Benson Henderson plans move to 170
Benson Henderson plans to move to welterweight after one more fight at lightweight, as the odds of his getting a third fight with Anthony Pettis are long.
Former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson faces some hard math.
The fighter plans to retire at 33, giving him just two more years in the cage. Anthony Pettis is the current lightweight champion, and holds two wins over him, making a third fight likely only in the face of some extraordinary wins. Henderson is coming off a KO loss to Rafael dos Anjos, making a title shot that much farther away.
So he plans to move up, to welterweight. Henderson’s coach, the MMA Lab’s John Crouch, made the announcement to Ariel Helwani on UFC Tonight. However, Henderson plans one more fight at lightweight before moving up, as he doesn’t want to go out on a loss.
And Crouch offered one more incentive for the move.
“He would like to see what it feels like to not cut weight,” said the coach. “The weight cut is irritating for him.”
