On Saturday, Michael Chandler will defend his lightweight title against Benson Henderson in the Bellator 165 main event at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. A former UFC lightweight champion, Henderson entered the California-based promotion on the heels of back-to-back wins in the Octagon at 170 pounds. However, “Smooth” was dealt a harsh dose of reality in his Bellator debut, losing a lopsided five-round verdict to then welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov.
Despite that track record, Henderson hasn’t given much thought to a multi-division reign in Bellator should he defeat Chandler.
“I’m going to go get this belt at 155 pounds, but after that I wouldn’t say that belts offer a whole lot of extra incentive. Obviously belts are great and the meaning behind the belt is that you are the best in the planet and that means a lot to say that you are the best at that weight class, but I don’t fight necessarily just for the belt,” Henderson said during a recent media call. “You do want the belt, but right now all I’m concentrating on is [Bellator 165] and a man named Michael Chandler.”
That doesn’t mean that Henderson is against a return to 170 pounds, however, Where he fights is simply a matter of opportunity.
“I wouldn’t say that I think of myself as a lightweight necessarily,” he said. “For me, it’s 155 pounds or 170 pounds, just wherever the more interesting and fun matchups are. But, first things first, I have to take care of business on Saturday night.”
Chandler, who is beginning his second stint as Bellator lightweight champion, doesn’t sound especially interested in pursuing more hardware in a different division. But as a large lightweight, he admits a move up is far more likely than a drop to 145 pounds.
“I haven’t put a lot of thought into it. For me, I’m just looking for the biggest fight I can get,” he said. “I know there’s no way I could make 145 pounds since I walk around at about 190 pounds between fights. So, I’m not interested in losing the muscle mass that I’ve worked so hard to build. If anything, I would jump up to 170 lbs., but right now I’m focused on my fight this Saturday night and I’m excited to get out there and perform.”