Benson Henderson gets a chance to avenge his loss against Michael Chandler this June. It is a fight that he has been excited for since it was originally booked in December. Although it got pushed back due to an injury that prevented him from training, Henderson cannot wait until he and Chandler meet again.
So much so, that Henderson said during the Bellator Spring/Summer Showcase on Monday that everyone present should have fought that day. When he sat down with MMANews, his response to what fans can expect for the rematch was, “The same thing I did last time.” Henderson lost their first match via split decision at Bellator 165 but he feels he should have gotten the nod over Chandler.
“He got the judge’s decision. It went his way, but I felt I definitely beat him up a lot more.” Henderson said looking ahead at the rematch and added, “So, this time I’m going to beat him up a lot more and make it a lot more evident to the three judges who sit cage side.” With a record of 28-8 and a 14-year career, Henderson knows a thing or two about winning and losing by decision.
Of his eight losses, five come by way of decision and with the news of the recent odd judging in the sport, Henderson had an interesting idea on how to fix it. “I don’t think judges are ever purposely doing a bad job,” Henderson said and that maybe not just open scoring, but knowing the reputation of the judges might help too.
“Let the fighters know who the judges are,” Henderson said, and by that Henderson means if a certain judge is known to score more for fighters in a certain position, it should be something the competitor can be made aware of. That way, they know how to win more convincingly should it come down to a decision.
“You look it up as a fighter,” Henderson explained and said, “Like; ‘oh this judge he, scored this fight this way, he scored that way. Like he scores knees super highly, or he scores takedowns super highly or cage control.” As a fighter, Henderson said the only takes that really matter are the judges sitting cage side and regardless of what comes at the end of the fight, “If they think I won, that’s all I care about.”
He will certainly have three judges watching him against Chandler come June 6 at Bellator 244 in Chicago. Will it be in their hands for the rematch?
