Benson Henderson-Rustam Khabilov headline June UFC event in Albuquerque
For the first time, the UFC will touch down in Albuquerque.
The promotion will head to the New Mexico city in June for a “Fight Night†card headlined by former lightweight champion Benson Henderson (20-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and Rustam Khabilov (17-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) – who fights out of the famed Jackson-Winkeljohn camp in Albuquerque.
“UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov†will take place June 7 at Tingley Coliseum. The event was first reported by the Albuquerque Journal.
Tickets for the card go on sale to the general public on April 18. No broadcast plans were revealed for the card, though it’s likely to air on FOX Sports 1 and stream on UFC Fight Pass.
Henderson got back on track in January when he took a split decision from Josh Thomson in the main event of UFC on FOX 10 in Chicago. This past August, he lost his UFC title and seven-fight winning streak to Anthony Pettis with a first-round armbar in Milwaukee. Pettis also took Henderson’s WEC lightweight title in December 2010.
Khabilov, from Dagestan, is unbeaten since coming to the UFC in late 2012, when he knocked out Vinc Pichel at the TUF 16 Finale. He flowed that up with a UFC 159 win over Yancy Medeiros, and this past November, he took “Fight of the Night†honors for his unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal at the UFC’s third “Fight for the Troops†show.
Now he’ll headline a UFC card for the first time, and he’ll do it in front of the fans in his adopted home city.
