As a large 155er, there’s long been talk about whether former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson would be better served fighting at welterweight.
It appears we’ll soon find out.
Henderson’s coach, The MMA Lab’s John Crouch, told MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight that his fighter is planning on having one more bout at 155, then making the move up.
Why not an immediate move? Well, Henderson’s last fight was an upset knockout loss to Rafael dos Anjos, and he doesn’t want to exit the division on a loss.
Beyond that, Henderson realizes that he’s far removed from a title shot as long as Anthony Pettis, who holds two wins over him, keeps his grip on the belt. Henderson says he’s going to retire at age 33, which is just two years down the road, and doesn’t want to waste much time.
And there’s another reason.
“He would like to see what it feels like to not cut weight,” Crouch said. “The weight cut is irritating for him.”