Benson Henderson Versus Patrício Freire Will Headline Bellator 160: Henderson Vs. Pitbull For Spike TV Double-Header

After his defeat at the hands of Donald Cerrone, Benson Henderson was on a roll earning back-to-back wins against Brandon Thatch at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch and Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal. So it was a surprise to everyone in the MMA community when it was announced that “Smooth” jumped off the UFC ship to join their biggest competition today, Bellator MMA. Henderson’s move suddenly made sense when it was reported that Bellator MMA rewarded him with a welterweight title shot upon signing. Unfortunately, Benson Henderson could not capitalize on the opportunity as he lost to Bellator MMA Welterweight Champion Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson.

Summarized, Benson Henderson entered Bellator MMA with a lot of hype and a lot of backing by the company itself, and he failed to capitalize. This does not mean he did not put forth an impressive fight, it just means he did not walk away as a champion. Now, Henderson is back on the road to try to become a champion in Bellator MMA starting at Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull when he takes on Patrício Freire in the main event. This will be one of two main event fights featured on Spike TV’s double-header.

The announcement on Benson Henderson taking on Patrício Freire, at Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Freire, was made recently, as reported by Bloody Elbow. It should be noted that Henderson is actually going down one weight class to fight in the Lightweight Division. As for Freire, he is going up a weight class since he is known for fighting in the featherweight division. As a matter of fact, that was the division he was champion for almost a year, winning the Bellator MMA Featherweight Championship back in September 5, 2014, when he defeated Pat Curran at Bellator 123: Curran vs. Pitbull 2. He would hold onto that championship until he lost to Daniel Mason-Straus in a championship rematch at Bellator 145: Vengeance.

This is a highly anticipated fight for Bellator MMA. Benson Henderson is a former UFC Lightweight Champion who has defeated great fighters like Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar, Gilbert Melendez, and Josh Thomson. On the other hand, Patrício Freire is one of the most successful fighters on the Bellator MMA roster, winning 13 of his 15 fights in the promotion. And as an added clincher for their fight, it is believed the winner will become the No. 1 contender for the Bellator MMA Lightweight Championship in which they will take on Daniel Mason-Straus (or whoever is the champion by the time the winner takes on the champ).

Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull will actually be part of a “double-header” special by Spike TV. According to MMA Fighting, Benson Henderson versus Patrício Freire is just one of two major main events happening on that night. Premier Boxing Champions will also be featured as Robert Guerrero will take on David Peralta. Jon Slusser, an executive for Spike TV, told the Los Angeles Times about having two combat sports events take place on the same night.

“We believe combat sports fans love a great fight. These are two different types of fights, but if we can introduce more fans to each sport, that does nothing but great things for everyone.”

This might be an opportunity to get MMA fans to jump on the boxing bandwagon too, given the fact that the sport as a whole is said to be dying. Nevertheless, the “double-header” will take place on back-to-back days, August 26 and 27, at the Honda Civic Center in Anaheim, California. The first day will feature Bellator MMA while the second features Premier Boxing Champions.

[Photo by Paul Beaty/AP Images]