Photo credit to Bellator.com
Chandler vs Henderson Rematch Scheduled For Aug. 7th Bellator
The Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson sequel will unfold later this Summer. There was an initial report from Combate on this fight. The booking was later confirmed to MMA Fighting via multiple sources close to the situation. The two were supposed to fight at Bellator Japan late-December of last year. Henderson ultimately sustained an injury and the fight did not go down. The rescheduled fight was then set for Bellator 244 in June 2020. This event was canceled as the result of a global pandemic/ COVID-19 considerations.
Hopefully, the third time is the charm for this high stakes lightweight rematch. The promotion has not done a show since February. Bellator’s return to action is scheduled for July 24th. A card that is already beginning to take shape. This bout announcement for an August 7th show gives hope for an even more comprehensive schedule being further fleshed out going forward.
Chandler vs Henderson Rematch
This marks the last fight on Chandler’s Bellator contract and he has teased entertaining free agency in recent months. Iron Mike’s last outing saw him defeat Sidney Outlaw at Bellator 237. Chandler halted his opponent via KO less than there minutes in the first frame to the delight of the Japanese spectators. There’s a lot of pressure on Chandler’s shoulders to have another statement performance. So as to optimize his leveraging power while entering free agency. Conversely, Benson Henderson has a whole host of factors to motivate him in this one.
The former UFC lightweight champion has contended for gold at both 155 bs and 170lbs in Bellator. Albeit with both bids falling short of the mark. Now Smooth is riding a four-fight winning streak leading into this one. Henderson has more momentum than he’s ever had in his Bellator MMA career. This is key especially when considering Henderson was the last man to defeat dual division (featherweight and lightweight) Bellator champ, Patricio Pitbull. A win here over Chandler could potentially position Henderson as the number one contender for that 155 lb belt.
