FORMER UFC lightweight champion Benson ‘Smooth’ Henderson will make his lightweight debut for Bellator in Anaheim, California on Friday night looking to steady the ship after a tricky start to his Bellator career.
Henderson takes on heavy-handed Brazilian Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire at 155lbs looking to bounce back following his decision loss to welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 153 back in April.
And while Henderson admitted “I got my butt kicked” by the 19-1 Russian, he said he’d have no hesitation in returning to 170lbs and stepping into the Bellator cage with Koreshkov again.
“I’m definitely open to returning to welterweight at some point down the road,” he said.
“Whether you’re in international soccer player, a baseball pitcher, or a quarterback in the NFL, as an athlete, you have to have that unshakable confidence in yourself and your skill-set.
“I’m as confident as any fighter on the planet.
“I got my butt kicked in my last fight but if you were to sign me up for a rematch against Andrey at welterweight tomorrow, it’s no problem. Let’s do it.
“I have the ultimate confidence in myself so I’m definitely down for fighting again at 170.”
Henderson was one of Bellator’s highest-profile acquisitions following president Scott Coker’s arrival with the promotion, and ‘Bendo’ says he’s there to deliver the sort of big fights the fans love to see.
“Bellator definitely signed me for big fights,” he said.
“That’s the reason they signed me. They signed me to have big fights and do big things. That’s what I’m going to do while I’m here. I’m going to take all of the big fights I can get.
“I’ve always been an active fighter. I have a very short window of opportunity in which I can build my career.
“I can only do it for so many years. I want to take the most advantage of the years that I have by staying busy and staying active.”
And the next big fight comes on Friday night in Anaheim where he takes on ‘Pitbull’ in a lightweight title eliminator.
“I was a little bit surprised when I heard Patricio Pitbull offered as an opponent. But like I said, I know Bellator signed me for big fights,” he said.
“I knew Bellator was trying to think of somebody for me to fight so they approached Patricio and he was a little hesitant at first.
“Then he came around to the idea when he found out that the winner would get a title shot against (lightweight champion Michael) Chandler.
“His brother just lost to Chandler so he wants to avenge that loss. I think he was a little bit leery at first but that’s what ultimately convinced him to take this fight.
“Patricio is definitely a tough guy. He’s a veteran and he brings that championship experience to the table.
“He has a lot of power in his hands but most of that power is at 145 pounds. I’m interested to see how well it carries over at 155.
“I’m not sure that he’ll have the same knockout power at 155 that he had at 145, but who knows? We’ll see. But it’s definitely something I have to be aware of.”
And despite the safety concerns of others, Henderson admitted he’ll continue to fight while sucking on his trademark toothpick infamous Henderson toothpick.
“I did bring the toothpick to my last fight,” he admitted.
“I had it in against Andrey Koreshkov. Sometimes I’ll forget about it and I’ll pop it out, just absentmindedly. I think against Andrey, I did not pop it out.
“If I remember correctly, I think I did have it in, yeah.”
Benson Henderson faces Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire at Bellator 160 in Anaheim, California.
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