Benson Henderson has a plan to fix Bellator’s lightweight logjam, and it involves both of the promotion’s “Pitbull” brothers.
Henderson (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) was scheduled to rematch former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 244 on June 6, but, due to the coronavirus outbreak, his fight will be postponed to a later date.
After a 1-3 start to his Bellator tenure, Henderson has won his last four in a row and is looking to earn another crack at the title with a win over Chandler.
“When I beat Chandler, I’m getting that title shot next,” Henderson told MMA Junkie.
The problem with Henderson’s plan is the fact that Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio Freire is currently embroiled in the 145-pound grand prix, which means he won’t be defending his 155-pound title until he has completed his participation in the tournament.
Patricio is set to face Pedro Carvalho in the quarterfinals of the grand prix, and with the Bellator schedule already falling behind due to the unscheduled cessation of events due to the coronavirus, it seems highly unlikely he will defend his 155-pound title for the foreseeable future.
Since Henderson isn’t planning on waiting around for too long, he came up with a unique solution that he’d like to see implemented.
“After I take care of Chandler, why doesn’t Patricio give the belt to Patricky because Patricky beat me, I beat Patricio, so give the belt to your big brother,” he suggested. “Give him the belt, let me beat him up for the belt. I think that would satisfy all things right there. I think that is the answer of the conundrum of the Bellator lightweight cluster jam that it is.”
