Benson Henderson & Anthony Pettis to Headline Karate Combat Event

Former UFC champions Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson are going round three together.

It was announced on Tuesday that the combat sports veterans would be meeting for a third time when they meet at Karate Combat 43. The bout will take place on December 15th at the Expo at World Trade Market in Las Vegas. The bout will take place at 170 pounds, their previous two bouts were at 155 pounds.

Anthony Pettis vs. Ben Henderson is set to headline Karate Combat 43 in December

Also, company officials tell me they are “in talks” with José Aldo, Luke Rockhold, Lyoto Machida, Michael Page and Darren Till for potential deals.https://t.co/zdS2LLY1Rl

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The first time they met was in 2010 at WEC 53. Pettis defeated Henderson in one of the sport’s all-time fights to win the promotion’s lightweight title. The highlight of the bout came in the fifth round when Pettis unleashed his now patented “Showtime kick.” The second time was three years later in 2013 at UFC 164.

In front of a hometown crowd in Milwaukee, Pettis submitted Henderson with an armbar to claim the UFC lightweight champion.

Pettis has most recently competed under the PFL banner going 1-4 in his tenure with the promotion. His last bout came in August of 2022 when he lost a decision to Stevie Ray. His last win came against Myles Price in May of 2022.

Benson Henderson retired from MMA in March after losing to Usman Nurmagomaedov at Bellator 293 in March. Henderson ended his MMA career going 2-4 in his last six bouts.