Benson Henderson is set to enter the PFL smart cage next month, a development that brings amusement to his former training partner, James Nakashima. Henderson, a former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, is scheduled to face Patrick Habirora on May 23, 2026, at the ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium, for the Professional Fighters League.
Nakashima, a former ONE Championship competitor who recently secured the Unified MMA lightweight championship in Canada, commented on Henderson’s upcoming PFL bout. When asked about his awareness of Henderson’s fight against an undefeated prospect like Habirora, Nakashima stated, according to Bowks Talking Bouts:
“No, I don’t; I rarely get on social media. So I didn’t know. Me and Benson don’t ever contact. I love Benson, but we were just friends in the practice room. That was it. It didn’t go on beyond any of that. So, I hardly only stay in contact with a couple people from The [MMA] Lab, but Benson’s he’s; fighters don’t ever retire. I guess that’s kind of what I’ve heard and that’s funny.”
Nakashima elaborated on the tendency of fighters to struggle with retirement, noting Henderson’s dedication to training:
“I don’t know. I just feel like fighters never retire. As long as they keep calling and Benson’s training. Benson, for any one workout, Benson will train as hard as; he can go as deep and as in the water as anybody, anyone. Benson’s a dog. So that’s cool to hear that he’s fighting again. Like I said, that’s funny because I always think that’s funny whenever fighters say that they retire and I don’t know, they always come back.”
