Benson Henderson vs. Chris Avila booked for 1-night tournament at Misfits Boxing 18

Former UFC champion Benson Henderson retired from MMA in 2023, but he’s not done fighting.

Misfits Boxing announced on Tuesday that Henderson would clash with fellow UFC and Bellator veteran Chris Avila in a matchup that takes place as part of a one-night light heavyweight tournament for the influencer-led promotion. While Henderson battles Avila on one side of the bracket, Idris Virgo clashes with Fes Batista in the other semifinal matchup.

The winners from the two fights then meet later that same night to crown the tournament champion.

For Henderson, the fight against Avila serves as his first boxing match after he tested the waters with Karate Combat this past December for a matchup against Anthony Pettis. Henderson has also competed in submission grappling matches in the past, but now he’s strapping on a pair of gloves and entering the boxing arena for the first time.

As for Avila, the Nate Diaz protégé has made quite a career for himself since transitioning to boxing with six straight wins in the ring including victories over Pettis, Jeremy Stephens and Anthony Taylor

When it comes to the main event for the Misfits card, online personality Elle Brooke is set to defend her MFB middleweight title against BKFC veteran Jenny Savage.

Brooke returns to action after fighting to a closely contested draw against UFC veteran Paige VanZant back in May. It appeared Brooke and VanZant were going to meet again sometime in 2024, but it appears that rematch is on hold for now.

VanZant previously revealed to MMA Fighting that she inked a multi-fight deal with Misfits so it remains to be seen if she’ll end up fighting Brooke or someone else when she returns to boxing.

The Misfits card dubbed MF & DAZN: X Series 18 takes place from the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England on Sept. 14 with the card airing on DAZN.