Benson Henderson gets upset in Bellator debut

Former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson made his Bellator debut on Friday in a five-round welterweight title fight against Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 153.

Henderson found that the Bellator champion had a lot to offer and gave “Bendo” trouble in his Bellator debut. Koreshkov connected with a hard knee to Henderson’s head at the end of round 1 that put the crowd on their feet.

Round 2 didn’t change in favor of Henderson as Koreshkov put on an attack that viewers likely seen in favor of the Bellator champion. Henderson failed to hit his takedowns attempted on Korreshkov but did manage to land some kicks.

Round 3 saw Koreshkov once again establish a more successful offensive attack on the former UFC champ. Koreshkov showed excellent takedown defense against Henderson and punished him for the failed attempt.

In the start of round 4 Henderson looked to be in good shape despite Koreshkov’s offense and forward pressure. The Bellator champ hit Henderson with a right uppercut that put him to the mat. Henderson was able to recover as the two scrambled on the ground with Koreshkov attempting a guillotine choke that was unsuccessful.

Round 5 was much of the same story as Henderson failed his attempts to get Koreshkov to the ground. Koreshkov was able to find more success offensively and ended the round with another guillotine attempt.

All judges score the bout 50-45 in favor for Andrey Koreshkov.