Former UFC champ Henderson signs with Bellator
Benson Henderson is no longer on the market.
The former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champ has agreed to terms on a deal with Bellator MMA, the organization announced Monday.
Henderson posted a statement on his website.
"I'm beyond excited for this next phase of my career. It's a big move, like any move when switching employers or jobs after having worked somewhere for such a long time. I have to thank the Big Man upstairs for putting some amazing people in my life, my wife (first and foremost) and a lot of truly smart and insightful people behind the scenes who helped make the connections and negotiated this deal to bring it to fruition," he wrote. "I'd be remiss to not thank (UFC president) Dana White and (UFC CEO) Lorenzo Fertita for the opportunities they presented me, you guys have helped me change my life for the better and to be able to provide my family with the things I didn't have while growing up. For that I'll always have the utmost appreciation. Thanks for all the (advice) you guys gave too, both business wise and personal."
Henderson, 32, won his last two fights in the UFC and fulfilled his contract with a split decision victory over Jorge Masvidal in November. He took the UFC lightweight title from Frankie Edgar in February 2012 and successfully defended it three times before losing it to Anthony Pettis in August 2013.
Henderson went 2-2 over his next four fights before moving up to welterweight in 2015 for the final two fights of his UFC stint.
"Benson is a tremendous athlete who puts forth an exciting effort each and every time he steps into the cage," Bellator president Scott Coker said in a news release. "Whether he chooses to fight at lightweight or welterweight, he's without question a great addition to this promotion, and brings countless amazing matchups to the table. We're looking forward to having him put on a show for the great Bellator MMA fans that tune into Spike. We plan on announcing his Bellator debut in the very near future."
No announcement was made as to the terms of the deal or a timetable for his debut.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj
