When it comes to MMA business, few fighters can offer the perspective of Benson Henderson, the first marquee free agent brought in by Bellator during the Scott Coker-Viacom era.
For Henderson, money was only a small part of the equation when it came to making the biggest financial decision of his career. What really mattered to the former UFC lightweight champion was the ability to have a fluid dialogue with his employer — something he feels can spawn endless opportunities between fighters and their promoting body.
Since leaving the UFC, Henderson has not only spoken candidly about this discrepancy, but been a vocal advocate for the rights of fighters through individual sponsorships, improved drug testing and the formation of a union.
Leading up to his win over a Patricio "Pitbull" Freire at Bellator 160, I had a chance to take a deep dive with "The Once And Future King" on all of these topics. With a lightweight title fight with Michael Chandler on the horizon, here is where Henderson stands on all of the fights being waged outside of the cage.
When you signed with Bellator, what was the most important thing to you outside of the money: flexibility with weight classes, boxing/kickboxing competition, sponsorships outside of Reebok?
Exactly what you just said. You worded it all perfectly (laughs). All of those things. It’s all about having options.
On sponsorships: When the UFC made the Reebok deal, it was really stifling. No room for creativity, certain levels of pay, and that’s it. Reebok did individually sponsor a few fighters, but after those guys get picked for the year, that’s it. At the peak of my career, before sponsorships were cut out, the amount of money I was making compared to what it became was pretty laughable. Losing that money is a very real, serious thing.
(Follow-up) I was surprised to read that you only had one major sponsor for your first fight with Bellator. Will there be more for the "Pitbull" fight?
You know, I don’t really know about that stuff. My manager and coach Jon Crouch takes care of all that. That one was just below what I was getting from Reebok for my last (UFC) fight. So, you add one, two, three more sponsorships, and you’re looking at a lot more. That’s the opportunity I was looking for with Bellator. I’m not sure of the exact number for this one. I just worry about the fight.
On boxing/kickboxing: MMA fighters, we have a lot of different passions — all of the different styles that go into mixed martial arts. I love the chance to be able to at least talk about doing a kickboxing match or a straight boxing match. And Bellator is cool with that. Bellator is open to that. That’s a great thing. Me as a true martial artist — I want to test myself. That’s the reason I enjoy competition. Unless I compete live against the best kickboxers and boxers, I’m never going to know if I’m really one of the best guys out there. So that was the really big one for me.
On weight classes: Making 155 for me is never super fun to do. It’s kind of a pain in the butt, really. But going to 170, (Bellator), they’re like, “Sure no problem.” They’re open to that idea. Again, just having the option to do certain things, and not just being told outright, “No. No, you can’t do this. No, you can’t do that. No, we can’t even begin to talk about doing this.”
So you would say it’s always an ongoing conversation between you, Scott Coker and the rest of the Bellator brass?
Oh, for sure. The executives, the higher-ups, they’re always super accessible. They’re easy to talk to. They’re real people. If you hit them up, it might take until the end of the day, but they’ll get back to you. It can be a pain in the butt to try to communicate with your bosses ... you need to get a hold of them, ask them a question, but they’re not there. That can be tough.
You’ve been vocal about the need for a fighters union in the past. Have you followed everything going on with Jeff Borris’ new Professional Fighters Association? What are your thoughts on the PFA versus the MMAFA?
I haven’t really read all the details being so busy with training and with my son going crazy, but I do know that it’s best for fighters to have one organization, one association, one union. We don’t need two or three or four — but we’ll see how it all works out. The important thing is the guys that represent us have our best interests at heart, and make sure we are treated with the respect that we’re due.
Agents and lawyers would obviously handle a lot of the legwork for a union, but fighters would play a major role as well. Which guys or gals, active or retired, do you think have the business savvy to take on these roles?
I think there are a lot of guys out there that don’t necessary want that role, but would definitely fit that mold. Brian Stann stands out for me, personally. He’s a super intelligent, articulate former fighter who I think would stand behind his word. I don’t see him campaigning for the role of head guy since he has a good gig being an analyst (with the UFC) right now, but for me, someone like Brian Stann.
Mark Hunt’s doing his thing too. Some of the older guys who’ve been around who carry a little more clout and seen all of the shady things promoters have done to fighters. I’ve also talked to Cung Le about the MMAFA. Him and Jon Fitch ... all those guys are good candidates to take the lead for fighters.
One thing a union would be useful for is negotiating the terms of a drug-testing program. How would you assess the job USADA is doing over in the UFC, and how would you compare it to the model that Bellator has in place?
I think USADA’s great. I had a couple of tests with them before my UFC contract ended. They are super strict, super punctual, super professional. They did wake my son up one time, showing up at like 6 a.m. — I’m kind of upset about that actually — but that’s their job. They know how to do things.
I think having one governing body, working with a fighters union, making sure all fighters are tested regularly, and with surprise tests also would be best. But for me, honestly, I don’t really care. If you’re a fighter and you want to take steroids, go ahead. I’m going to beat your butt anyway because you’re mentally weak. But for the integrity of our sport, for MMA to be revered like some of these other big sports, we need to have the strongest testing.
It’s interesting that you bring that up — the integrity of the sport — because the way you carry yourself as a true martial artist is a big reason why Scott Coker went after you as a free agent. Can you tell me a little more about your relationship with him?
Scott is a standup guy. If you talk to anybody — no fighter, no manager, no promoter — has anything bad to say about that guy. He really cares about his fighters. He’s been promoting martial arts for a long time, and there’s a reason why. He’s been successful at every stop: promoting kickboxing, promoting Muay Thai, promoting MMA.
Former champions or #1 contenders who, after they lose the belt (in the UFC), do you see how much money they make? It is seriously laughable. If you tell me as a former champion, I’m going to make less than a guy with three or four fights in the organization ... to me, that’s terrible.
If you’re a smart fighter, you’re aware of your future, just make sure you read the fine print.
So ... any current or soon-to-be free agents you would like to see come over to Bellator?
Oh, everybody! Whoever. I guess my teammates at the MMA Lab — the gym that I own — I’d like to see them show out for Bellator. But again, if you’re a free agent, just be smart about it. See what Bellator has to offer. You might be surprised.
Bellator has a number of intriguing young prospects on its roster, but the promotion has also been criticized for featuring fighters well past their prime. What are your thoughts on this contrast?
There are a ton of fighters who have bright futures ahead of them. So many guys and girls that are young up-and-comers, some of them coming over from Europe, who could be big stars. Bellator having strong connections to young American wrestlers — Joey Davis, Aaron Pico — that’s going to be great for those guys to have a viable career opportunity to live the life of a professional athlete without having to wait.
When you’re talking about a guy like Ken Shamrock or Royce Gracie ... look at some of the things they’ve done for the sport. Literally Royce was the guy, the man that put the UFC on the map. He is the original, the O.G., that’s him. So, for me personally, I’m not going to look Royce in the eye and say, "Hey, you should stop fighting." I think he’s earned the right to do whatever he wants to do. Obviously there will come a time when they can’t do it anymore, and hopefully they’ll be smart about it, but that’s their call. And as long as it makes sense financially for Bellator, why not?
You've said that you want to retire young in order to serve in the military. Is that still a goal of yours, and is 33 still your target age for hanging it up? (Henderson is currently 32)
I do want to retire early in my career so I don’t pass the mark of eligibility to enroll in the military, but I’m past the age for a lot of the armed forces already. When I said those things, I didn’t realize that every branch had a separate age for reserves as well as active duty, so that was bad on me not doing my due diligence.
But I am going through that process right now of talking to a couple different services, filling out their waivers and seeing if one will have me. It’s hard to get in actually! There’s like six or seven steps just to be able to apply because I’m too old, or because of this or that. I’m like, “Man! This is a lot harder that I thought this was going to be! I’m a college graduate with two degrees. I’m in decent shape (laughs). I want to do something to serve my country, and you guys are making it hard!”
