Benson Henderson\u2019s wife, Maria, holds a professional MMA record of 1-0.<\/p>\n
\u2018Smooth\u2019 ended his legendary fighting career after losing by a first-round submission against Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. Although the former UFC champion is moving on from competing, he won\u2019t be stepping away from MMA as his wife\u2019s journey recently began.<\/p>\n
Maria Henderson made her amateur MMA debut in February 2021, winning by unanimous decision under the LFA banner. Eight months later, \u2018Mouse\u2019 won her second amateur fight with a 40-second submission in Bellator. Henderson fought once more before turning pro, which was a third-round submission at LFA 131 in May 2022.<\/p>\n
Henderson\u2019s professional debut was against Melanie McIntyre at LFA 135 in July 2022. It didn\u2019t take long for the MMA Lab fighter to secure another submission, with the fight ending in the first round with an Americana from triangle position.<\/p>\n
After winning her first professional fight, \u2018Mouse\u2019 was signed by Bellator. She is joining the Bellator strawweight division that hasn\u2019t had a champion since 2013. The submission specialist will make her promotional debut against Mackenzie Stiller at Bellator 293 on March 31.<\/p>\n
Benson Henderson retires after losing at Bellator 292<\/h2>\n
Benson Henderson<\/a> was hoping to accomplish his goal of becoming a Bellator<\/a> champion by winning the Lightweight Grand Prix. Unfortunately for him, Usman Nurmagomedov proved why he\u2019s the future of the division, defeating Henderson by first-round submission.<\/p>\n Shortly after Nurmagomedov had his hand raised, Henderson took off his gloves and announced his retirement. He later shared an emotional Instagram post that said this at the end:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry to my wife for not getting you that 3rd belt I promised you\u2026I love you\u2026 Thank you to my brothers & sisters at my gym\u2026 Thank you to the greatest fans in the world, it\u2019s been one heck of a journey over these 17 years and I appreciate all the love & support, I could not have survived in this sport without you guys\u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Henderson ended his fighting career with a 30-12 record. The Colorado native is a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion known to fight with toothpicks in his mouth. \u2018Smooth\u2019 holds wins over Donald Cerrone, Frankie Edgar x2, Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Jorge Masvidal, and Patricio Pitbull. He will never be forgotten for his contributions to MMA<\/a>, including his early use of calf kicks.<\/p>\n Check out Benson Henderson’s retirement post on Instagram below:<\/em><\/p>\n