Benson Hendersontook a short-notice fight and moved up to welterweight, but Jason Jackson didn’t give him a friendly welcome.
Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA), the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, looked small compared to Jackson (13-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA), who looked large for 170. And a combination of Jackson having too much power and Henderson not quite having the same quickness he had during his prime led to the biggest victory of Jackson’s career on Thursday night in the co-feature bout of Bellator 253.
The judges at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. scored the fight 30-27 across the board for Jackson.
The opening round was a feeling-out process, as both throw kicks as they tried to find their timing and range. As the round wore on, though, it became clear Jackson’s body kicks were landing harder than Henderson’s, and Jackson answered Henderson’s one-punch stick-and-moves with heavy counter combos that found a home.
The second round saw Jackson score a pair of easy takedowns and spend a solid amount of time in a dominant position, though he wasn’t able to do much with it.
Henderson showed urgent in the third, as he scrambled his way into getting Jackson’s back and nearly got a rear-naked choke, then attempted a Kimura. But Jackson managed to transition to the top and once again spent the bulk of the round flustering Henderson on the floor without doing anything to come near a finish.
The welterweight bout was the co-feature of Bellator 253, which was held Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Jackson has won three straight bouts, while Henderson lost his second in a row.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 253 results:
- Jason Jackson def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Joey Davis def. Bobby Lee via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Raufeon Stots def. Keith Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jeremy Kennedy def. Matt Bessette via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Jaleel Willis def. Mark Lemminger via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jay Jay Wilson def. Sergio DeBari via KO (punches) — Round 1, 0:20
- Kaheem Murray def. Kevin Ferguson Jr. via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Sullivan Cauley def. Jason Markland via KO (punches) — Round 1, 0:28
