Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson was dominated in his Bellator MMA debut Friday.
Henderson, who signed with the promotion as a free agent in February, lost a unanimous decision to welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov in the main event of Bellator 153.
Although Henderson won his last two UFC bouts at welterweight (170 pounds), he is a natural lightweight (155 pounds) and the story of the fight was the clear size and power advantage of Koreshkov. The Russian showcased his crisp striking, dropping Henderson with a flying knee in the first round and several more times throughout the bout.
All three judges scored the fight 50-45, a clean sweep for the 25-year-old. Koreshkov (19-1) won the Bellator title from Douglas Lima at Bellator 140 last July.
A win would have made Henderson the first fighter to hold a UFC, WEC and Bellator title. The 32-year-old debuted in the UFC in 2011 after a successful stint in the WEC. He reached the top of the UFC’s 155-pound division in 2012 and defended his belt three times before losing to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164.
Also at Bellator 153, the charismatic Michael “Venom” Page improved to 10-0 with a toe hold submission win over Jeremie Holloway. Former featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire tapped out Henry Corrales with guillotine choke and Evangelista Santos submitted popular knockout artist Brennan Ward.
