Benson Henderson has explained his decision to return to mixed martial arts after previously announcing his retirement from the sport. The former WEC and UFC champion is set to headline PFL Brussels on May 23rd, where he will face Patrick Habirora in the Smart Cage.
While Henderson has remained active in various martial arts disciplines, including wrestling, jiu-jitsu, boxing, and Karate Combat, this fight marks his comeback to MMA after stepping away from competition. Henderson revealed that PFL’s Mike Kogan played a significant role in persuading him to return, consistently “poking” him and discussing potential matchups under the PFL banner.
“Yeah, it was definitely Mike Kogan,” Henderson stated. “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.”
He continued, “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.'”
While Habirora boasts an undefeated record, Henderson acknowledges the challenge, describing it as potentially the toughest test of Habirora’s career. Despite Habirora being the hometown favorite, Henderson finds motivation in fighting on enemy territory.
Discussing his opponent’s skills, particularly Habirora’s three consecutive first-round finishes, Henderson commented, “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 Praises Patrick Habirora’s Development but Believes He’s on a Higher Level
The veteran fighter elaborated on the matchup, noting Habirora’s evident improvement over his eight professional 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.”
