Former UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson will soon vacate the 155lb weight class and make a fresh start in the welterweight division.
According to Henderson’s coach John Crouch, ‘Smooth’ plans to have one more fight at lightweight and will then move up to 170lbs.
Why take another fight at 155lbs first? According to Crouch, Henderson doesn’t want to leave the division he once ruled following a loss, after suffering a KO defeat against Rafael dos Anjos back in August.
It’s always been a tough cut down to the lightweight limit for Henderson, so as he got older it was almost inevitable that he’d have to eventually making the switch up, and at 30 years of age there’s still plenty of time for him to make his mark in a new weight class too.
Current welterweight champion Johny Hendricks has a similar frame to Henderson – both are 5ft 9″ with Henderson actually holding a 1″ reach advantage at 70″ – so he should fit in just fine at his new weight class.
Only time will tell whether he’ll be able to match the form that saw him produce an impressive 9-2 run in the UFC’s lightweight division though.
Crouch also revealed on the UFC Tonight show that Henderson’s current intention is to retire at the age of 33 which gives him a little over two years left before it’s time to hang up his gloves.
