Henderson Aims for Legendary Finale

It took Dan Henderson four fights to earn his first UFC title shot. Back then, he was a spry 27-year-old who squeaked out decision wins against Allan Goes and Carlos Newton to win the middleweight tournament at UFC 17. His career in mixed martial arts – a term newly minted UFC commissioner Jeff Blatnick began to push as the sport’s official name at UFC 17 – was little more than a way to earn money to fund his wrestling career. Consequently, Henderson had little interest in competing for a UFC championship; it simply wasn’t his goal. And thus, a Henderson vs. Frank Shamrock title match was lost to history. He later departed the UFC altogether following a pay dispute between the UFC and his team, Real American Wrestlers.

Another decade would pass before Henderson returned to the octagon. In the meantime, he established himself as one of the very best middleweights and light heavyweights in the world, winning the Rings King of Kings 1999 tournament (in which he defeated Minotauro Nogueira and Babalu Sobral in the same night), the Pride 2005 Welterweight (183 lbs.) Grand Prix (and along with it the Pride welterweight title), and the Pride middleweight (205 lbs.) championship. A double champion at the time UFC purchased Pride, Henderson competed in a pair of unofficial unification bouts upon his UFC return. First, he dropped a competitive decision to Rampage Jackson at light heavyweight, and then was ensnared in the web of Anderson Silva at middleweight.

In 2009, Henderson all but officially earned a title rematch with Silva. However, UFC favored a different direction for their middleweight champion just as Henderson’s contract came due. He accepted a major offer to jump to Strikeforce, where he failed to capture the promotion’s middleweight title, but rebounded to win the light heavyweight title. After the UFC purchased Strikeforce and Henderson’s Strikeforce deal expired, he returned to the UFC fold in a match with Shogun Rua. With a title shot hanging in the balance, Henderson waged a war with Rua that will be remembered as one of the best in MMA history. “Hendo” came away with the victory by the slightest of margins on the scorecards.

Henderson had a date with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but he never made it to the fight. A week out from show time, he withdrew from the contest with a knee injury. His title opportunity set aside, he lost consecutive bouts to contenders Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans in 2013. Then to close out the year, he was knocked silly by Vitor Belfort – the first knockout loss of Henderson’s storied career. His decline was particularly evident in his next fight, a rematch with Rua. Henderson merely survived two rounds before his legendary right hand ended Shogun’s night. One sided stoppage losses to Daniel Cormier and Gegard Mousasi followed.

His career hanging by a thread, Henderson earned some space to breath with a fast knockout victory against Tim Boetsch. The right hand did it again. The success wasn’t to be sustained, though, as Vitor Belfort quickly knocked Henderson out in a rubber match.

Henderson’s next match against the powerful Hector Lombard could have been the last of his career. Lombard, although less than three months removed from one of the most uncomfortable beatings in UFC history, was favored to take Henderson out. Lombard assaulted him in the opening round, but Henderson stayed alive – and when Dan Henderson is conscious, he can beat anybody in the world. Showing surprising dexterity for an almost-46-year-old, Henderson threw a head kick in the second round. Lombard snatched the leg and held it, but Henderson countered with a wicked standing back elbow that put the Cuban out.

It was only the first upset victory to go Henderson’s way that night.

In the main event, late replacement Michael Bisping improbably tagged middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and finished him in the first round. The 37-year-old Bisping had never before challenged for a UFC title, was past his athletic prime, and his punching power was never considered a threat. Bisping and Henderson’s wins at UFC 199 brought forth the memory of the new champion’s most famous loss.

Seven years earlier at UFC 100, Henderson and Bisping clashed in the culmination of a feud that brewed for months as they opposed each other as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. Bisping, unbeaten in three fights at middleweight, figured to earn a championship match with a victory. On what was until this year the biggest night in UFC history, Henderson planted his right hand into Bisping’s jaw, immediately knocking out the Brit. Although the unconscious Bisping was stiff as a board on his back, Henderson followed up with a vicious right forearm (within his rights, as the referee hadn’t had time to stop the bout).

Due to the stage, the brutality, and fan perception of both Henderson and Bipsing, the knockout remains one of the three or four most famous knockouts in MMA history.

Henderson strongly hinted at retirement following the Lombard fight, but also noted that if he was offered a title shot, he would take it and retire afterward no matter the result. Bisping was more than happy for an opportunity to avenge the knockout. UFC jumped at the opportunity to make the rematch, made possible by the strangest of occurrences.

The stage is set for Saturday, October 8, in Manchester, England – Bisping’s home turf. Each fighter’s camp has wound down, and the countdown clock ticks closer to zero on Dan Henderson’s legendary career. With a career spanning multiple weight classes, promotions, and championships, Henderson is the greatest fighter in MMA history to never have a sustained run as the top fighter in any single weight class (and one could argue that he was never the absolute best fighter in any division at any time). He didn’t earn this title fight and a victory won’t trick anyone into believing he is one of the elite middleweights in the world, but winning a world championship at 46 is an unthinkable way to end a career.

Dan Henderson no longer has the chin that withstood Wanderlei Silva’s best shots. His wrestling isn’t close to the level it was when it led him to tournament victories when he knew little else. Endurance was never his best quality, and at this point, he may lose a footrace to both hare and tortoise. All he has remaining is heart and a punch that could put a horse down. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

Dan Plunkett has covered MMA for 411Mania since 2008. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Dan_Plunkett.