Back to the MMA Newsfeed

‘I was deathly afraid’ - Benson Henderson ditched toothpick for fear of kids copying him

‘Just wait until you have kids of your own.’ It’s a line so common it’s become a cliche that spans generations. In part, of course, because it so often comes true.

That’s a reality former UFC champion and current Bellator talent Benson Henderson had to face up to after years of walking around, and even competing inside the Octagon, with a toothpick in his mouth. Ironically enough, it’s a habit Henderson apparently picked up from his own father, and one that used to worry his mother.

The longtime MMA Lab talent talked about breaking away from his signature idiosyncrasy on a recent episode of the MMA Hour (transcript via MMA Fighting).