Former UFC champion Benson Henderson, after retiring from MMA in 2023, is set to make his boxing debut against Chris Avila in a one-night light heavyweight tournament for Misfits Boxing, while the main event features Elle Brooke defending her middleweight title against Jenny Savage.
Former UFC champion Benson Henderson retired from MMA in 2023. But guess what? He’s not done fighting.
Misfits Boxing announced on Tuesday that Henderson would clash with fellow UFC and Bellator veteran Chris Avila. This matchup is part of a one-night light heavyweight tournament for the influencer-led promotion.
On one side of the bracket, it’s Henderson vs. Avila. On the other, Idris Virgo clashes with Fes Batista.
The winners from these two fights meet later that same night. The goal? To crown the tournament champion.
For Henderson, this fight against Avila marks his first boxing match. Just last December, he tested the waters with Karate Combat against Anthony Pettis. He’s also dabbled in submission grappling matches before. Now, he’s strapping on boxing gloves for the first time.
Avila, on the other hand, has made quite a career for himself since transitioning to boxing. He boasts six straight wins in the ring, including victories over Pettis, Jeremy Stephens, and Anthony Taylor.
When it comes to the main event for the Misfits card, online personality Elle Brooke is set to defend her MFB middleweight title. Her opponent? BKFC veteran Jenny Savage.
Brooke returns to action after a closely contested draw against UFC veteran Paige VanZant back in May. It seemed like Brooke and VanZant were going to meet again sometime in 2024. However, that rematch appears to be on hold for now.
VanZant previously revealed to MMA Fighting that she inked a multi-fight deal with Misfits. So it remains to be seen if she’ll end up fighting Brooke or someone else when she returns to boxing.
The Misfits card, dubbed MF & DAZN: X Series 18, takes place at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England, on Sept. 14. You can catch all the action airing on DAZN.