson and Pettis have fought twice before under MMA rules.

The first time they met was in 2010 at WEC 53, where Pettis defeated Henderson in an all-out war to win the promotion’s lightweight title. It was also the birth of Pettis’ famous “Showtime kick.” The second time was three years later in 2013 at UFC 164. That night, Pettis submitted Henderson with an armbar to crown himself UFC lightweight champion.

Pettis was recently seen fighting in MMA under the PFL banner. He signed with the promotion in 2021 and fought for them five times, going 1-4. The 36-year-old last fought in August 2022, losing a decision to former UFC fighter Stevie Ray.

Meanwhile, Henderson retired from MMA in March after losing by first-round submission to Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator lightweight title. Prior to that, he was on a two-fight winning streak.

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Bellator 293 video: Mackenzie Stiller upsets Maria Henderson with one-way traffic

All eyes entered the Bellator 293 preliminary card opener on Maria Henderson, but they were on Mackenzie Stiller when the dust settled.

All eyes entered the Bellator 293 preliminary card opener on [autotag]Maria Henderson[/autotag], but they were on [autotag]Mackenzie Stiller[/autotag] after the dust settled.

On Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., Stiller (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) made her presence known when she spoiled the promotional pro debut of Henderson (1-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), wife of former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag].

The fight was largely one-way traffic as Stiller utilized her wrestling and jiu-jitsu to control Henderson on the ground. After some heavy punches, Stiller worked for an armbar. Stiller rolled Henderson and eventually got the hyperextension – and a tap.

Stiller, 23, hadn’t competed as a professional before Friday. However, her submission prowess was already established as an amateur fighter. In four amateur appearances, Stiller finished every opponent by first-round submission.

Henderson, 30, competed for Bellator once as an amateur in October 2021. Following a 3-0 amateur career, she turned professional. After a submission win in LFA for her pro debut, Henderson returned to Bellator on a multifight deal, which she signed in January.

The full Bellator 293 results include:

  • Mackenzie Stiller def. Maria Henderson via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:17

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.