Coming into his fortieth professional fight at Bellator 273, Benson Henderson was riding the worst losing streak of his career after dropping his previous three fights inside the Bellator cage. And getting back into the win column wasn’t going to be a cakewalk because he was taking on a man who hadn’t tasted defeat in more than one decade.
But, after 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, “Smooth” proved that he is far from done, pulling off a huge split decision win over Islam Mamedov, snapping the Dagestani wrestler’s 20-fight unbeaten streak.
A big opportunity for @BensonHenderson in Round 1 with the guillotine but @Islam__Mamedov escapes!
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022
Watch #Bellator273 LIVE on @SHOSports https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/TPJ0WSvWYo
#Bellator273 https://t.co/pWhJbROFMP pic.twitter.com/uFXWXcFdHw
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022
It was far from easy because Mamedov had Henderson in some precarious positions throughout the fight, trapping him in some air-tight submission attempts that “Smooth” was able to fight his way out of.
After the fight, Henderson alluded that it could very well be his final fight, and going out on top in front of his hometown crowd could be the perfect ending of his storied combat career. For now, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion will enjoy the win as he ponders his future.
For complete Bellator 273 play-by-play updates and results click here.
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