Benson Henderson wants to retire in UFC, but wants to test free-agent market

SEOUL – Ex-lightweight champ Benson Henderson said he intends to retire in the UFC, but he’s also eyeing the open market in his next move.

“When I retire, it will be retiring in the UFC – I know that for sure,” he told MMAjunkie. “But I’m going to test the market, yes.”

After back-to-back losses sent him to the welterweight division, Henderson (23-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) took home his second win at UFC 170 pounds with a split call over Jorge Masvidal (29-10 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 79.

Afterward, Henderson took off his UFC gloves in the promotion’s octagon, which suggested a ceremonial nod to the end of his tenure with the industry-leader.

As widely reported prior to the event, Henderson’s fight with Masvidal was not only a replacement headliner, but his last obligation to the UFC.

Henderson said while he isn’t trying to tip anyone off about his next move, he admitted the next portion of his career – contract negotiations – could take him in a new direction.

“I’m not trying to send any message of any type, but if it plays out a certain way, I want to have some pretty good memories to go out on,” he said.

Henderson, whose mother is Korean, certainly got a memorable response from the crowd at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, where the UFC Fight Pass-streamed event took place.

In his post-fight speech, he spoke to them in Korean.

“I heard the fans, and I definitely appreciated that show of support,” he said.

Now, Henderson needs the UFC to show another measure of support: a lucrative new deal.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 79, check out the UFC Events section of the site.