Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson has always been about proving himself in the cage.
He’s shown just that during his workmanlike path to both the WEC and UFC lightweight titles. Throughout those elite runs, Henderson fought a whos-who of elite-level competition. His list of decorated opponents includes Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis, Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, and Donald Cerrone.
‘Smooth’ exited the UFC following a split decision win over the surging Masvidal in 2015. The win has aged like an expensive fine wine in hindsight. Afterward, he signed with Bellator MMA for a multitude of reasons.
Yet while his UFC prime was borderline dominant, his start in Bellator wasn’t as smooth. Henderson lost three of his first four fights at his new home, all by decision.
Bouncing Back
Henderson rebounded with two wins over Roger Huerta and Saad Awad in 2018. He’s now set to take on Adam Piccolotti at Saturday’s Bellator 220 from the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. But like every Henderson fight, you won’t be hearing a bunch of trash talk coming out of his mouth.
Contrary to the smack talk-focused climate in the UFC, he told MMA Fighting he’s glad he doesn’t have to deal with that aspect of fighting anymore:
“I thank the Lord I don’t have to deal with that part of the job. And I never really dealt with it in the first place, I wasn’t one of those guys that was like, ‘Aw, I gotta deal with this.’ But whatever, it’s like water off a duck’s back. It’s no big deal.
“But man, when you’re on a six-fight, seven-fight win streak and you can’t get a title shot call, or it just doesn’t go your way. There’s a bunch of stuff, but it’s just like the politics of it, you’re not known for what you do inside the cage. You’re more known for what you do outside the cage. That very much irks me, because I’m pretty boring outside the cage.”
‘Smooth’ Won’t Sell Out
One could argue being ‘exciting’ outside of the cage with an engaging social media presence is necessary for top fighters to break through in terms of scope of attention. It’s not for everyone, however, and many fighters prefer to let their fists and feet do the talking. Henderson is obviously among those, and he won’t compromise his values for popularity:
“I’m a blue collar, I go to work, I bust my ass in the gym, but I’m not somebody who’s going to say something outlandish just for the sake of getting a few more Twitter followers or I’m not gonna pose naked for more Instagram followers. I’m not one of those guys that says something stupid just for the sake of getting more attention.”
Becoming Someone You’re Not
Henderson expounded on the expectations heaped upon today’s UFC fighters. He hinted that perhaps one certain (who remained unnamed) fighter changed the game with his over-the-top appearances in press conferences. It’s led to young, up-and-coming fighters feeling they have to go an inauthentic route.
To ‘Smooth,’ that’s unfortunately the road UFC fighters must travel to be successful these days:
“I think in the UFC that’s exactly the route you have to go. You have to say something incredibly stupid, you have to wear sunglasses inside to get the attention,” Henderson said.
“You have to start wearing fur coats. I see these younger guys, when they get into the UFC, they’re pretty normal, straight-laced, good guys, just hard workers, that’s how they got to the UFC. And then they go on a two-fight, three-fight win streak and all of a sudden they’re wearing fur coats to media interviews and wearing sunglasses inside. It’s like, who is this guy? Where’d you come from?
“Yeah, we’re all growing, we’re all changing, you’re not going to be the same person at 29 that you were at 24, but that being said, you’re going to become somebody who wears a fur coat in the middle of July, like, come on, be serious there, kid. It is what it is, so I am very happy, very thankful that I don’t have to deal with that for sure.”
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