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Ben Henderson Reacts To Dana White’s Barb: ‘He Didn’t Say My Momma Was Ugly’

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson made some big headlines this week when he announced that he was officially making the move to Bellator MMA after Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta chose to waive the matching rights on his contract offer, which apparently included more money up front. True to previous form, White said he

The post Ben Henderson Reacts To Dana White’s Barb: ‘He Didn’t Say My Momma Was Ugly’ appeared first on LowKick MMA.

True to previous form, White said he had nothing personal against Henderson, but also got in one last parting shot by declaring that he was looking for “top 5 guys, guys that are going 15 to 1, not the other way around,” after Henderson lost his lightweight belt in August 2013 and the majority of his 155-pound ranking after fighting (and winning) his last two UFC bouts at welterweight.

While that could be considered a bit of a low blow, Henderson instead took White’s comments in stride in a recent spot with MMA Junkie Radio, noting that he was the only fighter aso ranked in two divisions and that White has obviously said outlandish statements before:

“We know Dana. You know Dana. I know Dana. We’ve heard some other things he said. That was the worst he said? He didn’t say my momma was ugly; he didn’t say I was the worst fighter in history? If that’s all he said, that’s not too bad, considering his history of outlandish quotes.”

As for the move to Bellator, which earned Henderson an immediate title shot at 170-pound champ Andrey Koreshkov at April 22’s Bellator 153 from Uncasville, Connecticutt, ‘Smooth’ said it’s already piqued the interest of fellow fighters wanting to know what it’s like outside the confines of the UFC’s strict uniform deal with Reebok:

“I can’t even say how many texts and calls from other fighters asking me, ‘What did the UFC bring to the table? What did Bellator bring to the table? How did they treat you? Was (UFC Chairman) Lorenzo (Fertitta) mad? Did Dana get all mad?’” Henderson said. “A ton of fighters hit me up and asked me that and asked for advice.”

Henderson obviously has at least some problems with how the UFC does business, and there were few aspects of the world’s biggest fight promoters that he didn’t agree with.

Read on to the next page to find out how he blasted his former employers…

The post Ben Henderson Reacts To Dana White’s Barb: ‘He Didn’t Say My Momma Was Ugly’ appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Benson Henderson Officially Signs With Bellator MMA

Following his decision win over Jorge Masvidal in the main event of last November’s UFC Fight Night 79, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson declared that he would be testing the free agent waters with his contract now fulfilled. It was a statement that more and more fighters seem to be making in this new

The post Benson Henderson Officially Signs With Bellator MMA appeared first on LowKick MMA.

It was a statement that more and more fighters seem to be making in this new and not-so-lucrative Reebok sponsorship era, but many of the fighters simply see what they’re worth on the open market and then find out if the UFC will match them or not. Some end up staying, and others, like former UFC light heavyweight contender Phil Davis, actually do leave for a better deal in another promotion.

And today (Mon., February 1, 2015), news has arrived from Henderson that he has joined Davis in Bellator, releasing a statement via his website:

I’d like to officially announce my move over to Bellator MMA.
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.

I have to thank the BigMan upstairs for putting some amazing people in my life, my wife (first and foremost) and a lot of truly smart and insightful people behind the scenes who helped make the connections and negotiated this deal to bring it to fruition.

I’d be remiss to not thank Dana White and Lorenzo Fertita for the opportunities they presented me, 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. For that I’ll always have the utmost appreciation. Thanks for all the advise you guys gave too, both business wise and personal.

And last but not least, to who it is I think of when I think of the UFC! Everybody behind the scenes who I personally dealt with every time I reported in or had to do something. Mayra, Melissa, Dave, Chris, Nick, Tracy, Joanie, Maura, Tony, Heidi, Ryan, James, Dave, Kaia (sp.???), Burt, Rob, Rudy, Stitch, House, Mike, Susie, Dean, Donna, Feryal, Sean, Joe, Brad, Jazzmine, Candice, Michelle, Reed, sorry I can’t name everyone or this list would go on for forever. There’s a whole ton of people behind the scenes who make that show what it is. You guys and girls are the ones who make that show great and allow us fighters to do what it is we love!!! Much love to you all and thanks for putting up with me for so long.

To my fans, thanks for all the love and support, I’ll keep giving you my all, opening up my heart and soul inside that cage. I’m excited for this next chapter and building new relationships with guys I’ve heard nothing but great things about like Scott Coker, Rich Chou and Mike Kogan.

#TheOnceAndFutureKing
BH

UFC officials confirmed that they had declined its matching rights on Henderson’s offer, making his move official. With the announcement, Henderson will now reportedly move back to lightweight after winning his last two UFC bouts at welterweight, and it appears that he’s already found his first potential opponent.

Read on to the next page to find out who called out ‘Smooth’ quite quickly….

The post Benson Henderson Officially Signs With Bellator MMA appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Randy Couture Signs Multi-Year Deal With Spike TV, Will Appear as a Coach on Bellator’s Reality Series

(Bellator’s new MMA competition show unveils its wrestling coach and “swag advisor.” / Photo via Getty)

UFC legend Randy Couture — who helped usher the UFC into the mainstream as a coach on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 — will be returning to his Spike TV stomping grounds this year. Except this time, it’ll be in the service of a different MMA promotion looking to build their own brand on the guy-centric cable channel. No, this is not going to sit well with You Know Who. SI.com’s Loretta Hunt has the details:

SI.com has confirmed through multiple sources that UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture has signed into a multi-year deal with Spike TV, a property of Viacom, to appear in multiple projects for the cable channel, as well as other possible ventures within the media conglomerate’s family of networks.

As a part of the multi-faceted agreement, Couture’s first role will be as a coach in the forthcoming Bellator MMA reality series, which begins shooting in February and airs later this year.

Spike TV will unveil this industry-shifting announcement on Feb. 5 during a press conference in Los Angeles, where Couture and Spike TV president Kevin Kay will discuss details of the agreement and what the 49-year-old retired fighter’s role will be on the Bellator series and possibly other Spike-broadcasted projects. The series is expected to feature a number of current and up-and-coming Bellator fighters.

(Bellator’s new MMA competition show unveils its wrestling coach and “swag advisor.” / Photo via Getty)

As a part of the multi-faceted agreement, Couture’s first role will be as a coach in the forthcoming Bellator MMA reality series, which begins shooting in February and airs later this year.

Sources told SI.com that the deal with Spike and Viacom was executed in late December, much to the disapproval of Couture’s former employer, UFC president Dana White. Since his retirement in April 2011 at age 47, Couture has turned his attention to Hollywood with supporting roles in The Expendables and its summer 2012 sequel, and had most recently served as an on-camera analyst for the UFC’s live events on Fox. However, Couture was absent from the UFC on Fox 6 broadcast on Jan. 26, replaced by one-time teammate Chael Sonnen…

The as-yet unnamed Bellator series is being helmed by seven-time Emmy Award-winning producer Bertram Van Munster (The Amazing Race, Cops).

Man, and we thought Spike’s counter-programming tactics were nasty. Poaching Randy Couture — a man who has become synonymous with the UFC — is an aggressive move, and it’s one that Dana & Co. will certainly view as a personal attack from their former pals at “Spuke TV.” Time to type up a new lawsuit?

We’ll update you next week when more details emerge…