Bellator 153 is sure to be overshadowed by the hoopla leading up to UFC 197, and the return of the companies crown jewel—Jon Jones. That’s what happens when a pound-for-pound great makes a long awaited return. But on Friday night, Benson Henderson’s Bellator debut could actually be considered the biggest moment this weekend, this year, and one of the biggest moments in the sports history.
That last sentence isn’t my grand attempt at hyperbole. You are probably saying, “’How could the debut of a guy who is 2-2 in his last four be bigger than the return of maybe the greatest MMA combatant of all-time?” And when put like that, my opinion may be better fit for a mental institution. But I am thinking long-game here my fellow MMA enthusiast. The ramifications of Friday’s main event could be considerable. It is all a part of the ripple effects free agency has had on the sport.
When the Reebok deal was made by the UFC, many fans and pundits knew it was a big shift change in the sport. It was meant to bring a new level of legitimacy to the company. However, few realized that it would help the goals of competing organizations as much as it helped the UFC’s bottom-line.
It was evident early on, that there was dissension in the ranks of the UFC roster after the Reebok deal was made. With the new payment scales, many fighters were taking major pay cuts. Since they were no longer allowed to sport the gear of the sponsors they had developed partnerships with. Not long after, fans started to see phrases they were very familiar with reading in other sports, but not so much in MMA. Fighters were now going to “test free agency.”
The best time in MMA free agency was during Strikeforce’s hey-day. When the likes of Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko came to terms with the company. But even those major signings were discredited as Henderson was viewed as an aging fighter (39-years-old at the time) and Fedor was railed against by fans for not signing with the UFC. Also neither men were fighters considered entering, or in, their primes.
Things changed in April of last year when Phil Davis left the UFC and signed with Bellator. Though never a champion in the company, Davis leaving was noteworthy because he was just turning 31-years-old and in his prime. He was also the first fighter to openly advocate the priority of making the most money you can over fighting in the top organization in the world. It was a watershed moment in the process of free agency. A name fighter with good years ahead of him saying, “show me the money,” and not fearing a career decline by working outside of the UFC.
Scott Coker and what he has done, after taking over control of Bellator, has to be thanked for that. With a new direction in the company, a major rise in ratings, and the financial backing of corporate conglomerate Viacom, Bellator has become the most serious competition the UFC has had since Pride FC was at its strongest.
Davis wasn’t the first “name” signing by Bellator, but he was the most notable addition to a list that included veterans Josh Thomson, Melvin Guillard, Kimbo Slice, Stephan Bonnar, Melvin Manhoef, Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock. Some of those signings could be questioned, but Coker and his team turned those question marks into big ratings. Which is why the recent signing of Wanderlei Silva and negotiated-return of Quinton Jackson are sure to bring more ratings with the added name value.
Aging names aside, Davis’ signing also began a trend of adding fighters with good years ahead them, such as Matt Mitrione and the incomparable Benson Henderson. To date, Henderson’s switching teams and signing with the California-based promotion is the greatest roster addition in the company’s history.
While he may be 2-2 in his last four, those losses came to the best lightweight fighter in the world and UFC champion—Rafael Dos Anjos—and the man who just challenged him for that title—Donald Cerrone. Cerrone’s victory was revenge for the two losses he had previously incurred from “Smooth”. Neither are shameful losses. UFC backers may also note his questionable wins over Frankie Edgar and Josh Thomson. If squeaking by with wins over some of the best fighters in the last decade is a knock, then there are worst issues against a career.
At 23-5 “Bendo” is still one of the better fighters on the planet, and a top-10 lightweight. He has fought a who’s-who of opponents and, at the end of his UFC tenure, turned himself into a genuine two division threat. Henderson has matinee looks and UFC marquee appeal, as he has headlined 13 WEC/UFC cards in his career. Including three on the UFC major network partner–Fox.
His name value is sure to bring in serious sponsorship dollars, a good example to any fighter looking for proof that the money can be better outside the UFC. And that is what it all comes down to for an athlete without a union’s sport. Since the window of a career is so small, fighters have to maximize the opportunity. If Bellator gets strong ratings for Henderson’s debut, it will turn this consistent ripple in the MMA free agency waters into a wave. Fighters will have evidence that you can leave the UFC to make more money, feel better taken care of and still be showcased as a big star.
And this isn’t speculation. After his signing, Henderson was bombarded with calls from UFC fighters looking for advice for when their turn comes to test the waters. Aljamain Sterling was able to take advantage of this rise in competitive negotiations and get a more favorable deal than what he might have two or three years ago. Rory MacDonald has now thrown his name in the hat of soon-to-be free agents open to going to the highest bidder. Proving this is not a trend, but a legit movement in the industry.
On Friday night Benson Henderson will step in the ring with Bellator’s current Welterweight Champion Andrey Koreshkov. He will be given a huge opportunity from his new employer right out of the gate. An early gift for leaving the UFC and trying out the competition. Another clear message to fighters pondering their future employment.
A win could cement his legacy as a type fighter of his generation. Though, the bigger legacy may be the example he sets as the biggest name to ever leave the UFC, while he still had much to offer the sport. And what that move means for the industry for many years to come.
