Benson Henderson stepping away from MMA at the age of 33

Former UFC champion Benson Henderson is just 7 months away from turning 33, an age that will see the former champ step away from MMA.

Prior to his Bellator 153 welterweight title fight against Andrey Koreshkov, which Henderson lost in convincing fashion on Friday night, the former UFC champ spoke to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:

“Remember I said 33 and however many months. I can be 33 and eleven months.”

“The real reason, to be frank with you, is that I will end up joining the military ranks,” he said. “I’ve always held a pretty strong civic duty. Us as Americans, we need to do a better job period.”

Henderson appears to be in good spirits despite the loss, however there has been no word yet on how long he will be out, or when he will be returning to the Octagon.