Usman Nurmagomedov retires Benson Henderson, keeps Bellator title

The Bellator 292 main event served as somewhat of a passing of the torch in the lightweight division, as one of the top up-and-coming talents in mixed martial arts earned his first title defense while a legend bid farewell to the sport.

Usman Nurmagomedov secured the biggest win of his career with ease Friday night in San Jose, submitting former UFC champion Benson Henderson with a rear-naked choke at the 2:37 mark of the first round. With the victory, Nurmagomedov retained his title for the first time and advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix.

Henderson, 39, announced his retirement in his postfight interview, putting his gloves on the canvas.

"These last four fights I signed with Bellator, I told myself that if I lose at all ... then it's about that time," Henderson said. "I've had a nice, long run."

Nurmagomedov, the 24-year-old cousin of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, almost beat Henderson within seconds of the opening horn. He knocked him down with a question-mark kick and hurt him more with ground-and-pound shots.

Henderson recovered and survived for a while, but Nurmagomedov took full mount and then transitioned to his opponent's back, eventually sinking in the submission and forcing the tap.

Nurmagomedov will next defend his title against the winner of the May 12 bout between ex-champ Brent Primus and Mansour Barnaoui.

The Dagestani fighter remained undefeated Friday, lifting his professional record to 17-0 and his Bellator mark to 6-0. He was around a 20-to-1 betting favorite against Henderson. Nurmagomedov captured the lightweight title last November by dominating Patricky "Pitbull" Freire in a unanimous decision victory.

Henderson is arguably one of the greatest, most underappreciated lightweights in MMA history. He held titles in two major promotions; he won WEC gold in 2010 and then held the UFC championship from 2012-13, losing both to Anthony Pettis. Henderson is tied with BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar, and Khabib Nurmagomedov for most UFC lightweight title defenses (three).

"Smooth" earned many notable victories at 155 pounds throughout his 17-year pro career, beating the likes of Edgar (twice), Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone (twice), Gilbert Melendez, Clay Guida, Jim Miller, Josh Thomson, and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire.

Henderson also competed at welterweight in the later stages of his career, beating Jorge Masvidal and Brandon Thatch.

Henderson left the UFC after a four-year run in 2016 and signed with Bellator. He fought for the Bellator welterweight title once and lightweight title twice, coming up short all three times. He went 7-7 in the promotion and was riding a two-fight winning streak before the Nurmagomedov fight. Henderson retires with a 30-12 record overall.

On the other side of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix bracket, Alexander Shabliy defeated Tofiq Musayev in a bizarre TKO finish in Friday's co-main event. Shabliy will face the winner between AJ McKee and Patricky Freire in the other semifinal bout.