Benson Henderson was born on November 16,1983 and is an American former professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Lightweight division for Bellator MMA.
60 Facts About Benson Henderson
2.
Benson Henderson is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion.
3.
Benson Henderson has an older brother, Julius, who was born in Korea.
4.
When Benson Henderson was approximately 9 years old, his mother, Song, insisted that he take Tae Kwon Do lessons with his brother.
5.
Benson Henderson attended Decatur High School from 1998 to 2001.
6.
Benson Henderson became a part of the high school's wrestling team.
7.
Benson Henderson turned professional in 2006, winning his first match against Dan Gregary.
8.
Benson Henderson lost his third fight to Rocky Johnson via technical submission.
9.
Benson Henderson rebounded with four straight wins before facing his toughest fight yet, against a UFC veteran, Diego Saraiva.
10.
Benson Henderson came prepared as he dominated Saraiva for three rounds, winning a unanimous decision and his 7th professional win.
11.
Three months later, Benson Henderson made his World Extreme Cagefighting debut on January 25,2009, at WEC 38 against Anthony Njokuani.
12.
Benson Henderson defeated Njokuani with a guillotine choke early in round two.
13.
Benson Henderson faced Shane Roller on April 5,2009, at WEC 40.
14.
Benson Henderson was given an opportunity to fight for the Interim WEC Lightweight Championship against Donald Cerrone when lightweight champion Jamie Varner was unable to defend his title due to an injury.
15.
Benson Henderson faced Jamie Varner to unify the WEC Lightweight Championship at WEC 46 on January 10,2010.
16.
Benson Henderson had his first title defense in a rematch with Donald Cerrone on April 24,2010, at WEC 48.
17.
Benson Henderson faced Anthony Pettis on December 16,2010, at WEC 53.
18.
Benson Henderson made his UFC debut at UFC 129 on April 30,2011, where he faced Mark Bocek.
19.
Benson Henderson next faced Jim Miller on August 14,2011, at UFC on Versus 5.
20.
Benson 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.
21.
Benson Henderson faced Clay Guida on November 12,2011, at UFC on Fox 1.
22.
Benson Henderson won the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds in an action packed war that earned both fighters Fight of the Night honors.
23.
Benson Henderson faced Frankie Edgar on February 26,2012, at UFC 144.
24.
Benson Henderson defeated Edgar via unanimous decision to become the new UFC Lightweight Champion.
25.
Benson Henderson faced Nate Diaz on December 8,2012, at UFC on Fox 5.
26.
Benson Henderson punished Diaz with kicks, superior wrestling and ground and pound, Benson Henderson knocked Diaz down twice with punches and was able to take his back on numerous occasions earning a unanimous decision victory.
27.
Benson Henderson faced the final Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, and promotional newcomer Gilbert Melendez on April 20,2013, at UFC on Fox 7.
28.
Benson Henderson won the fight by a closely contested split decision.
29.
Benson Henderson nearly became the first man to submit Thomson when he caught Thomson in a standing arm-triangle choke.
30.
Benson Henderson faced Rustam Khabilov on June 7,2014, in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Benson Henderson vs Khabilov.
31.
Benson Henderson won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round.
32.
Benson Henderson headlined UFC Fight Night 49 against Rafael dos Anjos on August 23,2014.
33.
Benson Henderson lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
34.
Benson Henderson was scheduled to fight Eddie Alvarez on January 18,2015, at UFC Fight Night 59.
35.
Benson Henderson decided to make the move up to welterweight after a spot became available at UFC Fight Night 60 with Brandon Thatch on February 14,2015, in the event headliner at UFC Fight Night 60, where he replaced an injured Stephen Thompson.
36.
Benson Henderson won the back and forth fight via submission in the fourth round.
37.
Benson Henderson was expected to face Bobby Green in his second Welterweight bout, but Bobby Green pulled out due to injury, so Benson Henderson faced Jorge Masvidal on April 4,2015, at UFC Fight Night 63.
38.
Subsequently, Benson 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.
39.
Benson Henderson was expected to face Thiago Alves on November 28,2015, at UFC Fight Night 79.
40.
On February 1,2016, Benson Henderson announced that he had signed with Bellator MMA.
41.
Benson Henderson faced Patricky Pitbull at Bellator 183 on September 23,2017.
42.
Benson Henderson faced returning Bellator veteran Roger Huerta in the main event at Bellator 196 on April 6,2018.
43.
Benson Henderson won the fight via submission in the second round.
44.
Benson Henderson faced Saad Awad at Bellator 208 on October 13,2018.
45.
In November 2018, Bellator officials revealed that Benson Henderson had signed a new exclusive, long-term contract with Bellator.
46.
Benson Henderson next faced Adam Piccolotti at Bellator 220 on April 27,2019.
47.
Benson Henderson faced Bellator newcomer Myles Jury in the headliner of Bellator 227 on September 27,2019.
48.
However, Benson Henderson was forced to withdraw from the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Sidney Outlaw.
49.
Benson Henderson lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
50.
Benson Henderson then moved up to Welterweight to face Jason Jackson on November 28,2020 at Bellator 253.
51.
Benson Henderson faced Brent Primus on October 16,2021, at Bellator 268.
52.
Benson Henderson faced Islam Mamedov on January 29,2022, at Bellator 273.
53.
Benson Henderson 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.
54.
On March 23,2022, it was announced that Benson Henderson had signed a new multi-fight contract with Bellator.
55.
Benson Henderson faced Peter Queally on September 23,2022 at Bellator 285.
56.
Benson Henderson lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round, and subsequently announced his retirement during the post-fight interview.
57.
Benson Henderson competed against fellow MMA veteran Ben Saunders in a superfight at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 1 on December 16,2021 and won the match by unanimous decision.
58.
Benson Henderson then faced Demian Maia in the main event of Polaris 20 on June 25,2022, losing the match by unanimous decision.
59.
Benson Henderson is a Christian and often refers to his faith in post-fight interviews.
60.
Benson Henderson proposed to his fiancee in the Octagon after his win over Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7.