Former UFC champion Benson Henderson explains decision behind MMA return at 42 years old

Despite calling time on his MMA career in 2023, Benson Henderson is back in the cage.

This weekend, the former UFC lightweight champion returns to action in the main event of PFL Brussels.

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He faces undefeated Belgian star Patrick Habirora, who has scored back-to-back first-round knockouts in his last two fights.

Henderson has been in the fight game since 2006, making his UFC debut five years later and claiming gold against Frankie Edgar in February 2012.

He later signed with Bellator and his last MMA fight was a submission loss to current PFL lightweight king Usman Nurmagomedov.

Although he competed across various promotions thereafter, including Karate Combat, Misfits Boxing and Real American Freestyle, Henderson has remained out of MMA since.

Conversations with a good friend and PFL matchmaker Mike Kogan had the cogs turning in Henderson’s mind about making an MMA return.

Kogan highlighted Henderson’s disappointing results in his recent bouts, which include a defeat to fellow former UFC champion Aljamian Sterling last time out at RAF06, adding that he could go out and ‘remind everybody how great you are.’

Before Henderson knew it, there was a contract on the table.

As a former UFC champion, you would think Henderson has nothing left to prove.

So why has the 42-year-old veteran with the same number of professional fights decided to make a return?

Henderson: I just love competition

“Well, that comes to the part where it’s me just liking to compete,” Henderson explained to talkSPORT.com ahead of his PFL debut.

“It doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s chess, full-on MMA, boxing rules, or Karate Combat. I love to get after it. I love to compete.

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Not known, clear with picture desk

“I’m going to do that with my full gusto until the day I can’t anymore.

“And even when I can’t compete anymore, maybe I’ll do just boxing, jiu-jitsu competitions, or get back into Gi. I’ll probably compete in jiu-jitsu till the day I leave this planet.”

He continued: “It’s not necessarily about reminding people, but just keep showcasing what I can do and how I do things.

“Showing people the evolution, how you’re always continuing to grow, no matter how great you are.

“You have to always grow, you have to always adapt, change, learn new tricks and all that stuff.

“Even though I was officially retired from MMA, I was still growing every day.”

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Not in it for the money

Henderson’s return will naturally prompt questions about whether he simply needs a quick payday.

After all, the American was significantly underpaid during his reign as UFC champion.

For example, he took home a disclosed purse of $78,000 (£55,000), which included a win bonus, for his second lightweight title defence against Nate Diaz in 2012.

Henderson admits, ‘I was not paid my worth in the UFC,’ but says he isn’t ‘mad’ about it as he knows what he signed up for.

He is also one of many fighters who just received compensation as part of the UFC’s antitrust lawsuit settlement.

In October 2024, Dana White‘s promotion agreed to a ($375m) £281m settlement, affecting hundreds of athletes who represented the UFC between 2010 and 2017.

A statement read that fighters received payouts between $100,000 (£73,000) and more than $1m (£727,755), with 35 fighters getting the latter.

“There’s not really too much of a financial incentive for me,” Henderson added.

“Of course, if someone sends you some money, I’m not gonna say no to that.

“But the lawsuit with the UFC went through and got finalised, so all of us old guys got some pretty big checks.

“I got a pretty big check from the UFC for that, so I’m not worried about money at all.

“This is strictly just to have fun to go get after it.”

Henderson’s comments come at a time when fighter pay is trending like never before, largely due to the emergence of Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

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MVP held its first MMA card on Netflix this past weekend as Ronda Rousey returned to the sport after 10 years out and submitted Gina Carano in a main event that lasted 17 seconds.

Paul and Rousey have both been big advocates for fighters making more than they do in the UFC.

Aside from bonuses, revenue cuts, or other extras, main eventers Rousey and Carano made a disclosed purse of over $3m.

And Henderson is a big fan of MVP entering the space to make sure fighters can get their worth.

Henderson revealed MVP were actually interested in signing him, but conversations went no further as he had already signed a deal with the PFL.

He noted that a move to MVP is ‘definitely something I’d be interested in moving forward,’ beyond his PFL debut this weekend.

UFC Schedule

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