Tag: Benson Henderson

Spinning Back Clique: Merab Dvalishvili’s statement, Bellator 292 recap, UFC 286 preview

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” live stream covering the biggest topics from MMA, including a lookahead to UFC 286 this weekend.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Danny Segura, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • What a performance from [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 221, where he scored a clean-sweep unanimous decision win over former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] in the main event. What type of statement did Dvalishvili make with his dominant showing?
  • It wasn’t so long ago that Yan was the UFC bantamweight champion and doing well in his first title defense with Aljamain Sterling going into the championship rounds. Then that infamous illegal knee occurred, which led to a disqualification and Yan lost his title. Including that fight, Yan is now 1-4 in past five. What has gone wrong?
  • Bellator 292 took place this past weekend in San Jose, where the lightweight grand prix kicked off with a pair of quarterfinals, including champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] running through [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] for a first-round submission win. The performance garnered a lot of praise from MMA fans and media for the cousin of Khabib as they labeled him one of the best lightweights on the planet. Agree or disagree?
  • After the fight, Henderson announced his retirement and laid his gloves down in the cage. Henderson is a WEC OG who, at one point, was the best lightweight on the planet as the UFC champion. What was your reaction to seeing him lay down the gloves, and where do you rank him amongst lightweights all time?
  • UFC 286 takes place  Saturday, live from London, and features one of the most anticipated bouts of the year, the trilogy between welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]. We all remember last year when Usman was up on all the judges’ scorecards until Edwards struck the head-kick Knockout of the Year in the fifth round for the win. How big is this fight for both men, and what will be the difference this time around?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Bellator 292 post-event facts: Michael Page takes sole possession of company knockout record

Check out the numbers to come out of Bellator 292, where Michael “Venom” Page broke a longstanding tie for most KO/TKO wins in history.

Bellator put on its third event of the year Friday with Bellator 292, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

The lightweight grand prix got its start on the card with a pair of quarterfinal matchups. Reigning champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) made his first step in defending through the tournament when he quickly stopped former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA) by first-round submission.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 292.

Benson Henderson on decision to retire from MMA: ‘It’s my wife’s turn to shine’

Benson Henderson explains his decision to retire from MMA.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] has decided to put an end to his fighting career so someone else can flourish.

The former UFC and WEC champion hung up his gloves Friday following his submission loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in their lightweight championship bout in the main event of Bellator 292.

Henderson (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA, who got emotional during his post-fight news conference, explained why it was time for him to walk away from fighting.

“It’s my wife’s turn to shine – her turn to practice three, four times a day and get after it,” Henderson said. “I’ll leave that to her, and I’ll be doing the majority of taking care of the kids. But I’ll still be in the gym, helping my team, and of course helping out my wife.”

Henderson’s wife Maria is 1-0 as a professional. She’s scheduled for her promotional debut at Bellator 293 later this month. Henderson, 39, thinks this is the right time to end his career so he can help launch Maria’s.

“The majority of the time will be taking care of the kids so that she can train more,” Henderson said. “I signed that deal with Bellator and I told myself, ‘Anytime you lose in these four fights, that’s probably it,’ and that’s what happened. It’s time to lay the gloves down. I’ll still be around and help the guys out. I love my team.”

Henderson retires from MMA after 17 years of fighting professionally. In his biggest feats, Henderson won and defended the WEC title in 2010, and then became UFC champion in 2012 and defended that belt three times. Throughout his career, he beat many notable names lilke Frankie Edgar, Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone, Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Melendez.

Henderson isn’t sure how he’ll be remembered in the sport, but hopes his work ethic is recognized.

“I’ve gotten that question many times over the years, but I’ll leave it to you pundits,” Henderson said. “You guys give my career scope and put some cool words to it.

“If anything, the thing I’m highest on in this life is hard work. I don’t care what it is that you do – a journalist, a cameraman, a fighter. It doesn’t matter what you do. It’s all about how hard you work. I think maybe for my career, I want to be known as the guy who worked his butt off.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Bellator 292: Best photos from San Jose

Check out these photos from Bellator 292, which took place at Kia Forum in San Jose, Calif.

Check out these photos from Bellator 292, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Usman Nurmagomedov def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 292: Best photos

Check out these photos from the Bellator 292 main event, in which Usman Nurmagomedov retired former UFC champion Benson Henderson.

Check out these photos from the Bellator 292 main card bout between [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], which took place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and aired on Showtime. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan and Bellator MMA)

‘Lightweight legend’: Twitter reacts to former UFC champ Benson Henderson retiring after Bellator 292 loss

Former UFC and WEC champion Benson Henderson announced his retirement at Bellator 292 – and the MMA world reacted.

Former UFC and WEC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] called it a career Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., after he lost in the Bellator 292 main event to Usman Nurmagomedov.

Henderson, 39, competed as a professional mixed martial artist since 2006. He competed for the UFC and Bellator 14 times each, as well as six times for WEC, among many other smaller promotional stops.

As news of Henderson’s retirement spread across the MMA world, fans, fighters, personalities, and media members had plenty to say as they reacts to the news. Scroll below to see what they had to say.

Bellator 292 results: Former UFC champ Benson Henderson retires after first-round loss to Usman Nurmagomedov

Former UFC and WEC champion Benson Henderson called it a career after he lost quickly to Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 292.

[autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] has called it a career.

It took [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) all of 2:37 to finish Henderson (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA) and defend his Bellator lightweight championship at Bellator 292.

In the main event of Friday’s event at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Nurmagomedov submitted Henderson with a rear-naked choke after a question mark kick floored the former UFC champion in the opening seconds.

Henderson recovered from the initial knockdown, though he was continually punished with follow-up punches. Nurmagomedov shifted to the back and worked for a submission. Initially, Henderson defended but after he scooted to the cage, Nurmagomedov used his punches, found a grip on the neck, squeezed, and got the tap.

After the fight, Henderson announced his retirement inside the cage in an interview with analyst John McCarthy. Henderson, who had two more fights left on his Bellator contract, said he told himself prior to signing the deal that if he lost, he’d call it quits. Friday, he made good on that promise and will now focus on his wife, Maria, as she embarks full-force on an MMA journey of her own.

“I’ve had a nice long run,” Henderson said. “I’ve done a lot of great things. I was able to do a lot of accomplishments. Thank you to everybody around the world. Thank you guys for your love and support. I appreciate that.”

Henderson, 39, finishes with a lengthy resume of high-level accolades. He is a former UFC lightweight champion and former WEC lightweight champion. Victories include Frankie Edgar, Josh Thomson, Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, Clay Guida, Donald Cerrone, and Patricio Freire.

With the victory in a bout that served as a grand prix quarterfinal, Nurmagomedov advances to the semifinal round against the winner of a Bellator 295 bout between Mansour Barnaoui and Brent Primus in May.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 292 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

Bellator 292: Quick picks and prognostications

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a close look at the Bellator 292 main card headlined by a lightweight title fight.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for Bellator 292.

Bellator 292 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Welcome to MMAJunkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for select main cards.

With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive, as my goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by Tipico Sportsbook.

If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.

So, without further ado …

Bellator 292 video: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson final faceoff for title fight

Bellator champ Usman Nurmagomedov and former UFC champ Benson Henderson had a final staredown before the Bellator 292 headliner.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The stage is set for the next Bellator lightweight title fight on Friday between [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], which also serves as an opening-round fight in the forthcoming grand prix.

Reigning champion Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will put his belt and undefeated record in the line when he meets former UFC/WEC champ Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in the Bellator 292 headliner, which takes place at SAP Center and airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

First, though, the pair had to engage in a final staredown at ceremonial weigh-ins, where they both kept cordial ahead of sharing the cage.

Watch the video above to see Nurmagomedov and Henderson face off for Bellator 292.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

[lawrence-related id=2623266,2623059,2622966,2623069]

Bellator 292 video: Champ Usman Nurmagomedov, lightweight grand prix fighters on weight

The first fights in Bellator’s latest grand prix are official after four quarterfinalists made weight Thursday.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The first fights in Bellator’s latest grand prix are official after four quarterfinalists made weight Thursday.

Ahead of Bellator 292, which takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins, as did quarterfinalists on the other side of the bracket, Tofiq Musayev (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and Alexander Shabliy (22-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who meet in the co-main event.

Check out the video from Nurmagomedov and Henderson’s trips to the scale above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.