Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will return to MMA at age 42 to headline an upcoming Professional Fighters League card.
42-year-old Benson Henderson hung up his MMA gloves following a lopsided defeat to Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 292 in March 2023. Three years later, Henderson will make another title run in the Professional Fighters’ League.
Henderson is arguably one of the greatest lightweights in MMA history, earning wins over the likes of Patricio Pitbull, Frankie Edgar, and Nate Diaz during his illustrious career. After parting ways with the UFC in 2016, Henderson went on to have a solid run in Bellator, fighting for the promotion’s lightweight title twice in his promotional tenure.
Since retiring from MMA, Henderson has kept busy in professional boxing, grappling, and Karate Combat matches. After a nearly two-year layoff stemming from a loss to Idris Virgo in Misfits Boxing in September 2024, Henderson will return to his roots and headline one of the biggest cards of the PFL calendar year.
Benson Henderson’s MMA return headlines PFL Brussels on May 23
The PFL announced on Monday that Henderson, 42, will return to MMA to headline PFL Brussels opposite unbeaten welterweight star Patrick Habirora on May 23rd. The full card for PFL Brussels is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
It’s a clash of generations between Henderson and the 24-year-old Habirora, who has become one of the league’s brightest young stars with recent knockouts against Kevin Jousset and Danny Roberts.
This marks the second time that Habirora has headlined a PFL card in his native Belgium over the past year. He’s clearly a fighter that PFL wants to promote on a global scale amidst major shakeups in the league’s leadership.
The Henderson vs. Habirora winner would enter the welterweight title mix to potentially challenge reigning titleholder Thad Jean. Another top contender, Logan Storley, will headline PFL Sioux Falls on May 2nd.
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