Our apologies to Will Brooks … and every other lightweight hoping to win the “Smooth” lottery.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 155-pound champion Ben Henderson will remain at welterweight for his Spike TV debut, when he challenges Andrey Koreshkov for the division title at Bellator 153 on April 22, 2016, inside Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
ESPN brought word of the pending match up earlier today.
“Smooth” made the most of his free agency by signing with the Viacom-owned promotion earlier this week (more on that here). Prior to leaving the Octagon behind, Henderson (23-5) rattled off a pair of welterweight wins over Brandon Thatch and Jorge Masvidal.
Koreshkov (18-1) racked up an impressive 10-1 record since making his Bellator debut back in 2012. That includes a torrid five-figh winning streak with victories over Nah-Shon Burrell and Douglas Lima. Henderson will undoubtedly prove to be his stiffest test to date, but on the flip side, an upset win over the UFC import could do wonders for his brand.
It will also be interesting to see what kind of ratings the promotion can pull on Spike TV.
Stay tuned!