Benson Henderson – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Bellator 268 open workouts video: Vadim Nemkov, other tournament participants crack pads

Ahead of Bellator 268, Ryan Bader, Corey Anderson, Vadim Nemkov, Julius Anglickas, and Benson and Maria Henderson hit pads for reporters.

PHOENIX – Bellator light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] and the three other remaining participants in the promotion’s current grand prix partook in an open workout Wednesday.

Bellator 268 takes place Saturday at Footprint Center. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Nemkov (13-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), along with opponent [autotag]Julius Anglickas[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), and co-main event participants [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 6-1 BMMA), joined former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) and his wife Maria (1-0 amateur) in the open-to-reporters event.

The Hendersons kicked things off, with Benson holding pads for Maria, before the four light heavyweight participants hit pads and faced off. Check out the open workout highlights of the light heavyweights in the video above – and watch a clip of the Hendersons’ workout below.

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Benson Henderson baffled by Bellator leaving him out of lightweight title picture

With Patricio Freire relinquishing his Bellator lightweight title, Benson Henderson thinks he should have been fighting for the vacant title.

With Patricio Freire relinquishing his Bellator lightweight title, [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] thinks he should have been the one fighting for the vacant belt.

The promotion opted to make the Patricky Freire (23-10 MMA, 14-8 BMMA) vs. Peter Queally (13-5-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) headliner at Bellator 270 on Nov. 5 the crowning fight and No. 3-ranked Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) thinks he was snubbed from the opportunity.

Instead, he will take on former champion Brent Primus at Bellator 268 on Saturday and expects to emerge as the No. 1 contender with a win as he looks to close out the final chapter of his career.

“I certainly hope so,” Henderson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m going to go do my job and make sure I go out there and beat up the former champion, Mr. Primus, and make my statement for: Why in the world would you have a title fight and not have me in it? But whatever. That’s cool. I’ve got to make my case if that’s the way it is. By all means, let’s do it.

“(I have to) go beat him up, go have an emphatic finish. I want an emphatic finish. I want some highlight. I want people to talk about it Monday morning: ‘Oh my God, did you check out that last Bellator card?’ I want something that people are going to talk about. The fight after that, I’m going to fight for the belt, I’m going to win the belt and get my hand raised, and after that, I might be done. I might do a couple more. Who knows. But I would say what chapter is this? It’s getting close to that epilogue.”

Henderson, a former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, has one of the most decorated careers in the division’s history. But despite his accolades and star-studded resume, the 37-year-old says winning the Bellator title would mean the most.

“This Bellator one, it’s going to be something special,” Henderson said. “Third time is the charm. I lost against (Andrey) Koreshkov – he beat my butt. I lost bad against Koreshkov. They gave the decision to (Michael) Chandler for my second one. This next one, third time’s the charm. It’s going to mean a lot to me and everything to me – more so than anything else.

“Going out there, the perseverance it takes, the dedication it takes, coming over two ACL surgeries, having kids – all that stuff plays into it. This third one for Bellator, it’s everything – biggest one to date. I’ve got to get there first. I’ve got to get another title shot. I’ve got to earn another title shot, and I’ve got to earn to get my hand raised and get that belt around my waist – and I will do that.”

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Benson Henderson and Brent Primus set to face off at Bellator 268

Bellator 268 adds an exciting lightweight matchup between two former champions to the main card.

Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix semifinals card just got even better.

On Thursday, the promotion announced via press release the addition of [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] to Bellator 268 on Oct. 16, which features the light heavyweight grand prix semifinals matchup. The co-main event will be [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and the main event semifinal matchup is also a title fight as [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] takes on champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag].

The event takes place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ on Oct. 16. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET following prelims on MMA Junkie starting at 7 p.m. ET.

In his first fight of the calendar year, Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) will be looking to snap a two-fight losing skid, having lost to Jason Jackson and Michael Chandler in his two previous outings. Prior to his recent challenges, Henderson was riding high on a four-fight win streak.

The event will be a family outing for Henderson, as his wife, Maria Henderson, will compete in an amateur strawweight bout on the prelims of the card. She successfully competed in her first amateur bout in February at LFA 100, winning via unanimous decision.

Former Bellator lightweight champion Primus (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will step inside the Bellator cage for the second time in 2021, looking to rebound from a split decision loss to Islam Mamedov at Bellator 263. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak with victories over Tim Wilde and Chris Bungard, both of which were first-round submission wins.

With the addition of Henderson vs. Primus, the Bellator 263 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

Vadim Nemkov vs. Anthony Johnson – for light heavyweight title, grand prix semifinal
Ryan Bader vs. Corey Anderson – grand prix semifinal
Benson Henderson vs. Brent Primus
Henry Corrales vs. Vladyslav Parubchenko

PRELIMINARY CARD

Julius Anglickas vs. Karl Albrektsson
Erik Perez vs. Brett Johns
Sullivan Cauley vs. Deon Clash
Nick Browne vs. Bobby Lee
Javier Torres vs. Gregory Milliard
Sumiko Inaba vs. Randi Field
Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Raymond Pina

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Video: Maria Henderson, wife of Benson Henderson, wins MMA debut at LFA 100

Watch Maria Henderson, wife of Benson Henderson, debut in mixed martial arts.

[autotag]Maria Henderson[/autotag] is one-for-one inside the cage.

Henderson (1-0 amateur), the wife of former UFC lightweight champion and current Bellator fighter [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], defeated Amanda Mitchell (0-1 amateur) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Friday.

The amateur strawweight fight served as the card-opening bout at LFA 100.

Despite having a Brazilian jiu-jitsu background, Henderson, 28, displayed her striking abilities throughout the fight. In Round 1, both fighters gave and took damage. A southpaw like her husband, Henderson displayed an effective body kick. Mitchell countered consistently with a right hand.

Round 2 began with more striking. Eventually, the MMA Lab’s Henderson clinched and landed knees against the fence. This came much to the delight of Benson, who served as his wife’s lone cornerman for the fight. Upon the break, Mitchell was visibly gassed. The two fighters exchanged until the end-of-round horn.

At the beginning of Round 3, Henderson engaged the clinch immediately. Once separated, both fighters, despite their visible exhaustion, pushed themselves to continue exchanging until the final bell – both absorbed big shots.

Check out Maria Henderson’s MMA debut from LFA 100 in the video below.

LFA 100 took place Friday at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. The main card streamed on UFC Fight Pass after prelims on Facebook.

Scott Coker wants Benson Henderson back at lightweight after Bellator 253 loss

Benson Henderson has fared better at 155 pounds than 170, so Scott Coker hopes he’ll return to the former.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag]’s name belongs on the list of MMA’s all-time great lightweights. “Smooth” held championships in the UFC and WEC, and has been a leading contender since joining Bellator four years ago.

Welterweight, however, has been a different story.

Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) took a fight with Jason Jackson on relatively short notice at 170 pounds in the Bellator 253 co-headliner Thursday night and lost a one-sided decision to a competitor who is on the rise, but never before had a victory over anyone with a resume near the one Henderson possesses.

That makes Henderson 0-2 at welterweight in Bellator, having also dropped a decision to then-champion Andrei Koreshkov in his promotional debut at Bellator 153.

And while Bellator president Scott Coker appreciates Henderson stepping up to take the fight, he also believes the former champion remains at his best when he’s competing in his natural weight class.

“That’s my vote,” Coker told MMA Junkie during the post-fight news conference at Mohegan Sun Arena. “One-seventy for him is too big, I feel, and everything is going to be an uphill battle for him. Not that everything at 155 won’t, but at least the cards are the same, and they’re not stacked against him at that point.”

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The size difference was such that Jackson almost looked like a middleweight cutting down to welterweight for the first time, and it played out that way during the fight. While Henderson still has his speed, there was a noticeable power disparity in striking and strength difference on the floor.

“I’ve always said, I think Benson is going to have his hands full in this fight, because you could see the size difference,” Coker said. “The minute they stepped into the cage I saw the difference in the size.”

Coker doesn’t want to come down too hard on Henderson, as he remains an accomplished fighter, a game competitor, and a person who handles his business correct. But the Bellator boss hopes he’s able to induce the MMA Lab standout into making the move back to where he found success.

“He took this fight almost as a favor for us because Lorenz Larkin was supposed to fight,” Coker said. “(Larkin) got injured, something happened, he couldn’t fight. Benson stepped in on about 30 days’ notice to take this fight. So, I know he likes fighting at 170, but at the same time we’re going to have a conversation about staying at 155 because he’s still a great fighter. He’s still tough. I think he still has some gas left in the tank. We just gotta get the right opportunity for him.”

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Bellator 253 results: Jason Jackson grinds out decision over Benson Henderson

Benson Henderon’s short-notice move up to welterweight didn’t come with the result he wanted.

[autotag]Benson Henderson [/autotag]took a short-notice fight and moved up to welterweight, but [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] didn’t give him a friendly welcome.

Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA), the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, looked small compared to Jackson (13-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA), who looked large for 170. And a combination of Jackson having too much power and Henderson not quite having the same quickness he had during his prime led to the biggest victory of Jackson’s career on Thursday night in the co-feature bout of Bellator 253.

The judges at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. scored the fight 30-27 across the board for Jackson.

The opening round was a feeling-out process, as both throw kicks as they tried to find their timing and range. As the round wore on, though, it became clear Jackson’s body kicks were landing harder than Henderson’s, and Jackson answered Henderson’s one-punch stick-and-moves with heavy counter combos that found a home.

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The second round saw Jackson score a pair of easy takedowns and spend a solid amount of time in a dominant position, though he wasn’t able to do much with it.

Henderson showed urgent in the third, as he scrambled his way into getting Jackson’s back and nearly got a rear-naked choke, then attempted a Kimura. But Jackson managed to transition to the top and once again spent the bulk of the round flustering Henderson on the floor without doing anything to come near a finish.

The welterweight bout was the co-feature of Bellator 253, which was held Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Jackson has won three straight bouts, while Henderson lost his second in a row.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 253 results:

Jason Jackson def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Joey Davis def. Bobby Lee via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Raufeon Stots def. Keith Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jeremy Kennedy def. Matt Bessette via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Jaleel Willis def. Mark Lemminger via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jay Jay Wilson def. Sergio DeBari via KO (punches) — Round 1, 0:20
Kaheem Murray def. Kevin Ferguson Jr. via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sullivan Cauley def. Jason Markland via KO (punches) — Round 1, 0:28

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4 burning questions heading into Bellator 253

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head takes a look at the storylines to follow ahead of Bellator 253 in Uncasville, Conn.

The Bellator featherweight grand prix will crown its first finalist at Bellator 253 as the promotion prepares to host its latest fight night at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday night.

Once again, the featherweight tournament will take center stage, with the semifinal clash between former bantamweight champion [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] and undefeated phenom [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] headlining the event, while former WEC and UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] returns to action against welterweight contender [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] in the night’s co-headliner.

Undefeated prospects [autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Jay Wilson[/autotag] are also set for action in as they bid to extend their perfect professional records, while bantamweight contenders [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] will face off as they attempt to progress toward a shot at championship gold at 135 pounds.

Bellator 253 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Here are four burning questions ahead of fight night.

Bellator 253 predictions: Who’s picking Darrion Caldwell to end A.J. McKee’s perfect run?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 253 main card in Connecticut.

	Caldwell vs. McKee	Henderson vs. Jackson	Davis vs. Lee
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 141-87	McKee (78%)	Henderson (72%)	Davis (84%)
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 156-72	McKee	Jackson	Davis
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 153-75	Caldwell	Henderson	Davis
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 152-76	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 150-78	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 148-80 2014 Champion	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 147-81 2019 Champion*	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 146-82	McKee	Henderson	Davis
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 143-85	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 143-85 2017 Champion	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 142-86 2018 Champion	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 142-86	McKee	Henderson	Davis
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 140-88	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 138-90	McKee	Henderson	Davis
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 86-142	Caldwell	Jackson	Lee

Bellator’s featherweight tournament continues this week with the first semifinal fight atop the bill.

Bellator 253 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network/DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former bantamweight champion [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) takes on the unbeaten [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) in the first semifinal fight of Bellator’s 145-pound grand prix. McKee is a -233 favorite at BetMGM; the comeback on Caldwell is +190. McKee has a big 12-2 lead in the picks from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, former UFC and WEC lightweight champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-9 MMA, 5-4 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at welterweight. Jackson is a -182 favorite, but it’s Henderson with a heavy 12-2 lead from our staff members.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) is a 4-1 favorite at welterweight against [autotag]Bobby Lee[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who is making his promotional debut. Only one of our pickers is taking Lee in an upset.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, McKee (78 percent), Henderson (72 percent) and Davis (84 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Bellator 253 faceoff video highlights with a featherweight tournament showdown

Following Bellator 253 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for traditional pre-fight staredowns.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator returns this week with the featherweight grand prix in the semifinal round.

Bellator 253 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network/DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Following Wednesday’s official Bellator 253 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight faceoffs.

Check out the faceoffs below, including tournament participants [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] and [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], as well as co-headlining welterweights [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag].

Bellator 253: Make your predictions for Darrion Caldwell vs. A.J. McKee

We want your predictions for Thursday’s Bellator 253 event in Connecticut.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 253 event staff predictions we release Wednesday ahead of the event. Bellator 253 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network/DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the three main card fights below.