Scott Coker & Bellator Will Have Conversation With Benson Henderson

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson picked up his second-straight victory at welterweight last weekend (November 28, 2015) against Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC Fight Night 79 from South Korea.

This bout also marked the last on Henderson’s current contract with the UFC, and many felt as if he hinted at leaving the promotion in his post-fight interview. He cleared the air later on saying that while he may test free agency, he plans to retire inside of the Octagon.

That being said, there may be some intriguing options for “Smooth”, specifically the seemingly new and improved Bellator headed by one Scott Coker.

Recently speaking on the topic with MMAFighting, Coker indeed stated that he was interested in a “great talent” like Henderson, and once the former champ is officially free, Bellator will discuss options:

“We’re trying to find out if he’s free yet,” Coker said. “They (UFC) may have an exclusive negotiating period. We’re trying to find out what the situation is. Once he’s free, we’ll definitely have a conversation with him. He’s a great talent, he’s an amazing talent. He’ll be highly coveted. We’ll see where his head is at but we’ll definitely have that conversation.”

It was also recently reported that a Korean based promotion, Road FC, was already in the process of offering Henderson what seemed to be a somewhat lucrative deal.

“Smooth” may have played his cards just right, as he may have multiple options to choose from.

Should the MMA Lab product attempt to regain UFC gold, or should he test the waters?