Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes for Bellator MMA, currently competing in their

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight ...

division. He is a former

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

and WEC Lightweight Champion. As of November 22, 2022, he is #3 in the Bellator Lightweight Rankings.

Early life

Henderson was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

mother and an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

father. Benson has an older brother, Julius, who was born in Korea. He was raised in

Federal Way, Washington Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the tenth-largest city in Washington and the fifth-large ...

. When Henderson was approximately 9 years old, his mother, Song, insisted that he take

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

lessons with his brother. "She's Korean, I'm half-Korean, and it's the traditional Korean martial art, so she wanted us to do that to get a little bit of the culture and tradition," he says. Both Benson and his brother attained black belts in Tae Kwon Do. He attended Decatur High School from 1998 to 2001. Benson became a part of the high school's

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

team. After graduating from high school, he attended

Dana College Dana College was a private college in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre (607,000 m²) campus is approximately 26 miles (40 km) northwest of Omaha and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley. The campus was planned to be purchase ...

in Blair, Nebraska and graduated in 2006 with a double major in criminal justice and sociology. While attending Dana College, Henderson was on the

team, and was twice named an NAIA All-American.

Mixed martial arts career

Henderson turned professional in 2006, winning his first match against Dan Gregary. He lost his third fight to Rocky Johnson via technical submission. However, this defeat was a minor setback. He rebounded with four straight wins before facing his toughest fight yet, against a UFC veteran, Diego Saraiva. Henderson came prepared as he dominated Saraiva for three rounds, winning a unanimous decision and his 7th professional win.

World Extreme Cagefighting

WEC Lightweight Championship

Three months later, Henderson made his World Extreme Cagefighting debut on January 25, 2009, at

WEC 38 ''WEC 38: Varner vs. Cerrone'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 25, 2009. It aired live on the Versus Network. In the main event, WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner defended his title against undef ...

against

Anthony Njokuani Anthony Obinna Njokuani (born March 1, 1980) is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor since 2001, Njokuani has also formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, and ONE Championship. Background ...

. Henderson defeated Njokuani with a guillotine choke early in round two. Henderson faced

Shane Roller Shane Derrick Roller (born July 14, 1979) is a retired American mixed martial artist who is perhaps best known in his career for competing as a Lightweight for the UFC and WEC. Background Roller was born and raised in Bixby, Oklahoma along wit ...

on April 5, 2009, at

WEC 40 ''WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on April 5, 2009 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. The event aired live on the Versus Network. Background This was the first WEC event to ...

. Henderson won the bout via first-round TKO.

Interim WEC Lightweight Championship

Henderson was given an opportunity to fight for the Interim WEC Lightweight Championship against

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ultimat ...

when lightweight champion

Jamie Varner Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and t ...

was unable to defend his title due to an injury. The fight took place on October 10, 2009, at

WEC 43 ''WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 10, 2009 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Background The event was scheduled to take place on September 2, 2009 at the Covel ...

. Henderson won an exciting back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. Both Henderson and Cerrone were awarded with an additional purse of $20,000 for ''Fight of the Night''. The bout was also awarded ''2009 Fight of the Year'' for all of

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

by '' Sherdog.com''

Undisputed WEC Lightweight Championship

Henderson faced Jamie Varner to unify the WEC Lightweight Championship at WEC 46 on January 10, 2010. After being outboxed and outwrestled in the first two rounds, Henderson came back and caught Varner in a standing guillotine choke ending the fight at 2:41 of the third round. Henderson had his first title defense in a rematch with Donald Cerrone on April 24, 2010, at

WEC 48 '' UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber'', also referred to as ''WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. This was WEC's first ...

. defeating Cerrone via guillotine choke in the first round. The win earned him a ''Submission of the Night'' bonus award. Henderson faced

Anthony Pettis Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of th ...

on December 16, 2010, at

WEC 53 ''WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on December 16, 2010 at Jobing.com Arena in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. The event was the first time that Zuffa has h ...

. Henderson lost his title by unanimous decision. The fight won ''Fight of the Night'' honors.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010,

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

merged with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Henderson made his UFC debut at

UFC 129 ''UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the sixth that the UFC has hosted in ...

on April 30, 2011, where he faced

Mark Bocek Mark Andrew Bocek ( cs, Boček; born October 24, 1981) is a Canadian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor for ten years from 2004 to 2014, Bocek h ...

. Henderson won the fight via unanimous decision. Henderson next faced Jim Miller on August 14, 2011, at

UFC on Versus 5 ''UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle'' (also known as ''UFC on Versus 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 14, 2011, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event was the first that the UFC h ...

. Henderson dominated the streaking Miller throughout the fight, utilizing a stiff jab, great transitions, and vicious ground and pound throughout the match to snap Miller's 7 fight win streak, the third longest in the UFC at the time. Despite being threatened with multiple deep submission attempts, Henderson escaped each attempt and advanced position with increasingly brutal punches and elbows. He earned a unanimous decision (30-27, 29–28, 30–26). Henderson faced

Clay Guida Clayton Charles Guida (; born December 8, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently signed to the UFC competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Guida also formerly competed for Strikefo ...

on November 12, 2011, at

UFC on Fox 1 ''UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 1'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 12, 2011 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background This card marked the ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds in an action packed war that earned both fighters ''Fight of the Night'' honors. With the win, he became the #1 contender for the UFC Lightweight title.

UFC Lightweight Championship

Henderson faced

Frankie Edgar Frankie Edgar (born October 16, 1981) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning his career in the Lightweight division, ...

on February 26, 2012, at

UFC 144 ''UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Venue UFC 144 was held at the Saitama Super Arena in the ...

. Henderson defeated Edgar via unanimous decision to become the new

. Both participants earned ''Fight of the Night'' honors for their performance. A rematch with Edgar took place on August 11, 2012, at

UFC 150 ''UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 11, 2012, at the Pepsi Center now known as Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Background A fight between Dennis Hallman and ...

. In a bout that was very tightly contested, Henderson defeated Edgar again, this time via split decision. Henderson faced

Nate Diaz Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is currently a free agent. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought for over 15 year ...

on December 8, 2012, at

UFC on Fox 5 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Henderson punished Diaz with kicks, superior wrestling and ground and pound, Henderson knocked Diaz down twice with punches and was able to take his back on numerous occasions earning a unanimous decision victory. Henderson faced the final Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, and promotional newcomer

Gilbert Melendez Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwe ...

on April 20, 2013, at

UFC on Fox 7 The year 2013 is the 21st year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2013 started with ''UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping''. 2013 also saw the introduction of the wome ...

. Henderson won the fight by a closely contested split decision. After 3 consecutive wins to retain the title, Henderson tied

BJ Penn Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1. Penn was the first American G ...

with the highest number of title defenses as a lightweight.

Title loss and post title return

Henderson was expected to face

T. J. Grant T is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet. (For the same letterform in the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, see Te and Tau respectively). T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in lo ...

on August 31, 2013, at

UFC 164 ''UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 31, 2013, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Background The main event was expected to be a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between the c ...

. However, Grant was forced out of the bout with an injury, setting up a rematch with Anthony Pettis who defeated Henderson last time they fought via unanimous decision at the final WEC event,

. Pettis defeated Henderson via submission (armbar) in the first round. This is the second time Henderson lost his championship belt and title to Pettis. In his first post-title loss fight, Henderson faced

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, U ...

on January 25, 2014, in the main event at

UFC on Fox 10 ''UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 10'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 25, 2014, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background The event was headlined by a lightweight bout between former w ...

. Henderson defeated Thomson via split decision. He nearly became the first man to submit Thomson when he caught Thomson in a standing arm-triangle choke. Many media outlets and observers were split on who they thought should have been declared the winner. Thomson had one more takedown (5 to 4) and was able to secure Henderson's back on multiple occasions, while Henderson was able to significantly outstrike Thomson (114 to 33) over the duration of the bout and was credited with the bout's only submission attempt. Henderson faced

Rustam Khabilov Rustam Khabilov (born 4 November 1986) is a Russian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. He is a Combat Sambo World Champion and a former member of the Legion Sport Club fight team in Rostov-on- ...

on June 7, 2014, in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round. The win also earned Henderson his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Henderson headlined

UFC Fight Night 49 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 49'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 23, 2014, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Background The event was headlined by Lightweight contenders Benson ...

against

Rafael dos Anjos Rafael Souza dos Anjos (; born October 26, 1984) is a Brazilian American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Light ...

on August 23, 2014. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Henderson was scheduled to fight

Eddie Alvarez Edward "Eddie" Alvarez (born January 11, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight (170 lb) division of ONE Championship. He also formerly competed in the UFC and Bellator MMA, winning world titles ...

on January 18, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 59 ''UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 59'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 18, 2015, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between ...

. However, Alvarez pulled out of the fight in early January due to illness, and was replaced by Donald Cerrone in a rematch. Henderson lost the fight via a controversial unanimous decision. 12 of 14 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Henderson.

Switching weight classes

Henderson decided to make the move up to welterweight after a spot became available at

UFC Fight Night 60 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 60'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 14, 2015, at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Background The event was the third that the UFC has hosted a ...

with

Brandon Thatch Brandon Michael Mathew Thatch (born July 11, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Thatch was adopted at age five by his m ...

on February 14, 2015, in the event headliner at

, where he replaced an injured Stephen Thompson. Henderson won the back and forth fight via submission in the fourth round. Their performance earned both participants ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Henderson was expected to face

Bobby Green Bobby Green (born September 9, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2008, Green is the former King ...

in his second Welterweight bout, but Bobby Green pulled out due to injury, so Henderson faced

Jorge Masvidal Jorge Masvidal (born November 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Masvidal has been competing professionally since 2003; h ...

on April 4, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 63 ''UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 63'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 4, 2015, at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Background The event was the third that the organization hosted at the ...

. A bout with Michael Johnson was initially linked as the event headliner for The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale on July 12, 2015. Although never officially announced by the UFC, the bout between Henderson and Johnson will not take place at this event. Subsequently, Henderson revealed his intentions to return, at least temporarily, to the welterweight division and targeted a return date of November 2015 and a possible appearance on the UFC's inaugural event in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Henderson was expected to face Thiago Alves on November 28, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 79 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 79'') was a mixed martial arts event held on November 28, 2015, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea. Background The event was the first that the organizati ...

. However, on November 14, 2015, Alves pulled out the bout citing injury and was replaced by

. Henderson won the back-and-forth fight via split decision.

Bellator MMA

On February 1, 2016, Henderson announced that he had signed with Bellator MMA. In his debut, he faced

Andrey Koreshkov Andrey Andreevich Koreshkov ( Russian: Андрей Андреевич Корешков, born August 23, 1990) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. He is the former Bellator Welte ...

on April 22, 2016, at

Bellator 153 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickbox ...

for the Bellator Welterweight Championship. Henderson lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Title contention and title shot

For his second fight with the promotion, Henderson made his return to the lightweight division to fight

Patrício Pitbull Patrício Freire (born July 7, 1987, in Natal, Brazil), known professionally by his ring name Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA where he is the current three-time Bellator Featherweight ...

in the main event at Bellator 160 on August 26, 2016. The bout ended in anticlimactic fashion as Pitbull stopped himself early in round two to declare he had sustained a leg injury. As a result, Henderson was awarded a TKO victory due to injury and earned a title shot against

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained n ...

. It was revealed post-fight that Freire had broken his shin in the first round after Henderson checked a low kick with his knee. On August 31, 2016, it was announced that Henderson would challenge

for the Bellator Lightweight Championship on November 19, 2016, at Bellator 165. Henderson lost the back-and-forth bout via split decision.

Post-title shot reign

Henderson faced

Patricky Pitbull Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division, where he is a former Bellator Lightweight World Champio ...

at Bellator 183 on September 23, 2017. He lost the fight via split decision. Henderson faced returning Bellator veteran

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Ch ...

in the main event at Bellator 196 on April 6, 2018. He won the fight via submission in the second round. Henderson faced

Saad Awad Saad Awad ( ar, سعد عوض , born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist competing in Bellator's lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Awad has formerly competed for Strikeforce and King of the Cage. Backg ...

at Bellator 208 on October 13, 2018. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In November 2018, Bellator officials revealed that Henderson had signed a new exclusive, long-term contract with Bellator. Henderson next faced

Adam Piccolotti Adam Piccolotti (born August 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division. Background Born and raised in Half Moon Bay, California, Piccolotti competed in wrestling, baseball, and track a ...

at Bellator 220 on April 27, 2019. He won the fight via split decision. 8 out of 9 media scores gave it to Piccolotti. Henderson faced Bellator newcomer

Myles Jury Myles Madison Jury (born October 31, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently signed with Bellator MMA, competing in the Lightweight division. He is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Background Jury was born in Hazel Park ...

in the headliner of Bellator 227 on September 27, 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision. On October 25, 2019, it was announced that Henderson would next rematch

at Bellator & Rizin: Japan on December 29, 2019. However, Henderson was forced to withdraw from the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Sidney Outlaw. The rematch was rescheduled to take place at Bellator 244 on June 6, 2020. However, the event was postponed due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic. The rematch eventually took place on August 7, 2020, at Bellator 243. Henderson lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Henderson then moved up to Welterweight to face

Jason Jackson Jason Jackson (born May 12, 1972) is an American sportscaster and writer. He worked for ESPN from 1995 until 2002 for sending inappropriate messages to a female co-worker. best known as the host of ''NBA 2Night''. Jason is currently the TV Host/C ...

on November 28, 2020 at Bellator 253. Jackson controlled a majority of the fight, winning via unanimous decision in an upset victory. Henderson faced

Brent Primus Brent Primus (born April 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing for Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Lightweight World Champion. As of November 1, 2022, he is #6 in the Bellator Lightweight Rankings. Bac ...

on October 16, 2021, at

Bellator 268 Bellator 268: Nemkov vs. Anglickas (also known as ''Bellator Phoenix'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on October 16, 2021, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The ev ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Henderson faced Islam Mamedov on January 29, 2022, at

Bellator 273 Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, it took place on January 29, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Background A winner in eight of his last 11 bouts, Bader will be making ...

. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision, ending a three-fight losing streak in what was his last fight on his prevailing contract. On March 23, 2022, it was announced that Henderson had signed a new multi-fight contract with Bellator. Henderson faced

Peter Queally Peter Queally (born February 19, 1989) is an Irish mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has also competed for Extreme Fighting Championship, BAMMA, Cage Warriors ...

on September 23, 2022 at

Bellator 285 ''Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, that took place on 23 September 2022 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background Bellator returned to Dublin for the second time in 2022, fea ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Henderson is a Christian and often refers to his faith in post-fight interviews. He has three sons and a daughter – Kyong, Kub and Koah – with his wife, Maria. Henderson proposed to his fiancée in the Octagon after his win over Gilbert Melendez at

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

UFC Lightweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

(One time; former) *** Three successful title defenses **Tied with B.J. Penn,

and

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov av, ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultima ...

for the most consecutive Lightweight title defenses in UFC history - (3) **Unified the UFC Lightweight and Strikeforce Lightweight Championships ** Fight of the Night (Three times) **

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) *

WEC Lightweight Championship This is a list of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champions at each weight class. In December 2006 World Extreme Cagefighting was bought by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, to concentrate on the four smaller weight classes under th ...

(One time; former) *** One successful title defense **Interim

(One time; former) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) ** Submission of the Night (One time) *

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

**2012 Fighter of the Year **2012 Fight of the Year vs. Frankie Edgar at

**2015 Best Fight of the Half-Year vs. Brandon Thatch *

Inside MMA ''Inside MMA'' was a live mixed martial arts news magazine, which aired on AXS TV, immediately following the network's live AXS TV Fights broadcasts. Hosted by Mauro Ranallo and UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten, the series provided an in-depth lo ...

**2012 Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award *MMAWeekly.com **2012 Fighter of the Year *FightMatrix.com **2012 Fighter of the Year *MMAFighting.com **2010 Fight of the Year vs. Anthony Pettis on December 16 **2009 Fight of the Year vs. Donald Cerrone on October 10 *

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

**2010 Fight of the Year vs. Anthony Pettis on December 16 *

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

**2009 Fight of the Year vs. Donald Cerrone on October 10 *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

** 2012 Fighter of the Year ** 2009 Fight of the Year vs. Donald Cerrone on October 10

Submission grappling

International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Ji ...

**2011 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship Brown Belt Bronze Medalist **2014 World Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship Black Belt Bronze Medalisthttp://static.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/000313/en-US/Results.pdf *Arizona State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation **AZSBJJF MVP of the Year (2010) **Arizona State Championship Brown Belt Middleweight Gold Medalist (Two times) **Arizona State Championship Purple Belt Middleweight Gold Medalist (Two times) **Arizona State Championship Openweight Gold Medalist (Three times)

Amateur wrestling

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

** NAIA All-American (2005, 2006) *

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) is the governing body of athletics and activities for secondary education schools in the state of Washington. As of February 2011, the private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization consists ...

** WIAA 4A High School State Championship Runner-up (2001) ** WIAA 4A All-State (2001)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 30–11 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 29–11 , Islam Mamedov , Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–11 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–10 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 253 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ea ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–9 ,

, KO (punches) , Bellator 243 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 227 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 27–8 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 220 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 208 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 United States Census. Uniondale is home to Hofstra University's nort ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–8 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 196 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–8 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 183 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–7 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 165 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–6 ,

, TKO (leg injury) , Bellator 160 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:26 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 22–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populati ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–4 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:16 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–3 ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Jim Miller , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Glendale, Arizona, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , WEC 46 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:42 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Diego Saraiva , Decision (unanimous) , Evolution MMA , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

Ricardo Tirloni Ricardo Tirloni (born February 3, 1983) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Tirloni has fought in various promotions, including Bellator, the MFC, and Pancrase ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , MFC 17: Hostile Takeover , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Mike Maestas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 16: Anger Management , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:11 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Bryan Corley , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Victory FC 21: Infamous , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , David Dagloria , TKO (submission to punches) , Ultimate Combat Experience: Round 26: Episode 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Rocky Johnson , Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , Battlequest 5: Avalanche , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,

Vail, Colorado Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the num ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Allen Williams , TKO (punches) , Victory FC 18: Hitmen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Dan Gregary , TKO (submission to punches) , Midwest Championship Fighting: Genesis , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:21 ,

North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. T ...

, United States ,

Pay-per-view bouts

References

External links

* * * *
Ben Henderson Quotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Ben African-American mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists American sportspeople of Korean descent American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male taekwondo practitioners American submission wrestlers American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Mixed martial artists from Colorado Mixed martial artists from Washington (state) Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship champions World Extreme Cagefighting champions 1983 births Living people People from Federal Way, Washington Sportspeople from Phoenix, Arizona Dana College alumni American Christians Bellator male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people

Early life

Mixed martial arts career

World Extreme Cagefighting

WEC Lightweight Championship

Interim WEC Lightweight Championship

Undisputed WEC Lightweight Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC Lightweight Championship

Title loss and post title return

Switching weight classes

Bellator MMA

Title contention and title shot

Post-title shot reign

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Submission grappling

Amateur wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

Pay-per-view bouts

See also

References

External links