Of all the names that have bolted to Bellator from the UFC, Benson Henderson is the one that most surprised the mixed martial arts establishment. On a win streak, and upon increasing his value by fighting up a division, the former UFC lightweight champion jumped ship to claim more job security and more guaranteed money, confirming that, yes, Bellator could indeed compete for any major free agent the market might deliver.
If his departure didn't send a seismic shockwave down the dividing lines of the sport, it clearly signaled that Bellator is the most serious competitor the UFC has faced since the demise of Strikeforce.
Next up: proving he was worth the investment. Bellator's three non-tentpole shows thus far in 2016 have averaged 689,000 viewers, according to MMA Report statistics—a number it no doubt hopes to improve upon when Henderson takes on reigning welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 153 on April 22.
And this is where things get tricky for Henderson. He is supposed to win now. Coming from the UFC as a former champ, he is expected to steamroll the competition, even if that expectation mostly stems from either an unfamiliarity with Bellator talent or a predisposed bias towards the UFC.
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Pressure? It's on.
"I've envisioned that first walkout to the Bellator cage 300 or 400 times already in my head," he told Bleacher Report. "I do a lot of visualization, so I've already done that. I think it will be a little bit different, but I think afterward is when it will really strike me. I think during the thing, I'm so into the moment, so focused on what I need to do and getting myself prepared, I don't think it will have so much effect on me walking out. But afterward, I think I'll look back on the experience and I'll have a different feeling."
After a lengthy stretch of fighting the biggest names in the smaller weight classes—Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis, just to name a few—Henderson (23-5) is used to facing down and excelling in the toughest moments. But his future battles may require a bit of a perspective shift for both him and the fans.
The days of the marquee-name opponents may have to wait a bit; instead, he gets a foe short on name value but long on toughness.
"I did not know about him," Henderson admitted of Koreshkov. "The first I heard about him was when he beat Douglas Lima and he won the belt [last July]. So being a fan of MMA, I heard about him then. But not a super well-known individual. [A record of] 18-1 with his only loss to Ben Askren, who's about as tough as they come. So for Andrey Koreshkov to have only that one loss speaks a lot.
"He lost to Askren because he got out-grappled," he continued. "I feel he beat Douglas Lima because he out-grappled him. That's super smart. That's super hard to do and shows how young he is in the sport and how much he's growing in a short time period. He's been able to adapt and grow. It shows how tough and smart he is."
In some ways, Henderson's life is setting up perfectly for this kind of shift. Most of the last few months, for instance, have been about new beginnings. First, a son, Kyung, was born last August. Then, he got a new employer, moving from the UFC to Bellator. And even now, he is in the process of signing a new management deal with KHI Management, the firm started by NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick.
Mostly, this all-around renaissance is all related. As anyone with children knows, becoming a parent for the first time has a way of changing your worldview.
"For sure, absolutely 100 percent," he said. "The way I looked at it as a father and an athlete, I asked myself, 'What would all these high-end athletes and business people do?' They hold themselves to the highest standard. They value themselves to the utmost. So you have to do what's best for your family. Having a son, I had to think, 'What's best for him? How am I going to take care of him 20 years down the line?' I'm only going to be fighting for a handful more years, so I definitely have to take advantage of this window."
Bellator is likely to give him every opportunity to do so. While Koreshkov and the welterweight belt are his current target, he has proven his ability to be successful at either 170 or 155 pounds. So theoretically, he could attempt to capture two belts at once in a major promotion, an accomplishment not seen since Dan Henderson held the 183- and 205-pound belts in PRIDE almost a decade ago.
"I'm not too worried about that," he said. "My focus is Koreshkov at 170. I'm not thinking about 155. I'm not thinking about two belts. Of course I have my long-term goals, but first things first, and that's getting my hand raised the next fight. I have to make sure that happens. That needs to happen. I have to make sure that happens."
Press a little, though, and Henderson acknowledges that he would be willing and able to fight at either weight; that he might be open to that elusive chase.
"I think I can do a decent job with that," he said. "I'm definitely going to be either a smaller 170-pounder or bigger 155-pounder. I need to hang around at my natural weight. I have to be on point. It can be a bit of a drag, but it's doable."
But first things first, he reminds again. The expectations are already coming, and he knows he can't stop everyone's projections and predictions. They are big and bold, but in the most meaningful way, and that is: Henderson's arrival means so many different things. For Bellator, it's a new look. For Henderson, it's a new start. For the fight world, the landscape is shifting, and suddenly, anything is possible.
