Benson Henderson is set to return to MMA in a high-profile spot, headlining PFL Brussels against Patrick Habirora on May 23 in Belgium.
The bout marks Henderson’s first MMA fight since a submission loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title fight at Bellator 292, which was his 14th appearance under the Bellator banner. The 42-year-old will now make his PFL debut in the Brussels main event opposite Habirora.
Habirora enters the fight with an 8-0 record, including seven wins by knockout, and is 17 years younger than Henderson.
Since his last MMA outing, Henderson has stayed active in competition, taking grappling, karate, boxing and wrestling matches under banners including Misfits Boxing, Karate Combat and RAF, going 1-5. He summed up his mindset simply: "What originally got me going into wrestling, basketball, all of it was just my love of competition. I love to compete. I love to get after it. And even at 42, I still love to get after it. I still love to compete."
Henderson said PFL matchmaker and longtime friend Mike Kogan played a key role in pushing him back toward MMA. One pitch stuck with him: "He was getting at me a little bit. He was like, 'Oh, hey, Henderson, I noticed your wrestling competitions haven't gone your way. Your jiu-jitsu competitions haven't gone away. Your boxing, you're 1-1, but it still hasn't gone your way. All these guys talking online, they this and that. They forgot how good you are, how good you were. You think maybe it's time for you to remind them? Do you want to remind those guys who you are?'"
