Benson Henderson has recently pulled back the curtain on why he is returning to mixed martial arts after previously announcing he was bowing out from competing in the sport. The former WEC and UFC champion is headlining PFL Brussels, and Benson Henderson is taking on Patrick Habirora in the Smart Cage on May 23rd.
While Henderson has been active in several martial arts competitions such as wrestling, jiu-jitsu, boxing, and Karate Combat, this marks a return to mixed martial arts for ‘Bendo’ after previously hanging up the four-ounce gloves. When it was referenced that there were some rumblings regarding how Mike Kogan was poking at him to get back to MMA competition, specifically under the PFL banner, Benson Henderson said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah, it was definitely Mike Kogan. He’s a smart guy. I love the guy. He’s awesome. He’s a good guy. But yeah, he’s definitely poking me a little bit, talking a little bit of mess. Saying, “Oh, people online, they’re saying this, they’re saying that, and yada yada.” I was like, “Ah, people online, they can say whatever they want.” Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
“But he poked me a little bit, and the next day he let it simmer with me for a little while. He let it simmer with me for like a whole day. The next day, he texted me, “Oh, I got an opponent for you.” I was like, “Okay, I see what you’re doing there. I see, I see. That’s smart, Kogan. That’s smart. Yeah, let’s go. Sign me up. Oh, let me go beat this kid up. Let me go remind everybody who I am, what it is I do, and how I do it.””
An undefeated ledger paints a certain picture, but understandably, a lot of people are talking about how this is the toughest test of Habirora’s career up until this point. Habirora is also the partisan favourite here, but Henderson feels emboldened by fighting in enemy territory, and it galvanizes him even more.
But in terms of the X’s and O’s of what he has seen from his opponent’s skill set as Habirora enters this bout with three first-round finishes across his last three fights, Benson Henderson stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“I think Patrick’s really tough. I think he’s really good. I did not know who he was when they first gave me his name. But I looked him up and was able to watch his whole career. Eight fights, not too many. I was able to watch his whole career and see the progression he made along the way. I think he could be good. I think he could be; the thing I watch for is to see how much guys improve fight to fight. See if they have the same holes, the same openings, the same weaknesses. They make the same mistakes from fight to fight.”
Benson Henderson touts Patrick Habirora’s growth, but feels he is on another level
As the 42-year-old, toothpick toting legend continued to break down the machinations of this matchup set to go down this weekend, Benson Henderson continued [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Patrick has gotten better in all of his fights. He actually has improved. You can see the improvement if you go watch all his past eight fights. So I think it’s really tough. I think he’s really good. I think it’s just a little bit much. I think it’s a big step for him to go from the competition that he was at, that he did face. Even though his last two opponents were former UFC fighters, I still don’t think that they had the experience level that I have. I don’t think they quite bring the things to the table that I bring to the table.”
“Physically as well as what I’ve done, how I kind of approach the game, and what I can bring to that Smart Cage. So I think it’s just a bit of a big step for him, but that’s what we’re here to find out. Obviously him, his coaches, his management team, they think that it’s not a big step. They think that he’s going to go get his hand raised, and it’s my job to make sure the referee pulls me off of him.”