Benson Henderson's greatest moments: What are the recently retired former UFC champion's crowning career achievements?

MMA legend and former UFC champion Benson Henderson announced his retirement after his loss to Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 292.

Henderson's MMA career took off after his first loss in his third professional fight as he went on a 10-fight win streak across promotions. In World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Henderson won the lightweight championship and unified it within a handful of fights.

The WEC's merger with the UFC due to their shared ownership under Zuffa LLC led to Henderson making his debut for the world's premier MMA organization at UFC 129 against Mark Bocek.

At UFC 144, Benson Henderson received his title shot against Frankie Edgar for the lightweight championship and the pair put on a Fight of the Night spectacle. Henderson won the title via unanimous decision.

In his first title defense, Henderson rematched Edgar and beat him a second time, except this time around, the two were separated by a split decision. 'Smooth' went on to defend his belt a further two times against Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez.

At UFC 164, Henderson lost his lightweight championship to Anthony Pettis via an armbar submission. A mixed set of results were followed by a move up to welterweight.

Soon after, Henderson signed with Bellator MMA and made his debut in a welterweight championship bout in a loss to Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 153. After a win over Patricio Freire, he moved back to the lightweight division, where he was handed another immediate title shot against Michael Chandler. His second attempt at a Bellator belt was also unsuccessful.

Henderson failed to string together a significant win streak or make a serious case for contention again but nonetheless performed at a high level despite being past his prime.

---

Benson Henderson announces his retirement and addresses Bellator crowd after loss to Usman Nurmagomedov

Benson Henderson was matched up against one of the toughest lightweights in the MMA world after entering Bellator's Lightweight Grand Prix. His quarterfinal bout against lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov was a quick affair, with a first-round submission win for his Dagestani opponent.

In his post-fight speech, 'Smooth' showed love to his fans around the world and expressed his gratitude:

“Hey, San Jose, I love you! I had some great moments in this building. I had some tough moments in this building. San Jose, you guys always been here, you guys always show up! Thank you guys for that. To the whole world, thank you guys for all the love, all the support throughout my career. I always told myself, these last four fights I signed with Bellator, I told myself if I lose at all in these last four fights then it’s about that time. I’ve had a nice long run, I’ve done a lot of great things… Thank you to everybody around the world.”

Benson Henderson's final act inside the cage was the symbolic placement of his gloves in the center of the cage as he drew the curtains on a splendid career.

Check out Benson Henderson's interview on YouTube below: