Former UFC champ and multi-time Bellator title challenger Benson Henderson returns to the cage at Bellator 208, where he’ll take on the surging Saad Awad.
Saad Awad is getting a well earned step up in competition in his next outing. Per a report by MMA Junkie, Awad is set to face former UFC lightweight champion and two-time Bellator title challenger Benson Henderson at Bellator 208. The card unfolds October 13 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. It’s part of a back-to-back pair of events, with Bellator 207 taking place the day before in Connecticut.
Bellator 208’s main event consists of one of the World Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals, as former Pride champ and all-time great Fedor Emelianenko meets ex-UFC title challenger (thrice over) Chael Sonnen. Henderson vs. Awad will no doubt be part of the event’s main card, and would make a suitable co-main event depending on what else Bellator opts to include at the event, which airs on the Paramount Network.
Henderson (25–8) got back in the win column in April against Roger Huerta at Bellator 196. That submission win snapped a two-fight losing streak for ‘Smooth,’ who has lost title fights in Bellator to both Michael Chandler at lightweight and Andrey Korshkov at welterweight. Overall, Henderson is 2-3 in the promotion, after leaving the UFC on a two-fight winning streak.
Saad Awad (23–9) is in the midst of a four fight win streak heading into Bellator 208. In that span, he has finished Zach Freeman and Ryan Couture, and taken both Ryan Quinn and J.J. Ambrose to decision. Awad, always soft spoken after bouts, finally seems ready for a bit more of the spotlight, having put in years as a Bellator regular. A bout against a former UFC champion will certainly give him that — and a proper shot at ascending to the top of the division.
Expect more bouts to be announced for the Bellator 208 card in the coming weeks.
