Benson Henderson re-signs with Bellator, will face Peter Queally at Bellator Dublin in September
Henderson inked an exclusive multi-fight contract to stay with the promotion
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson made his free agency a short one as he has chosen to re-sign with Bellator MMA, where he has spent the last six years of his career.
Bellator officials announced the signing on Wednesday. Henderson inked an exclusive multi-fight contract to stay with the promotion.
In the first fight on his new deal, Henderson will face one-time Bellator lightweight title challenger Peter Queally in Bellator’s return to Dublin on Friday, September 23 at the 3Arena.
Henderson completed the final fight on his previous Bellator contract with a unanimous decision win over ProFC and PFL veteran Islam Mamedov at Bellator 273 in January. The victory snapped a three-fight losing streak that dated back to August of 2020.
Earlier in his first stint with Bellator, Henderson unsuccessfully challenged for the Bellator lightweight and welterweight titles, dropping decisions to Michael Chandler and Andrey Koreshkov respectively.
Queally recently fell short in a bid for the vacant Bellator lightweight belt, falling via second-round TKO in a rematch against Patricky Pitbull at Bellator 270 in November. The SBG Ireland member had earned a win over Pitbull months earlier at Bellator 258 in May after a cut forced a doctor’s stoppage in between the second and third rounds.
Also announced for Bellator Dublin is former Bellator women’s featherweight title challenger Sinead Kavanagh, who will face an opponent yet to be announced.
Henderson had seemed unsure if he was going to re-sign with Bellator after what has been an underwhelming 6-7 start to his tenure, but the 38-year-old will now potentially finish his time as a professional under the Bellator banner.
“This is my last fight on my deal with Bellator,” Henderson had said following his win over Mamedov. “They pay me a lot of money. I might have under-fought my contract so going into negotiations, I’m not sure how they are going to treat me. We’ll find out.
“I do know if this was the last one, it was a great way to go out. I do know that I would like to continue fighting, but all the things have to line up.”
In his next chapter with Bellator, Henderson has his sights set on another shot at championship gold.
“I’m a company man, sure of course, but I want the fight that’s going to take me to the title shot right away,” Henderson said in January. “I bet on myself like I’ve done so many times in my career. I put all the chips on myself and I worked my butt off.”