Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson will be fighting for the third time, but this time it won’t be in MMA.
Pettis and Henderson first fought in 2010 at WEC 43 and it was ‘Showtime’ who won by decision to become the WEC lightweight champion. The two rematched back at UFC 164 in 2013, with Pettis winning once again, but this time by submission in the first round to become the new UFC lightweight champ.
Since then, Pettis has gone on to PFL, while Henderson has fought in Bellator. But, the third meeting will take place at Karate Combat 43 in a 170-pound match on Dec. 15 at the Expo at World Trade Market in Las Vegas, according to MMAFighting.
The event will also air free on YouTube, according to new Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi. Along with Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson, the company is “in talks” with former UFC champions Jose Aldo, Michael Page, Darren Till, Luke Rockhold, and Lyoto Machida for potential matches in the pit.
“I wanted to start off by gifting the combat sports community with an epic fight featuring two former UFC champions free on YouTube,” Zaidi said.
Anthony Pettis, meanwhile, said in a statement he is thrilled to join Karate Combat as he looks to help build the promotion. and the sport.
“I am excited to announce my next endeavor with the Karate Combat family,” Pettis said. “I am returning to my traditional martial arts roots for this one. I am the most complete and exciting striker in martial arts and I will show the world where my expertise in MMA comes from. I want to help grow this sport and I can’t wait to put on a show for this organization. It’s Showtime!”
Anthony Pettis (25-14) is currently on a two-fight losing streak in MMA as he lost both fights to Stevie Ray in PFL. His last fight was in boxing back in April as he defeated Roy Jones Jr. by decision.
Benson Henderson (30-12) is coming off a submission loss to Usman Nurmagomedov back in March for the Bellator lightweight title. Following the loss, Henderson announced his retirement from MMA.
