Benson Henderson signs with Bellator

Cammo101 · Post #1 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 7:01 pm

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/2/1/10887704/benson-henderson-signs-bellator-contract-ufc-champion-move-free-agency-fight-pay-mma-news

Looks like Bellator made him an offer he can't refuse. This could be a really big deal. The UFC loses top guys on occasion, but almost always on their own terms. This is the first time they have lost a legit draw to Bellator. I wonder if Overeem and Sterling are far behind?

Let's hope he doesn't spend all his time there fighting no names like Josh Thomson and Paul Daley are currently doing.

Post #2 » by **Headliner** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 7:25 pm

Awesome.
I hope Bellator can put up a fight. Two promotions is always good, it'll increase the salaries of the fighters and creates a good fan dynamic (Bellator fans vs UFC fans arguing about which promotion is better) and dream match ups down the road.

This Reebok deal could end up really hurting the UFC in the long run and make them pay more upfront.

REDDzone · Post #3 » by **REDDzone** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 8:24 pm

People disagreed with me when I said it, but this is a huge get imo. Former champion still in his prime. I thought he beat the latest number one contender (Cowboy) when they fought recently. Able to switch from LW to WW anytime, willing to take fights on short notice.

Big signing.

Cammo101 · Post #4 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 8:26 pm

REDDzone wrote:People disagreed with me when I said it, but this is a huge get imo. Former champion still in his prime. I thought he beat the latest number one contender (Cowboy) when they fought recently. Able to switch from LW to WW anytime, willing to take fights on short notice.

Big signing.

IMO this is the first Bellator signing that does hurt the UFC a little. The question is can Bellator do anything with him, or are they going to make him irreverent like they have made Josh Thomson and Paul Daley.

SDM · Post #5 » by **SDM** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 8:41 pm

The worst part for UFC is they lost a guy that was clearly a company man for a number of years and when you combine that with the fact that he presents well, is not an idiot, and is as versatile as it gets... it's a loss for them. It happened and it's a major moment for Bellator, but it honestly, really, truly should not have happened.

Cammo101 · Post #6 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 10:06 pm

SDM wrote:The worst part for UFC is they lost a guy that was clearly a company man for a number of years and when you combine that with the fact that he presents well, is not an idiot, and is as versatile as it gets... it's a loss for them. It happened and it's a major moment for Bellator, but it honestly, really, truly should not have happened.

I'm curious to see how it works out. The UFC has seen big names leave before, and it never so much as dents them. Their brand has always carried on without a hit and the fighter usually goes on to thrive in obscurity.

I think where this could be a problem is if it starts a trend and a bunch of other guys follow Bendo out the door. Because a guy here and there won't really effect anything.

Nemesis21 · Post #7 » by **Nemesis21** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 10:24 pm

Bernman · Post #8 » by **Bernman** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 10:51 pm

His first two fights will be main event showcases against Rudy Bears and John Alessio. Then we'll finally see him in real fights. Bellator still has a decent stable of fighters and prospects, but the matchmaking and overall philosophy of the organization is poor. They're out of touch. As if the MMA public needs to be introduced to Paul Daley and Josh Thomson for a while. Just just together interesting match-ups already. They aren't getting any younger.

The positive spin on this from the UFC's perspective is: "see, MMA isn't a monopoly."

Jasen777 · Post #9 » by **Jasen777** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 10:56 pm

Benson against Brooks would be interesting.

SDM · Post #10 » by **SDM** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 11:01 pm

Cammo101 wrote:
SDM wrote:The worst part for UFC is they lost a guy that was clearly a company man for a number of years and when you combine that with the fact that he presents well, is not an idiot, and is as versatile as it gets... it's a loss for them. It happened and it's a major moment for Bellator, but it honestly, really, truly should not have happened.

I'm curious to see how it works out. The UFC has seen big names leave before, and it never so much as dents them. Their brand has always carried on without a hit and the fighter usually goes on to thrive in obscurity.

I think where this could be a problem is if it starts a trend and a bunch of other guys follow Bendo out the door. Because a guy here and there won't really effect anything.

I think, right now, Bendo deepens Bellator's best division and while he's not THE guy, he could be the guy that THE guy has a trilogy with in 4 years. This is their first major signing that could pay off many times over down the road, in addition to just being a big move for the now.

But you're right, it doesn't seem to impact UFC much and as long as they keep treating the top 10% of fighters well, a guy or two from every division bouncing to Bellator doesn't really matter.

Sterling has the same manager as Bendo, so we`ll see. He might even be a bigger loss than Benson considering he hasn't come close to his ceiling. I think the ages of some of the recent problem cases like Schaub and Mitrione (and Diaz's weird licensing issues) prevented a mass move to Bellator and UFC played the hold out game/silenced the loudmouths very well over the last year and a half or so. Tim Kennedy's another guy, too.

Post #11 » by **CPT** » Mon Feb 1, 2016 11:06 pm

I feel like Bendo's greatest value to the UFC was that willingness to step in and save fights on short notice, at two weight classes, but I wonder if that wasn't just a way to speed up his FA clock.

I'm not sure how much of a draw he actually is. I certainly wouldn't watch a Bellator event just because he's on it; it would have to be an interesting match up.

That said, it's still a big get for Bellator, and I hope the contract details work out well for both parties. Would be cool if they allowed him to fight in RoadFC in Korea once a year or something.

REDDzone · Post #12 » by **REDDzone** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 1:20 am

I mean he has to be a draw, right? Since he entered zuffa in 2009 (20 fights ago for him):

He headlined three WEC events on versus.
He headlined three UFC pppvs.
He headlined three fox events.
He headlined four fight nights on fs1.

I also know that I haven't watched a bellator event since the dynamite thing in September, but I won't miss an event headlined by Benson, for sure.

REDDzone · Post #13 » by **REDDzone** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 1:45 am

Dana saying ufc offered more if he gained the title back. Yea, like someone should want to trust the ufc to give them a title shot even if they earn it.

Also mentioned how he went from being champion to ranked 15. Bendo is penalized for fighting at both lw and ww in the silly ass ufc rankings. He's probably top 10 at WW and much higher at LW. UFC has guys like Nate Diaz ranked top 5ish and Benson LITERALLY beat Diaz blind a few years back. Other top 10ers like Bobby Green/Iaquinta are also not on Benson's level.

REDDzone · Post #14 » by **REDDzone** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 4:12 am

Reebok a big reason for Benson's departure, made 15k to headline that last event (lol):

"I won't lie, it was a very big deal," Henderson said. "The ability to get sponsors on your own and not have to rely on the amount that Reebok dictates to you was a huge factor. I'd be straight up lying if I said it wasn't a very big part of my decision to go to Bellator.

source: Brett Okamato story on espn.com

Post #15 » by **CPT** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 12:55 pm

REDDzone wrote:I mean he has to be a draw, right? Since he entered zuffa in 2009 (20 fights ago for him):

He headlined three WEC events on versus.
He headlined three UFC pppvs.
He headlined three fox events.
He headlined four fight nights on fs1.

I also know that I haven't watched a bellator event since the dynamite thing in September, but I won't miss an event headlined by Benson, for sure.

I'd say he's a headliner, but not a draw, if that makes sense.

I mean, how well did those shows do? Not particularly well IIRC, and that's with the UFC bump. You can put him in a main event against just about anyone and have it be credible, especially for Bellator, but I don't know that casual fans are going to seek out his fights.

To be fair, there may only be 5 or 10 draws in the sport by that measure, but as long as the UFC has (just about) all of them, no other promotion can make much of a difference.

cowboyronnie · Post #16 » by **cowboyronnie** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 1:48 pm

Ben has been classy and "professional" in his comments?

Dana...?

Bernman wrote:
The positive spin on this from the UFC's perspective is: "see, MMA isn't a monopoly."

It's true. And I wonder about that. I want this to really hurt the UFC but even when they lose a FA it at least furthers their side of that argument.

Cammo101 · Post #17 » by **Cammo101** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 5:03 pm

Bernman wrote:His first two fights will be main event showcases against Rudy Bears and John Alessio. Then we'll finally see him in real fights. Bellator still has a decent stable of fighters and prospects, but the matchmaking and overall philosophy of the organization is poor. They're out of touch. As if the MMA public needs to be introduced to Paul Daley and Josh Thomson for a while. Just just together interesting match-ups already. They aren't getting any younger.

The positive spin on this from the UFC's perspective is: "see, MMA isn't a monopoly."

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/2/2/10894430/mma-news-benson-henderson-vs-andrey-koreshkov-bellator-welterweight-title-april-22

Bendo vs. Koreshkov for the WW title. Maybe they are learning. I wonder if Bendo has designs on belts at both WW and LW.

REDDzone · Post #18 » by **REDDzone** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 5:08 pm

Good fight.

Jasen777 · Post #19 » by **Jasen777** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 5:30 pm

Also interesting...

The UFC, Henderson said, was actually third in line. Henderson said ONE Championship came in second after an impressive offer from matchmaker Matt Hume.

Jasen777 · Post #20 » by **Jasen777** » Tue Feb 2, 2016 5:34 pm

REDDzone wrote:Also mentioned how he went from being champion to ranked 15. Bendo is penalized for fighting at both lw and ww in the silly ass ufc rankings. He's probably top 10 at WW and much higher at LW. UFC has guys like Nate Diaz ranked top 5ish and Benson LITERALLY beat Diaz blind a few years back. Other top 10ers like Bobby Green/Iaquinta are also not on Benson's level.

Mentioning the rankings was certainly deliberately misleading.