14-Fight UFC Veteran Benson Henderson Jumps Ship for Bellator

The MMA free-agency game has officially changed with the announcement that former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is joining Bellator MMA. Henderson officially broke the news on his personal website Monday morning.

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

"I'd like to officially announce my move over to Bellator MMA," he said in a statement. "I'm beyond excited for this next phase of my career, it's a big move, like any move when switching employers or jobs after having worked somewhere for such a long time."

While Bellator has scooped up other UFC fighters in the past, most notably light heavyweight contender Phil Davis and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, Henderson is the first elite-level, championship-caliber talent to leave the UFC behind. He is riding a two-fight winning streak at 170 pounds, with victories over Brandon Thatch and Jorge Masvidal. Not only that, but his recent losses to Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos both generated controversy.

Bellator is in need of new blood at both 155 and 170 pounds, and Henderson could easily challenge Will Brooks or Andrey Koreshkov for either division's title. Past the divisional champions, there are numerous other interesting opponents for "Smooth" in Bellator including Michael Chandler, Douglas Lima, Marcin Held and Paul Daley. 

Henderson wasn't the only big-name free agent on the market, though. Former Strikeforce champions Sarah Kaufman and Alistair Overeem, as well as fast-rising bantamweight Aljamain Sterling, are all looking for homes right now and could be Bellator-bound. Bellator President Scott Coker teased that the departure of Henderson, who he labeled as the promotion's "No. 1 target," is just the first taste of a new chapter for the sport.

"I think this is just the tip of the iceberg," said Coker to MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "Fighters are fighting out their contacts. They want to negotiate. They really want to see what their value is. We're going to help them to define what their value is. It's always good for the industry to have more than one bidder." 

Despite the move, Henderson had nothing negative to say about the UFC. "I'd be remiss to not thank Dana White and Lorenzo Fertita (sic) for the opportunities they presented me," he said. "You guys have helped me change my life for the better and to be able to provide my family with the things I didn't have while growing up."

While there are no concrete details regarding Henderson's future quite yet, Coker indicated that Henderson will likely compete as a welterweight and get a shot at Koreshkov's title if he wants it. Also, despite not attaching a specific date, Coker indicated Henderson's debut could be "in the next two months." 

Very interesting times indeed...