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Former UFC and WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson faces Bellator Lightweight Champion Usman Nurmagomedov tomorrow night in the main event of Bellator 292, with this fight also being an opening round contest in the Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix.
Henderson plans on winning the lightweight grand prix and then retiring so he can focus on his wife’s MMA career going forward.
“She put off her career, like a lot of wives do,” Henderson told reporters at media day (transcript via Nolan King & Matt Erickson on MMA Junkie). “It’s International Women’s Day today, so shoutout to all the women out there, internationally, everywhere. They put up with a lot of stuff from us guys. My wife put off her career so I could shine and do what I do. It’s worked out pretty well for us. Now, it’s going to be my turn to step back and pick the kids up from school, drop them off at soccer practice, take them to chess practice and let her practice.
“… At the end of these (three) fights, I’m done. I think for everyone at retirement age and athletes who are going to retire, you always have that play-one-more Tom Brady, ‘Can you play one more? Can you not play one more?’ I still feel good. I still feel fast. I still feel I’m competitive. For me, it wouldn’t just be feeling competitive, like I can compete and hang with the best guys in the world and this and that. It’s mostly more about giving my wife her turn.”
If Henderson does win tomorrow night, he would accomplish the rare feat of holding titles in the UFC, WEC and Bellator.
The fighter says that winning the lightweight grand prix would mean everything to him.
“I think winning this grand prix will be pretty amazing. I have done a lot of work,” Henderson said. “The decisions I’ve made in my career going this path, the path of least resistance or the more comfortable paths, or the more steady path you go or which path you choose, all the decisions I’ve made, winning this grand prix, winning this lightweight belt, the third belt of mine, the Bellator lightweight title, it means everything. It means absolutely everything to me.”
