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411 Fact or Fiction MMA: Should Dan Henderson Retire?
Welcome back to another edition of 411 Fact or Fiction MMA, and I’m your host, Wyatt Beougher! Last week, Dino Zee and Evan Zivin debated whether or not Jon Jones had actually changed during his time away from the sport (and social media), Kurt Angle’s possible future with Bellator, and more, and honestly, I thought Evan has as much chance as anyone of stopping Dino’s regular season roll. True to that thought, Evan actually took a lead on Dino in the early goings, and was tied with him after twenty-four hours, something I’ve yet to see in as many times as Dino has participated. But, by the time the dust settled, the result was the same – Dino picked up the 18-14 win. Great effort from both guys last week, and this week’s contest should be every bit as good, as Scott Kuczkowski and Alex Rella will discuss Dan Henderson’s future, Bellator’s schizophrenic approach to booking shows, and more!
TALE OF THE TAPE
RED CORNER
Scott “Kuch” Kuczkowski
Contributor, 411 MMA Zone
0-4-0
VS
BLUE CORNER
Alex “Little Mac” Rella
Contributor, 411 MMA Zone
1-3-0
1.) With only two wins in his last eight fights, and half of his losses coming via knockout or technical knockout, it is likely that Dana White will try to convince Dan Henderson to retire.
Scott Kuczkowski: FICTION Dana White should try to convince Dan Henderson that it’s time to hang up his gloves, but I’m not sure Dana and Hendo have the type of relationship where Hendo would be receptive to that suggestion. I’m not saying the two are at odds with each other, but Hendo has always seemed like a guy who likes to march to the beat of his own drum and doesn’t really want someone else (especially a promoter) telling him when he should stop fighting. Hendo would probably be receptive if the talk came from Randy Couture or Matt Lindland, but I don’t know if he would listen to Dana. And frankly, I don’t know if Dana is interested in trying to have that talk. Dana usually reserves those chats for guys that he plans to have work for the UFC after they retire, and I don’t think he has the same idea for Hendo. In the end, Hendo should hang up his gloves for good, and Dana should try to urge him to do it, but I’d bet Dana will instead probably let him finish out his contract and then let him go.
Alex Rella: FICTION Yes Dana White should convince him to retire, but I don’t see it happening at this moment. While he is 2-6 in his last eight fights, an optimist (or someone caring about profit more than his well being) could also look at him as being 2-3 in his last five fights. Hendo has one fight left on his contract and White could argue he’s only one fight removed from beating Tim Boetsch with a highlight reel knockout. My guess is they give him one more fight against another veteran fighter, induct him in the UFC Hall of Fame, and give him a grand farewell. Of course this gives them the chance to profit off of Henderson one last time too.
Also keep in mind how stubborn Henderson is. After every time he’s been finished in this stretch, Hendo immediately talks about how it was a bad stoppage and he wasn’t really in danger. He’s never once even hinted at not slowing down or maybe the end is near. Even if the UFC implores him to retire, they can’t do anything to stop him from fighting once his contract is up. He could go to Bellator, WSOF, or some other company and continue to fight until he’s 50. While he can still beat most fighters in other companies, it’ll also mean he’ll continue to take damage in the process. I think the UFC will give him one last fight. Hopefully it’s against an older fighter and then we can hope he rides into the sunset, even if it is really unlikely.
2.) With three talented competitors trading championship wins at the top of their featherweight division, Bellator would be wise to ensure that either new champion Daniel Straus or top challengers Pat Curran and Patricio Freire feature on shows designed to draw in casual fans, like February’s Bellator 149.
Scott Kuczkowski: FACT This would be the logical thing to do, but this is Scott Coker and Bellator we’re talking about, which means they won’t do it. Coker is too busy resurrecting guys out of their retirement homes and getting them to put on fights that should have happened 15 years ago. And that’s a shame, because Bellator has a lot of marketable fighters and fights to make. Easy match-making is having Curran and Straus finish their trilogy. Daniel Weichel, Des Green, and Fabricio Guerreiro are three other guys that sit at the top of their Featherweight Division. My point is that there are fights to make, potentially even a one-night tournament if Bellator wanted to. We all know what Bellator should do; the question is whether or not Bellator will do it.
Alex Rella: FACT Yeah, they could definitely benefit from being on one of those loaded shows created to target casual fans. The three of them need to build themselves back up a bit in the eyes of the fans. They’re all so talented and evenly matched that they’ve been trading wins and it hurts their marketability a bit. Shows like Bellator 149 needs credible young fighters to fill out the rest of their cards and all three would be great options.
But they need to keep these guys away from each other for awhile. They need to get some fresh blood into the title picture. Get Straus some new contenders and maybe wait at least a year to give Curran or Pitbull another title shot. Don’t rush another fight between the three, wait until people really want to see it again. But yes, the best way to build them up in the eyes of casual fans is to put them on the undercard of shows with freakshow fights in the main event. It’ll give Bellator 149 the energetic yet technical fights they are severely lacking up top and hopefully get people get interested in watching them more in the future.
3.) For all of the strong performances at UFC Fight NIght 77 from up-and-coming fighters, Rashid Magomedov was the most impressive.
Scott Kuczkowski: FICTION I thought Magomedov looked really good in his fight with Gilbert Burns, but I think the prospect that stood out the most was Thomas Almeida. Almeida made easy work of a very game Anthony Birchak and made it look pretty easy. Almeida has some great striking and has a look and style that will make people want to tune in for his fights. Fans love knockouts and flashy performances, which Almeida naturally excels at. If Almeida can stay healthy and exciting, there is no reason he shouldn’t be in line for a title shot next year. Heck, if I were him, I’d stay in fighting shape so he can be a last minute replacement when Dominick Cruz gets injured and his fight with TJ Dillashaw is in jeopardy.
Alex Rella: FICTION While he was very good, Thomas Almeida has the edge on being most impressive to me. Anthony Birchak is a pretty good fighter, having just knocked out former Bellator champion Joe Soto and Almeida annihilated him with an absolutely brutal punch. Almeida is now 20-0 and has won post fight bonuses in all 4 of his UFC fights. This win has to put him near the title picture too. Magomedov dominated Burns and I want to see how he does against a UFC veteran, but that knockout was so good that I can’t wait to see Almeida fight again and I want to see him matched up against some of the elite bantamweights in the UFC. That’s not a knock on Magomedov, who has been nothing short of impressive since coming over to the UFC. Almeida was just a little more exciting and I can’t wait to see the next match-up.
SWITCH!
4.) While a third fight between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie, co-headlined by a fight between Kimbo Slice and his former bodyguard Dhafir Harris, will almost certainly draw a lot of eyes to Bellator 149, it will be imperative for Bellator to round out the rest of the card with legitimate, in-their-prime performers.
Alex Rella: FACT I touched on this briefly in a previous response, but absolutely yes. I think Bellator’s recent matchmaking has been a lot of fun, but it won’t last forever. Eventually they’ll run out of aging legends to book and eventually Kimbo Slice is going to lose again. They need to capitalize on these rating draws while they can. They need to load other fights on the show with some young great fighters that a lot of fans may not know too much about. They have an opportunity to almost force people to watch these other fights in order to get to Slice and Gracie vs Shamrock. Bellator won’t survive on this crazy booking forever. It’s getting results now, but it will all be for nothing if they don’t use it as a vehicle to also showcase their younger fighters that are the sustainable future of the company.
Scott Kuczkowski: FACT This would probably be a good chance for them to have that 4-man, one-night tournament that I mentioned in my response for statement 2. At least have Koreshkov rematch with Lima or have Galvao and Warren complete their trilogy. Bellator at least needs to have something involving current fighters, because right now this card smells of a Japanese freak show. The only issue is that when a card like this is built around fighters/matchups way past their prime, almost everything associated with it is a freak show. Unfortunately, Bellator will probably focus on the geriatrics, give Kurt Angle too much time on the mic, and the rest of the fighters who are still doing this for a living will be left in the shadows.
5.) It is highly unlikely that Miesha Tate retires as a result of being passed over for a title shot in favor of Holly Holm, but the simple fact of suggesting it will only serve to further aggrieve her relationship with Dana White, which could in turn cause her to retire.
Alex Rella: FACT I don’t see her retiring. Yes she has a legitimate gripe and should be pissed off after being promised a title shot, but these talks of retirement will subside when she comes to her senses and realizes MMA is huge and her main source of money. Tate made $85,000 in her last fight, which is way more than most fighters in the UFC. She’s crazy to think she’ll make that kind of money doing direct-to-DVD movies and hosting parties in Vegas. She is a college graduate, so I’m sure she’s smart enough to go have a normal career, but again it is unlikely she’ll make this kind of money elsewhere. Tate is in the prime of her career and there truly isn’t another woman in the UFC’s bantamweight division that can beat her besides Rousey (Yes, I pick Tate over Zingano in a rematch). She would be smart to finish out her contract and make good money while she can. Then she can jump over to Bellator where they’ll give her even bigger money and treat her like their top star.
Even if White is pissed off at her, the worst thing he can do is continue to keep her out of the title picture. It’s dumb business to keep a talented fighter and good draw out of action because you’re pissed off at her. White can be spiteful, but he doesn’t get out of control when it means dumb business.
Scott Kuczkowski: FACT…sort of. I don’t think Miesha Tate is really going to retire; I think she is just pouting in the corner and hoping that this will get her what she wants. Yes, it was unfair that the UFC decided to not give her the title shot that they promised her, but she also needs to understand that this is a business, and losing to the champ a 3rd time (which she would have) would effectively mean she would never challenge for the title again. Ever. Fucking ever. Does she really want to be in a Urijah Faber’s situation (without the charisma and fight team)? Able to beat most challengers but unable to dethrone the champ? Because that’s where she’s headed after she loses to Ronda again. At least in this position, she has the opportunity to still fight and talk out loud about how she plans to someday win the belt. And honestly, I think all this bitching is actually hurting her image, because fans will be sympathetic when you get screwed out of a title shot, but they have little tolerance for fighters who pout and claim they will retire if the promotion doesn’t meet their demands. She needs to keep fighting and winning and she’ll eventually get another crack at the gold. Life isn’t always fair.
6.) Tsuyoshi Kohsaka makes sense as Fedor Emelienenko’s first opponent in his return to fighting, considering the fighters available, Kohsaka’s name in Japan, and the fact that he was responsible for Fedor’s first loss, no matter how questionable the circumstances.
Alex Rella: FICTION I don’t know what to think about this. It doesn’t appear to be official just yet, but the top names thrown around are Kohsaka or Baruto Kaito. I can understand Fedor not getting a top opponent like Kharitonov in his first fight back in over three years. It makes sense not to throw him up against the best heavyweights available right away as it can go horribly wrong right off the bat. I do want to see somewhat of a legitimate fight though and I think most fans agree. I also understand there aren’t many interesting match-ups out there as it isn’t exciting to see Fedor vs some unknown Japanese fighter or M-1 guy just because they have a respectable record. But is this really the best they can do? I’m still hoping they come up with something a little more interesting and a little more legitimate. Kohsaka hasn’t fought since 2006 and nobody in MMA wants to see a rubber match. The first one was a bogus loss and Fedor murdered him in the rematch. Is Kohsaka even a draw in Japan? I don’t think so. Hopefully an opponent comes up that nobody has thought of yet.
Scott Kuczkowski: FICTION The only way this fight would make sense is if it was 2005. Fedor already avenged his loss against Kohsaka by beating the crap out of him for 10 minutes; do we really need to see it again a full decade later? Look, I get it; Rizin wants to capitalize on Fedor’s return and they want to scrape every dollar (yen) out of the situation that they can. And I understand that they need to book Fedor against opponents that make him look like he did in his prime while simultaneously not presenting any threat to him whatsoever. I get all that…we don’t want to ruin the charade that Rizin has brewing. But for cripes sakes, are we really supposed to believe that there isn’t an active fighter out there that they can pay to take a dive? Really? Because Kohsaka hasn’t done anything in 9 years. What about Tim Sylvia? Or Wes Simms? Or even Travis Fulton? Those are three guys who have at least been in the cage since Fedor’s retirement and probably wouldn’t think twice about taking a dive if the price was right. Right now, evening mentioning Kohsaka makes it seem like they aren’t even trying.
So who won? Did Kuch finally pick up his first win or did Alex move closer to .500? You’ve got until midnight eastern on Saturday to vote, so make sure you make your voice heard!
And that’s it for today, but we’ll be back next week with another contest! As always, if there’s anything you’d like to see featured in a future edition, leave your statement in the comments and I’ll add it in. Let me know what you thought in the comments or on Twitter. And please, be sure to vote!
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