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Former WEC, UFC champion Benson Henderson retires after loss at Bellator 292

Benson Henderson has fought for the final time.

The former WEC and UFC champion announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after suffering a first-round submission loss to Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 292 this past Friday. ‘Smooth’ was one of eight fighters competing in the Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix, which started with two quarterfinal fights: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson and Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy.

Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson was over in an instant. After flooring Henderson with a head kick, the reigning Bellator lightweight champion followed up with a barrage of punches before getting on his back and securing a rear-naked choke.