Benson Henderson double-legs opponent off stage in wild grappling match at Polaris 6

Benson Henderson double-legs opponent off stage in wild grappling match at Polaris 6

On a rare Saturday without major MMA, Benson Henderson found a way to stay busy.

Henderson, the former UFC lightweight champion, took on jiu-jitsu ace AJ Agazarm in the co-main event of U.K. grappling event Polaris 6 this weekend in London. The no-gi match was a rematch of a contest Henderson won via decision in June 2016, and on Saturday, the sequel delivered in spades, as Henderson and Agazarm battled back-and-forth in a heated matchup filled with scrambles, near-submissions, and drama galore.

Henderson and Agazarm even toppled off the stage — twice — courtesy of a pair of takedown attempts from the Bellator lightweight contender.

Henderson, 34, ultimately won the rematch via decision, moving his record in his grappling rivalry with Agazarm to 2-0. Afterward, “Smooth” said he hopes to compete as much as possible in 2018, both in sport jiu-jitsu and inside the Bellator cage.

In Polaris 6’s main event, Australian jiu-jitsu black Craig Jones made quick work of one-time UFC title challenger Jake Shields, submitting the American with an inside heel hook in less than a minute.