Benson Henderson ponders move to Welterweight

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson has been steadfast in saying that he wants to break Anderson Silva‘s record for title defenses. He currently has one to Silva’s ten, so he certainly has a long way to go before he can even consider Silva’s seemingly untouchable record. However, his biggest challenge to chase Silva’s benchmark may not be in the Octagon. Instead, the scale can prove to be Henderson’s biggest foe.

“I’m growing, but as far as maturing and getting thicker, I think I’m getting older right now, and it’s getting harder for me to lose the weight … and it’s harder for me to keep the weight off,” he said in an interview with MMA Junkie recently. Although Henderson fights in the 155 pound division, he has been known to walk around at somewhere between 180 and 190 pounds. The 28-year-old is slowly realizing that shaving the weight is not as easy as it once was. As a matter of fact, it’s becoming rather rough and could result in his departure from the division if the cut becomes too strenuous. But while he can make the weight, he’ll do so. He currently enjoys a hefty size and reach advantage over his lightweight counterparts. A move up in weight will negate all of those advantages.

How long will he be able to stay at lightweight? Nobody knows except for Henderson. But “Smooth” is making a conscious effort to monitor his diet to ensure that he can one day catch Silva for most title defenses. 

“In life, you go through different phases of maturing,” he said. “Some people have a maturation of how you act with other people, and how they conduct themselves and how they treat themselves as professionals. A part of that maturation process that every athlete goes through is taking care of yourself and being smart with your body.”