Henderson is registered to participate in the tournament’s brown belt middle division on Sunday, March 24, less than four weeks away from his UFC on Fox 7 title defense against former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.

With the Pan, Henderson competes in his second Jiu-Jitsu tournament in less than a month. He entered the 8th Arizona Open earlier in March, winning two gold medals in the process.

“It’s great to test myself here,” Henderson told GracieMag.com in Arizona earlier this month. “It helps me to keep my drive and my competitive spirit going.”

A UFC official told GracieMag.com on Friday that they have no issues with “Bendo” participating in the grappling tournament. They added that the organization does not object to its athletes competing in grappling competitions.

Representatives for Henderson did not return calls or emails requesting comment at the time of this publication.

After the 2013 Pan, Henderson defends his UFC title on April 20 in San Jose, Calif. at the HP Pavilion. Henderson and Melendez headline the card, which includes a co-main event between Strikeforce Heavyweight GP winner Daniel Cormier and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.

Five weeks out from his UFC lightweight title defense against Gilbert Melendez, Benson Henderson won two gold medals at the 8th Arizona Open Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Phoenix. Watch the video above of the champ competing against Christian Broadnax.

The matchup will serve as Melendez’s long-awaited debut in the organization, and will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on April 20.

Henderson (18-2) was last seen successfully defending his title against Melendez’s teammate, Nate Diaz, at UFC on FOX 6 in December. With the win, “Bendo” won his sixth consecutive fight and has not seen defeat since losing to Anthony Pettis at the final WEC card in December 2010.

Melendez (21-2) has spent the last five years fighting exclusively for Strikeforce, where he held the promotion’s 155-pound title. Since Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, bought the company in March 2011, much of the talk surrounding Melendez has been about when the fighter will move over to the world’s leading MMA promotion. Roadblocks behind the scenes have prevented that transition, but since Strikeforce closed its doors last weekend, Melendez’s UFC debut is all but guaranteed.

When contacted by GRACIEMAG.com on Monday, Zuffa officials could not confirm if the Henderson-Melendez bout is signed.

MMAFighting.com first reported news of the matchup.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,
visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

*Photos by Ezra Shaw/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images and Esther Lin/Forza LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Benson Henderson went the distance with Nate Diaz, successfully defending his title, and earning the unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 5 in Seattle’s Key Arena on Saturday night.

Henderson kept Diaz’s boxing a non-factor by constantly pressuring the challenger with clinches, and scoring several takedowns. Judges saw it in the defending champion’s favor with scores of 50-43, 50-45 and 50-45.

“It’s just a matter of being well-prepared,” Henderson said in his post-fight interview following the win.

The champ landed several kicks to Diaz’s legs in the first round, and put the challenger on his back on more than one occasion. While there, “Bendo” stayed in top position, landing hammer fists. As time expired, Henderson walked to his corner winning the round.

Bendo continued landing leg kicks in the second round, as Diaz looked to land punches. Henderson even began to jab Diaz’s leg, all in an effort to land a big punch that put the challenger on his back. After the fight returned to the feet, Henderson initiated a clinch and landed several short shots. Diaz executed a hip toss, but was unable to keep his opponent on the ground. The second round ended on the feet with Henderson ahead on the scorecard.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The fight continued in Henderson’s favor in the third frame. The champion secured yet another takedown, but Diaz did well on the ground and scrambled to nearly getting a kneebar at one point and an ankle lock at another. After returning to the feet, a right hand by Henderson landed cleanly, sending Diaz falling back and on the ground. The round ended with Henderson in top position.

Henderson scored his fifth takedown in the first minute of the fourth round, and secured his sixth shortly after. The champ stayed in an advantageous position on the ground, never allowing Diaz to mount an offense through the final minute of the time frame. The round ended just after Henderson allowed Diaz to stand back on his feet.

The final round began with Diaz owning a swollen right eye, and Henderson raising his hands to the cheers of the crowd. Henderson stifled his opponent on the feet, slamming him back to the ground 90 seconds into round. Diaz attempted a kimura, but wasn’t able to hold onto it and the fight returned to the feet. After a scramble, Henderson landed a strong right hand that put the finishing touches on the unanimous decision.

With the win, Henderson retains his lightweight title and remains undefeated in the UFC with an 18-2 overall record. In defeat, Diaz drops to 16-8.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section