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Benson Henderson recently admitted that he regards BJ Penn as the greatest lightweight fighter of all time. Henderson mentioned that while others would claim Julio César Chávez Sr. or Sugar Ray Robinson to be the greatest boxer of all time, he considers BJ Penn the very best.
In a recent interview with MMAFighting, Benson Henderson revealed why he considered Penn the lightweight GOAT. He said:
"To me it's not being undefeated... that's kind of a cop out. But you should take a loss and then show the champion you are. You should come back and then go on a fifteen-fight win streak or whatever the case maybe you know. So, for me a lot of it is going to be longevity and bouncing back from adversity...coming back from a loss and going on another fifteen-fight win streak or winning another belt."
Benson Henderson mentioned how the opponent matters in determining GOAT status and compared Penn's fame to Jon Jones'. 'Smooth' also admitted that the reason for Jones' GOAT status was that he got to fight against many big names in the game.
Henderson said:
"Jon Jones is up there, one of the greatest fighters of all time. Demetrious Johnson is up there one of the greatest fighters of all time. But sadly not B.J's fault. He didn't have the greatest opponents to fight. He didn't have the great big names to fight like Jon Jones did. Jon Jones had how many former champions that he fought and he put away. Not you know... B.J's fault but he didn't have those former champions to beat. He beat everybody and he finished them all and with style. I love B.J."
Watch the full video here:
Benson Henderson to face Brent Primus next
Bellator MMA announced last month that Benson Henderson will face former Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus on October 16, 2021 at Bellator 268.
Henderson is currently on a two-fight losing streak, including a first-round KO in Michael Chandler's final Bellator appearance. Last November, Benson Henderson fought Jason Jackson at welterweight and lost via unanimous decision.
This will be a crucial fight for Henderson as he progresses on his road to redemption.
