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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, who most recently competed in the

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

division for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. He is considered one of the greatest lightweight MMA fighters of all time and is tied with B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, and

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was the longest-rei ...

for the second-most UFC lightweight title defenses.

Early life

Henderson was born in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

to a Korean mother and an

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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 and part of the Seattle metropolitan area. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Feder ...

. When Henderson was approximately 9 years old, his mother, Song, insisted that he take Tae Kwon Do 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 martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

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, Nebraska, Omaha and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley. It closed in 2010. T ...

Blair, Nebraska Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, Omaha-Council Bluffs Me ...

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 against Anthony Njokuani. Henderson defeated Njokuani with a guillotine choke early in round two. Henderson faced Shane Roller on April 5, 2009, at WEC 40. 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 when lightweight champion Jamie Varner was unable to defend his title due to an injury. The fight took place on October 10, 2009, at WEC 43. 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) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

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. defeating Cerrone via guillotine choke in the first round. The win earned him a ''Submission of the Night'' bonus award. Henderson faced Anthony Pettis on December 16, 2010, at WEC 53. 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 (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

merged with the

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

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Henderson made his UFC debut at UFC 129 on April 30, 2011, where he faced Mark Bocek. Henderson won the fight via unanimous decision. Henderson next faced Jim Miller on August 14, 2011, at UFC on Versus 5. 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 on November 12, 2011, at UFC on Fox 1. 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 on February 26, 2012, at UFC 144. Henderson defeated Edgar via unanimous decision to become the new UFC Lightweight Champion. 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 Ball Arena, Pepsi Center now known as Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Background A fight between Dennis Hal ...

. In a bout that was very tightly contested, Henderson defeated Edgar again, this time via split decision. Henderson faced Nate Diaz on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5. 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 on April 20, 2013, at

UFC on Fox 7 The year 2013 was 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 wom ...

. Henderson won the fight by a closely contested split decision. After 3 consecutive wins to retain the title, Henderson tied B.J. Penn with the highest number of title defenses as a lightweight.

Title loss and post title return

Henderson was expected to face T. J. Grant on August 31, 2013, at UFC 164. 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, WEC 53. 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 on January 25, 2014, in the main event at UFC on Fox 10. 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 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 against Rafael dos Anjos on August 23, 2014. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Henderson was scheduled to fight Eddie Alvarez on January 18, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 59. 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 with Brandon Thatch on February 14, 2015, in the event headliner at UFC Fight Night 60, where he replaced an injured Stephen Thompson. Henderson won the back and forth fight via submission in the fourth round. 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 Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. Henderson was expected to face Thiago Alves on November 28, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 79. However, on November 14, 2015, Alves pulled out the bout citing injury and was replaced by Jorge Masvidal. Henderson won the back-and-forth fight via split decision.

Bellator MMA

On February 1, 2016, Henderson announced that he had signed with

. In his debut, he faced Andrey Koreshkov on April 22, 2016, at Bellator 153 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 Andre de Sousa Freire (born July 7, 1987), known professionally as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

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. 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 Michael Chandler 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 at Bellator 183 on September 23, 2017. He lost the fight via split decision. Henderson faced returning Bellator veteran Roger Huerta 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 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 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 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 Michael Chandler 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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

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 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 on October 16, 2021, at Bellator 268. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Henderson faced Islam Mamedov on January 29, 2022, at Bellator 273. 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 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, feat ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Lightweight Grand Prix

Being announced as one of the participants of the $1 million Lightweight Grand Prix, in the quarterfinals, Henderson faced reigning champion Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship on March 10, 2023, at Bellator 292. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round, and subsequently announced his retirement during the post-fight interview.

Global Fight League

On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Henderson was signed by Global Fight League. Henderson was scheduled to face Anthony Pettis in the inaugural Global Fight League event on May 24, 2025 at GFL 1. However, all GFL events were postponed indefinitely.

Professional grappling career

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. He then faced Demian Maia in the main event of

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris (Latinisation of names, Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an ...

20 on June 25, 2022, losing the match by unanimous decision. Henderson entered the ADCC Arizona Open on August 5, 2023, and went 3–1 in the 83 kg division. Henderson competed in a welterweight no gi match against Neiman Gracie as the main event of ADXC 1 on October 20, 2023. He lost the match by submission.

Boxing career

Stake Pro Tournament

On August 20, 2024 it was announced that Henderson would make his professional boxing debut in a tournament hosted by Stake on MF & DAZN: X Series 18 – Stake Pro Tournament Card on September 14 at the Vertu Motors Arena in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, England. His first opponent in the semifinals was American

Chris Avila with English

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

Idris Virgo vs English

influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

Fes Batista in the other bracket. Henderson defeated Avila by unanimous decision and advanced to the finals, where he faced Idris Virgo in the co-main event. Henderson was defeated by Virgo by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Henderson is a Christian and often refers to his faith in post-fight interviews. He is also a teetotaler, having never consumed alcohol or drugs in his life. Henderson has three sons and a daughter 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 (One time; former) *** Three successful title defenses **Tied ( B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar and

) for the second most consecutive Lightweight title defenses in UFC history (3) ** Generic_belt_icon

Unified the UFC Lightweight and Strikeforce Lightweight Championships ** Fight of the Night (Three times) ** Performance of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2011: Ranked #2 Import of the Year, Ranked #5 Fighter of the Year & Ranked #3 Fight of the Year ***2012: Fighter of the Year & Ranked #4 Fight of the Year *

WEC Lightweight Championship (One time; former) *** One successful title defense ** Generic_belt_icon

Interim WEC Lightweight Championship (One time; former) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) ** Submission of the Night (One time) *

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

**2012 Fighter of the Year **2012 Fight of the Year vs. Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 **2015 Best Fight of the Half-Year vs. Brandon Thatch * Inside MMA **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'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

**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 a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

**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 **2011 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship Brown Belt Bronze Medalist **2014 World Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship Black Belt Bronze Medalist *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 higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

** NAIA

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

(2005, 2006) * Washington Interscholastic Activities Association ** WIAA 4A High School State Championship Runner-up (2001) ** WIAA 4A All-State (2001)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 30–12 , Usman Nurmagomedov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 292 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 ,

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, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 29–11 , Islam Mamedov , Decision (split) , Bellator 273 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–11 , Brent Primus , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 268 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–9 , Michael Chandler , KO (punches) , Bellator 243 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–8 , Myles Jury , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 227 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 27–8 , Adam Piccolotti , Decision (split) , Bellator 220 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–8 , Saad Awad , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 208 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–8 , Roger Huerta , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 196 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, Hungary , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–8 , Patricky Pitbull , Decision (split) , Bellator 183 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–7 , Michael Chandler , 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, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–6 , Andrey Koreshkov , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 153 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5 , Jorge Masvidal , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 22–5 , Brandon Thatch , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:58 ,

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

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–4 , Rafael dos Anjos , KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–3 , Rustam Khabilov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:16 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , Josh Thomson , Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–3 , Anthony Pettis , Submission (armbar) , UFC 164 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 , Gilbert Melendez , Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 , Nate Diaz , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Frankie Edgar , Decision (split) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Frankie Edgar , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 144 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Clay Guida , 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 , Mark Bocek , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 129 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 , Anthony Pettis , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 53 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Donald Cerrone , Submission (guillotine choke) , WEC 48 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Jamie Varner , Submission (guillotine choke) , WEC 46 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Donald Cerrone , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 43 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Shane Roller , TKO (punches) , WEC 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Anthony Njokuani , Submission (guillotine choke) , WEC 38 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:42 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Ricardo Tirloni , Submission (guillotine choke) , MFC 17 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

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

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Bryan Corley , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Victory FC 21 , , 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 population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, 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, 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 United States Census ...

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

Vail, Colorado Vail is a Home rule in the United States, home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, 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 ...

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

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

Karate Combat record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Anthony Pettis , Decision (unanimous) , Karate Combat 43 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , align=left,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States ,

Boxing record

Pay-per-view bouts

References

External links

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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 Sportspeople from Federal Way, Washington Martial artists from Phoenix, Arizona Dana College alumni American Christians Bellator male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen