Benson Henderson is an American mixed martial artist known for winning various championships such as the UFC Lightweight Championship and WEC Lightweight Championship . He played his first professional game in 2006 against Dan Gregary. Benson has a mild social media following with more than 200,000 followers on Instagram, more than 300,000 followers on Twitter and more than 400,000 followers on Facebook.

Born name

Benson Henderson

nickname

bendo, smooth

Sun sign

Scorpio

Place of birth

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

residence

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

nationality

training

In 1998, Benson Henderson was enrolled at Decatur High School in Federal Way, Washington. He graduated from high school in 2001 and received admission to Dana College in Blair, Nebraska. He graduated from college in 2006 with a dual major in sociology and criminal law.

occupation

Mixed martial artists

family

• Father – Song Henderson
• Mother – Kim Sung Hwa
• Siblings – Julius Henderson (Older Brother) (Has a black belt in Taekwondo)

Manager

Benson Henderson is represented by Malki Kawa.

Build

Athletic

Height

5 feet 9 inches or 175 cm

weight

71 kg or 156.5 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Benson Henderson dated –

1. Maria Magana (2013-Present) – Benson surprised his longtime girlfriend Maria Magana and UFC crowds in San Jose by proposing to her after winning a close fight against Gilbert Melendez. In January 2014 he pulled another surprise. This time, with the help of his fiancee, he managed to surprise her family. He had invited them to a wedding rehearsal and just before midnight they were surprised to see Maria walking down the aisle with her father. They have 2 sons together.

race/ethnicity

multiracial

He has African American ancestry on his father’s side, while he is of Korean descent on his mother’s side.

hair colour

Black

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• Curly hair
• Eyes

brand promotion

Benson Henderson has used his social media presence to promote various brands and products.

religion

He is a devout Christian. He often credits his success on the field with his faith.

Known for

• To be one of the most successful American MMA fighters. He has won the UFC Lightweight Championship and WEC Lightweight Championship .
• His eventful and successful stint at Bellator MMA .

First MMA fight

• In 2006 he made his MMA debut in a match against Dan Gregary.
• He made his UFC debut fighting Mark Bocek at UFC 129 in April 2011. He won the match via unanimous decision.

first movie

To date, he has not appeared in any movies.

First TV show

Aside from broadcasting MMA fights, Benson Henderson has not appeared on any television shows to date.

Personal trainer

Benson Henderson works very hard in the gym to stay at the top of his game. He trains 4 times a day. He starts the day with a training session with his conditioning coach and strength coach. Benson follows up with a private session with a Muay Thai trainer or a boxing trainer.

He also has a training session with a martial arts stand-up trainer and then works with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trainer. He also has to work with his head coach, John Crouch. To make sure he doesn’t tire his body, he gets full rest 3 days a week.

On the days he works out, he relies on smaller meals as it’s difficult to work out on a full stomach. He eats about an hour before training and then within an hour after training. In total, he eats 8 meals a day. However, he is not a fan of supplements and relies solely on his food intake for his nutritional needs.

His first meal of the day is usually egg white and oatmeal. Some days he might add a slice of double-fiber whole wheat toast to his breakfast meal. For the rest of the meals, he usually eats chicken breast and brown rice. He occasionally swaps chicken breasts for fish and lean turkey. He also adds veggies to some of his meals.

Benson Henderson favorite things

His favorite things are not known.

Benson Henderson Facts

1. When he was 9 years old, he was enrolled in the Taekwondo class at his mother’s urging. Since Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art, she wanted him to learn a bit about her culture and heritage.
2. During his high school years, he was a member of the high school wrestling team. He was also a member of the wrestling team at Dana College . He was also twice named a NAIA All-American.
3. In February 2016, it was announced that he had signed a contract with Bellator MMA .
4. In 2012, he was named Fighter of the Year by UFC and ESPN.
5. Visit his official website at www.smoothbensonhenderson.com.
6. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.