Dan Henderson: The true number one middleweight contender (Opinion)
by Adam Wagner on Jul 14, 2009 7:48 AM EDT
88 comments
I come from the school of thought that says title holders who lose their belts deserve another crack at the title as long as they bounce back with wins (or sometimes two wins if there are other marketable contenders with a legitimate claim to the #1 contender position).
The more dominating those bounce-back performances, the quicker a former champ should get a shot.
While not a hard-fast rule, it’s also been a tradition that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmakers often follow. Rich Franklin earned a rematch against Anderson Silva with two solid victories, despite looking dismal in their first meeting. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson earned another title shot with two victories, but opted to fight Rashad Evans in a grudge match instead.
All Matt Hughes needed to get a rematch against Georges St. Pierre was a sloppy win over Chris Lytle.
Since losing his Pride FC title to Silva, Dan Henderson has strung together three consecutive victories against very tough opponents — and he’s done it by being the UFC’s beckon call boy, fighting at whatever weight Joe Silva and Dana White have asked him to.
Hendo’s victories over Rousimar Palhares and former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, along with his complete tooling of Michael Bisping at UFC 100 this past weekend, have demonstrated something else about the man once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world:
An almost Randy Couture-like ability to dissect his opponents and implement the most effective strategies to win fights.
Palhares entered his fight with Henderson being hailed, along with Demian Maia, as one of two rising jiu-jitsu practitioners with perhaps the best ground game in the middleweight division (if not any division) of any promotion in the world. Back in August 2008, Henderson told MMAmania.com that he wasn’t thrilled to be matched up with an opponent who had limited fan recognition — especially one as dangerous as Palhares.
He stood everything to lose and not much to gain.
But rather than refusing to fight Palhares — as Martin Kampmann recently did when offered to fight T.J. Grant — Henderson played ball, kept the fight on the feet (his "best chance of finishing the fight") and coasted to a unanimous decision victory.
Franklin entered his fight with Henderson at 26-3, having only lost to Anderson Silva (twice) and Lyoto Machida. He sported an 11-2 record inside the Octagon and had single-handedly beaten every viable middleweight contender at the time, which is precisely why the UFC asked him to move up to 205 pounds so that "Ace" would stop derailing all its 185-pound contenders.
Despite some very different judging that night, Henderson gave Franklin one round, but took the other two in the main event to earn a split decision. It was a huge win over a formidable opponent, earning the former Olympic wrestler a spot as coach opposite Michael Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "U.S. vs. U.K."
And what can you say about his victory over Bisping? Without it, UFC 100’s pay-per-view card would be best remembered for a lot of decisions (to go with the undercard’s plethora of guillotine chokes) and Brock Lesnar acting like a schoolyard bully.
Henderson’s destruction of Bisping was one of the sickest ever seen inside the Octagon. It will be mentioned with the likes of Rashad Evans over Chuck Liddell, Pete Williams over Mark Coleman, and Franklin over Nate Quarry; but, admittedly, not quite as devastating as Gabe Gonzaga over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic ... very likely the greatest knockout in UFC history.
The point is, it couldn’t have been more dominant. Henderson couldn’t have done anything else in that fight to make his performance more impressive.
Since returning to the promotion in 2007, Henderson has put his time in, fought whoever the UFC brass asked him to fight, did whatever the UFC asked him to do, earned his victories and then some. He deserves a title shot against Anderson Silva, but yet one wasn’t guaranteed for him with a win over Bisping at UFC 100.
Why not?
I understand why the UFC said that if Bisping won, he would get an immediate title shot. A win over someone like Henderson ought to do that — that’s how good Henderson is. Plus, with UFC 105 reportedly being held in Manchester, England (Bisping’s backyard), there are few middleweight match ups as marketable as that one.
And if you’re not marketable, you won’t get a title shot ... just ask Yushin Okami.
But Dan Henderson is marketable. He’s the only man in the history of the sport to concurrently hold two belts from two different weight classes for the same major promotion (Pride FC). He has a history with the UFC for nearly as long as Couture, and at 38, he’s not getting any younger, but is still just as dominant as he’s ever been.
And his trash-talk buildup to UFC 100 proved that he can put his money where his mouth is when the UFC asks for hype.
Hendo’s critics might point to his back-to-back title defense losses to "Rampage" Jackson and Anderson Silva as a reasons he’s not the fighter he used to be. But point to a single fighter who has been asked to go five rounds in the Octagon after fighting in a much smaller ring for the decade before. We all saw what great success awaited Mirko "Cro Cop" when he switched promotions ... and he was only expected to go three rounds.
The fact that Henderson went five rounds against "Rampage" after nine years of NOT fighting inside the larger and much trickier Octagon says more for the man’s versatility than the victory said about "Rampage."
There’s one more aspect to Henderson’s marketability when it comes to a middleweight title shot: He’s the only fighter to win a round against Anderson Silva since the champion has been fighting in the UFC. And he won it handedly by implementing the smarter strategy and smothering the champion.
While the fans — including myself — would love to see the most dominant fighter in the world (I’m talking about George St. Pierre) come up in weight to fight "The Spider," GSP has already stated that he needs time to gain weight and prepare for that fight, if it’s even going to happen at all.
That time needs to be filled with a middleweight title shot against the true number one contender, Dan Henderson.
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good question…tough to say whether its Hendo or Nate/Maia…if Maia wins I’d say its him but only cause Nate lost to Leites…if Nate wins I’d say hendo gets the shot…
by McArthur on Jul 14, 2009 7:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Everyone knows that Nate was better than Leites in that fight. He was deducted two points (the second being rather questionable) and he still narrowly lost a split decision. Which means that he must have been 10-8’ing the piss out of Leites that night.
by homgran on Jul 14, 2009 8:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nah. The judge who scored the fight for Nate saw it as:
1st: 10-9
2nd: 9-9
3rd: 9-9
The other two judges gave the 1st round to Thales. No 10-8 rounds there.
by Synyster on Jul 14, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, Nate won that fight. The 2nd pt deduction was absolute garbage. Nate is the #1 contender IMO, especially after he smacks Maia around.
by LJ on Jul 14, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree that Nate is number 1 now and will definetly be if he smashes Maia
Also, everyone keeps saying that Anderson Silva has only lost one round and that it was to Hendo.
Can someone remind me how round 1 went down with Travis Lutter?
I thought Lutter one the first round but can’t remember, seems like he had the spider in full mount for a while, but was too gassed to get the job done…
oh well, Worse case they ought to have Nate and Hendo fight if Nate wins. This will buy them some time for Silva vs Forrest
by jtc2112 on Jul 14, 2009 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lutter did indeed win the first round, and is still the fighter to have put Silva in the most trouble.
I’m still amazed at how little Lutter dedicates himself. He’s an insanely talented fighter who could be championship material. I mean, look at his Franklin fight. He had Franklin in all kinds of trouble as well before gassing.
by yohnstoppable on Jul 15, 2009 4:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I dont think there can be any question, Dan IS the Number 1 contender.
The only reason people were even considering Maia or Nate was because Hendo hasn’t been on form since the jackson fight and people had begun to think he was slowing up or even becoming a little dissinterested. Hendo looked amazing at 100, in shape, focused a complete predator.
I know there is a ton of Nate fans out there but I see him as a perrenial almost guy, I dont think he will ever hold the title and Maia still has to prove it against a heavy hitting striker IMO, subbing sonnen in the third round isnt enough IMO to be considered #1 contender.
I agree with Kenflo and Couture that both nate and Maia need another fight to solidify there contender status.
Dan Henderson looks to be back on pride form and in that form no contender in the MW division can touch him period.
p.s. Great article Adam, I like it when you guys at mania go into some depth with the discussion points, great article on brock yesterday too.
keep up the good work
by Confused on Jul 14, 2009 8:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
you mean the first round sonnen got taken down and then he was subbed like that.
but yes dan henderson is the #1 contender because hes had an amazing career he got a brutal finish over another contender and i know hell destroy anderson
by jared on Jul 14, 2009 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nice article Adam…I hope you guys keep doing these opinion pieces…it’s nice to have these topics to debate. I agree completely with Hendo being the #1 contender. I like Nate a lot and I would absolutely love to see Nate and Hendo go at it but Hendo’s time is now. His popularity is at an all time high in the UFC and if they are going to put Hendo in there…now is the time to do it…while this fight is fresh in the minds of the fans. Hendo has a good style to match up with Silva and I think he has a better chance against Silva than Nate would. As aforementioned…GSP would need significant time to really put on the weight properly. I’d also like to see Hendo fight Okami as well but since both Nate and Okami are booked for fights…then let Dan get his crack at the belt while the winners of Okami/Cote and Nate/Maia face off for the next in line.
by Buster Bluth on Jul 14, 2009 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I understand what your saying jared but I guess my point is I have doubts that maia would get to the third round with a henderson, deffinately not silva.
Not at the moment anyway
by Confused on Jul 14, 2009 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well said Buster, I couldn’t agree more with your entire post. This opinion pieces rock. I even liked Jesse’s, even though I disagreed with him. But this opinion pieces spark more debate and back and forth banter between posters. I don’t think Hendo will beat Silva but then again if Silva comes to this fight like he did the last two then Henderson will make him pay for that mistake. I also wouldn’t mind watching Yushin fight the winner of Marquardt/Maia. Lol I’m been yelling at the top of my lungs to have Yushin and Bisping fight but I forgot he was booked to fight Cote.
by Cogito Ergo Sum on Jul 14, 2009 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, i gotta agree with buster as well, and I love the oppinion pieces as well.
i wouldnt mind seeing Hendo vs. marquardt or Hendo vs. Okami.
Bisping should fight Akiyama, because they both are small and quick.
Palhares vs. LEITES SHOULD HAPPEN!
by John G on Jul 14, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would also like to see:
Belcher vs. James Irvin
by John G on Jul 14, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
All good matchups…I love the Leites/Palhares idea. If Almeida beats Grove I’d like to see him against either of those 2 as well. There are a lot of great MW jitz guys and I’d like to see some of them go up against each other.
I’d like to see Bisping against Cote, Belcher, Kang or Quarry. I think they’re all good matchups and will give Bisping a decent bounce back fight. Akiyama would be a dangerous next fight for Bisping but a win over a guy like that would put him right back in the mix again.
Is it just me or are Belcher’s legs the same size as Cro Cop’s? That guy is a pretty big MW and his legs are like tree trunks. He should be throwing more head kicks cause he could probably generate some serious power.
by Buster Bluth on Jul 14, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
confused you have been confused with what i said i was talking about henderson when i said that he finished a contender in brutal fasion. maia wont even make it through marquardt. first hendo vs silva, than hendo vs the great for the mw title than hendo vs okami than hendo retires the mw champ. simple as that
by jared on Jul 14, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Henderson looked great last Saturday but let’s get real here, folks. That was Michael Bisping he was in the cage with. Anderson is a whole different animal.
Silva/Hendo 2 won’t look much different than last time, except this time it will be Anderson by KO. That’s right. KO. Silva had him hurt VERY badly last time, and I see the same thing happening again – except this time he’ll finish Hendo with strikes instead of taking his back. Dan CAN be KO’d, and against a guy with the offensive weapons Silva possesses, he finally will be.
Hendo has earned a rematch, I don’t dispute that – but instead of regurtitating past title bouts, let’s wait and see who wins the Marquardt/Maia fight before we set the #1 contender. If Maia wins, I say give him a shot, and if Nate wins (the more likely scenario IMO) let’s see a Hendo/Marquardt scrap to determine who the best possible test for Anderson really is.
by Jeremyjackson on Jul 14, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fair enough. IF Henderson is to get another crack at Silva, I’d prefer to see it fairly soon, as age is becoming a factor for him. I agree that Silva would likely dominate again, but the one aspect of Henderson’s game I like vs Silva is the strength of his Greco-Roman game. I believe that whomever has success vs Silva will do it by affectively closing the distance and taking away some of Silva’s great length, leverage, and precision striking. Easier said than done I realize. I remember Couture bragging about Henderson’s “gorilla grip” in sparring sessions. Henderson may be the one MW with strength in the clinch to somewhat control Silva to avoid a few of Silva’s crushing knees to the grill. Plus, as you pointed out earlier, Henderson’s already anvil-shaped head couldn’t be mis-shapen much worse by Silva’s lethal knees if/when they connect………sorry Mr. Henderson.
by CL on Jul 14, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is my opinion exactly. Ok, Dan weathered the not-very-powerful (albeit technical) boxing of Bisping. That KO does not give him a greater chance of beating Spidey, but the 3 wins in a row should earn him the privilege of trying again. I still think he has the best chance of anyone a MW, though he is not capable of doing to Spidey what he did to Bisping. Set it up anyway. If he wants it, he deserves it.
by DH on Jul 14, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
@Jared
I guess thats why Im called confused….lol
while Im not as confident as you are about a Hendo win against the spider I do believe that if he can come to the ring in the same shape and with the same mental attitude as he did against bisping then the match will be alot more competative and in a competative match anything is possible.
I dont believe that either Maia or Nate could get by Henderson, he would adapt his game plan to each fighter and come away with the win.
All of this is ofcoarse dependant on Henderson maintaining the form, focus and determination he showed on saturday night….if he slides back to grinding out results like his previous two bouts it could all slip through his fingers.
by Confused on Jul 14, 2009 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
As much as I love the Maia/Nate fight, I dont think it should have happened when its happening. Confused, you say they both need another win to solidify #1 contender, I agree but there is problems with that. Who would Nate/Maia fight next that if they lost, the winner would be a legitimate #1? If they both had 1 more win THAN fought, I would be loving this fight even more.
Personally I feel it should be Hendo next in line, with the winner of Nate/Maia facing Okami around the same time the Hendo-Silva fight goes down for the next crack.
GSP starts bulking up, dismantels Kampmann/Swick, than moves up to 185 gets a warm up fight (someone like Sonnen?) then the superfight! GSP-SILVA!!!
by WB on Jul 14, 2009 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I believe that the winner of Nate Vs Maia should face off against Okami.
If nate wins then Okami has to be put in to the contender mix, if the nate can get past okami too then by all means match him with Silva, I believe if Maia wins he should face a striker like Cote as the only questionmark over him is how he would do against a powerfull striker, if he can get past that test then he deserves a shot.
But yes I still think they both need another fight.
by Confused on Jul 14, 2009 8:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Everything lines up for Hendo to take on winner of Nate/Maia, while Anderson fights GSP on New Year’s. Hendo has already lost to Silva, and either Nate/maia should have to fight him on New Year’s for a crack at the title. The stars are lining up to make GSP/Silva for this New Year’s in my opinion. Hendo looked really good the other nite, but let’s face it, Bisping hasn’t really impressed anyone with all of his fights combined, so beating him was a feather in his cap, but Hendo should have one more then a shot.
by slim473 on Jul 14, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So what about Travis Lutter from UFC 67? I would say he was the first guy to win a round against Anderson Silva. I mean he was the reason why people thought that great grapplers stood a chance against the seemingly invincible Silva.
And I think Henderson gets a title shot while the winner of Maia/Marquardt fights Okami for next in line.
by Jon on Jul 14, 2009 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
When you come into a title fight overweight anything you do is thrown out the window.
by PW on Jul 14, 2009 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I say keep A Silva at 205lbs for a bit if/when he beats Forrest . Hendo gets the winner of Nate Vs Maia and the winner gets A Silva.
by DAVE A on Jul 14, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Whats Hendo gone change from last time though?
If all Dan does against Anderson is wind up that “Big right hand” constantly like he did with Bisping then it will be a stroll in the park for The Spider.
Silva will presumingly be retiring in the relatively near future, so i would like to see him fight as many new people as possible. To be honest i think he should be allowed challenge himself at 205 if thats what he wants
by Ermac on Jul 14, 2009 8:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
his cardio only thing that stopped him that night
by jared on Jul 14, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sort of off topic, but hopefully will interest some people.
After ufc 100, a few of my mates got into a pretty heated debate about current champions in the UFC.
Basically we were saying that it can not be contested that the current title holders are comfortably the best in their division, and this lead us to wonder… who or where will the next change of title come from?
BJ – come on, who in LW is going to challange?
GSP – Just mauled the guy who is 2nd best in the division by a distance.
Anderson – ok, admitedly he’s been underwhelming in his previous few fights, but you can’t help but think, “this guy is fighting at like 60% of his ability”.
Machida – probably faces the most stacked division.
Brock – unless carwin can clip him, no one in the current roster will get close.
Anyway, i just was interested in getting the maniacs opinions?
Cheers.
by steve on Jul 14, 2009 8:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
BJ’s losing his Title at the next event, he’s gonna get worked!
by RoJ on Jul 14, 2009 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
100% agree. Penn will take Florian lightly and lose.
by Adam Wagner on Jul 14, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
War Wagner!!! Nice call…I agree 100%.
by Buster Bluth on Jul 14, 2009 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BJ will destroy Florian.
Getting beat down by GSP is nothing to be ashamed of.
Florian is no GSP.
Get real, Adam.
by OJR on Jul 14, 2009 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BJ penn is no prodigy anymore. that version on Bj is long gone. he has now real self respect and his excuses are just ridiculous. Kenny has a style the i believe Bj wont have an answer too. every competitor bj has fought and won since his prodigy days has had huge deficiencies in one aspect of mma or more. Kenny has a very well rounded game his wrestling has improved his stand up is crisp and he has very rich franklin tactical style to his striking.
by Santiago69us on Jul 14, 2009 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
stacked or not machida’s not going anywhere. As for lesner i wish they could arrange a fight with fedor but ufc has to protect their golden egg so i don’t see that one happening.
by jay on Jul 15, 2009 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly…Hendop is slow and predictable…If he didnt go for the takedown in the 2nd round against Silva he would of been knocked out…He was swinging for the fences and Silva was Dissecting him!!!
!!WAR SILVA P4P BEAST!!!
by Jugga on Jul 14, 2009 8:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hendo is lucky he didn’t get KO’ed by Silva in that fight.
by LLC on Jul 14, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dan lacks dimension and doesn’t stand a chance against Silva.
Loading up the right hand and stalking ain’t gonna work. On the lesser guys…YES. Anderson Silva, no way.
by DingDing on Jul 14, 2009 8:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Dude Hendo himself is a dimension! You’re talking bout One Bad Mo’ man…..he was DOMINATING a confused Andersen for the first round before be choked rear naked style on his back. He was CHOKED! A very sly, intelligent move , but FAR AS HELL from dominated! No one can beat Hendo at MW outside of Andersen…Marquardt would be good though, however I doubt Marquardt has the pop to hurt Hendo (does anybody) and would have to submit him or something. Kampan is a little smalllish girl at 185 so he ropped to Welter… Hendo-Marqaurdt is fare…..Forrest might beat Silva, ya never know…..
by KingKong on Jul 14, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also, Andersen is AWESOME…no disputing that, but wrecking Lutter, Franklin twice , Leben(!)and guys like Leites and Marquardt is not invincible….and sorry, James Irving is a joke. @ MW he’s near elite with only Hendo standing a chance of smothering and GNP…..at 205 sorry, he will be somehow out muscled
by KingKong on Jul 14, 2009 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dan has a valid point but the division title-contending elimination process cannot be overlooked either.
by DJ on Jul 14, 2009 8:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
why should nate marquardt get a rematch b4 hendo. marquardt is in the same class as bisping, they’re good but not great. marquardt has NEVER beat anyone of any consequence on the global scale of mma. just because nate is in the ufc and beating guys in the ufc doesn’t mean he’s beating great competition. the guys he’s beaten could as easily be in a smaller promotion as the ufc, they’re nobody that’s gonna turn any heads anytime soon on a global scale. neither maia nor nate have paid near the dues that hendo has. i could care less it either of those guys ever get a title shot. give them vitor, wand, arona.. and they’d lose to all 3, handidly. there’s just another league above these guys that they may never reach, and hendo’s been there for about 8 yrs. now
by deuce 4 on Jul 14, 2009 8:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What I am saying is there are many things to consider. We have heard Dan’s opinion and I’m sure if you ask Nate, Okami, etc., they would have valid reasons why they deserve to be next.
by DJ on Jul 14, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
MArquardt has looked like a beast his last few fights. Greg JAckson’s camp is also just amazing right now. Maia is not gonna get the go because of what happened with Leites even though I think that is who should get the nod. They are not going to risk another 25 minute snooze fest again. Henderson I guess has beat the bigger names his last 2 fights in Bisping and Franklin. So I can see Hendo getting the go.
by Da Monkey on Jul 14, 2009 8:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think marketability only goes so far. Thales Leites scored a title shot and he’s far from marketable.
Personally i believe that Okami should get the next shot. Then have the winner of Maia/Marquardt fight Hendo. Or something of that nature. Okami is far overdue for his shot and the UFC has the previous history to sell the fight.
by Wren on Jul 14, 2009 8:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
@Ermac – “Whats Hendo gone change from last time though?” I’d say leave that up to Dan to decide, he’s the one fighting. Besides, that shouldn’t even matter when determining whether or not a fighter deserves a rematch for a lost belt. No one knows how a rematch will go. You have to deal with the facts of what has happened in the past.
Fighters should have to earn that title shot or rematch with wins and good performances, and I think Dan has done both.
Great article.
by Demtor on Jul 14, 2009 8:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Usually i would agree with this sentiment, but Silva is an exceptional circumstance since he says he is considering retiring in a year or two, which would mean he has roughly 5-6 fights left ( assuming no injuries or contractual issues) , i think a rematch with Dan would be a waste of one of these precious fights since i haven’t seen Hendo evolve whatsoever which would indicate the outcome would be no different to their first encounter.
by Ermac on Jul 14, 2009 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed. He may be toweled up by Anderson, for the 3rd time, but he’s earned it big time. I’m a Bisping fan, despite his behaviour over the past 3 or 4 months, but Dan took him apart like he was a ring-in. And Bisping is good. Hendo/Silva is definetly a great fight match up for me at this stage.
by Rilly on Jul 14, 2009 8:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Um…. wow tough call, Bisping looked completely outclassed but my question is so what? I mean what would Rampage or Sliva do to Bisping? I think Dan fighting Rampage in a razor thin close fight was more impresive…..Nate or Dan will have the same fate they did in their first fight..If Maia wins give him a shot first, just so we have someone new to look at in a title fight, let Dan fight Nate, winner gets champ.
Anybody else bother by the fact that Dan admitted he knew Bisping was out and he normally would have stopped but wanted to shut him more…that’s a disgrace and what if Bisping is never the same again, is that right?
by Robert(1) on Jul 14, 2009 8:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agree that the elbow drop was uncalled for. That said, Hendo is such a cool, relaxed, tough guy, he just saw it as part and parcel of the fight process. He didn’t even consider that Bisping may have been hurt, he just saw it as a reminder to shut the hell up and concentrate on fighting not talking….
by Rilly on Jul 15, 2009 1:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
With the win last weekend, Hendo has to be #1. it’s not just about how many wins, it’s how you do it.
if Damien somehow wins, his fight vs anderson will be a borefest like his last title defence…
by nath on Jul 14, 2009 9:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn’t mind seeing Hendo get another shot. He did take a round off Silva in their first meeting. However, if Marquardt gets a definitive victory over Maia, it will be tough to pass Nate “The Great” over.
by MMAMoneyLine on Jul 14, 2009 9:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think you give it to henderson, he has earned it, plus he will stand with anderson some what where as damien will probably take the thales leites approach.
by Dragon on Jul 14, 2009 9:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Adamn, apparently everybody continues to state, “He’s the only fighter to win a round against Anderson Silva” but tend to forget that the dehydrated Travis Lutter did win a round against Anderson Silva.
by Vee on Jul 14, 2009 9:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
you tend to forget also that anderson was coming of double knee surgery 8 weeks before he fought lutter also.
by dtoto on Jul 14, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
what does that matter…the round was won…they both had deficiencies that night and they eliminate each other.
by Santiago69us on Jul 14, 2009 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hendo HAS to be behind marquardt/maia.
as to him winning 3 since his last shot:
his win against palhares… he barely won, by boring us to tears with an ugly wrestling match. ——-
-franklin… hendo was handed a gift on the judges scorecards and we all know it (not to mention the eyepoke).
- bisping… an opponent with a shiny record but with unimpressive experience, who still isn’t ready for top-level commetition. big deal.
-
and i’m no bisping fan, but that cheap shot (after bisping was clearly out cold) was akin to babalu’s choke on david heath.
classless.
yeah – i get it… go until the ref stops you.
still, that shot was waaaay unneccesary.
and basically henderson admitted he added “just to shut him up”.
classless.
-——
henderson already had his shot, and blew it.
maybe he should get the loser of the marquardt/maia fight.
a win over one of those guys says a lot more than the 3 aforementioned fights.
by frank on Jul 14, 2009 9:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Might want to look at fight metric just to give the Franklin fight further consideration. I’ve seen the fight several times before fight metric even came out and still gave the decision to Dan. Hendo had 4 TD’s in the fight, Rich had zip. Overall Rich Franklin landed a TOTAL of 3 more strikes than Dan in the entirety of the fight. The accidental eye poke happened with 30 secs left in rd 3. Anyone saying that Rich was for sure going to put Hendo away in the last 30 secs if it wasn’t for the eye poke is full of it. Anyway, the stats back up the decision. At best it could’ve been a draw, but no way does Rich take that fight.
by O damn he got caught on Jul 14, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hendo is anit Uk…on ESPN they were all laughing because he shut him up…MMA is a global sport and no matter what happened b4 the fight…what he said was wrong and could of seriuosly damaged Bisbing long term and not even an apology!!
CLASS LESS
by Jugga on Jul 14, 2009 9:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah the win over Franklin was controversial.
And so was Marquardts “loss” to Leites.
I want to see Marquardt, not Hendo or Maia, against Silva.
He will take it this time im sure of it. Hendo would just get subbed again but Marquardt wouldnt.
by Lester The Pimp on Jul 14, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
sorry, a barely there win over ace, which many people think should have gone to franklin, and palhares and bisping (both on a lower tier and not top 5 in any division) does not equal title shot. in my mind marquardt deserves a title shot when he schools maia. he took out horn, took out thales (yea yea, officially he ‘lost’, but nobody in their right mind views that as an actual loss), destroyed kampmann, methodically schooled gouveia, and will probably have little trouble with maia, standing OR on the ground. at the very least the winner or marquardt/maia should fight hendo for #1 contendorship in my opinion. plus, who wouldn’t want to see hendo vs marquardt?
by Phil Baloni on Jul 14, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Your point is taken on Lutter…but where is Lutter now?
by Ace on Jul 14, 2009 9:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If Silva beats Griffin..There should be a super fight with GSP/Silva. And then Hendo gets the winner of Maia/Nate..to see who gets the 185 title match. That would be ideal , probably wont happen …
by robbyc on Jul 14, 2009 9:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
the the spider soundly beats forrest he needs to fight only 205ers from now on. if he loses or looks just okay, then maybe a superfight with gsp.
by COR on Jul 14, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
For those who keep saying “what can hendo possibly do against anderson silva? He is just going to try to throw that right hand and he is going to get caught again”. I honestly believe that’s not going to happen. You are going to see a fight very similar to their first round. Dan can control anderson on the ground, he is a fantastic wrestler and he will out wrestle and smother him for as long as it takes to exhaust him. At that point he can get into a dominant position and pound him out. He is not going to stand with him, and just like with frank mir there’s not much anderson silva can do to stop an olympic wrestler like dan from taking him down and controlling him. BJJ only works when your ground control is equal to or superior to your oppponent, OR if their ground control is superior and they become to aggressive and give something up.
With all that said… Nate doesn’t deserve a title shot. If maia wins he is first in line, if he loses it should go to hendo. Either way Hendo deserves another shot before Silva retires.
Hendo is one of the greatest pfp fighters ever, and i think its just a matter of time until he claims the ufc mw and lhw belts. He has the tools to beat anyone in both divisions.
by Andrew on Jul 14, 2009 10:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed, I picked Dan to win the first fight and despite the loss I would still pick Dan to win a rematch. I think if anyone at 185 can beat A. Silva it’s Dan Henderson.
by O damn he got caught on Jul 14, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Maia beats Marquardt, I’d rather see him get the next shot. Hendo already had his chance.
by Jase on Jul 14, 2009 10:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I understand the UFC wanting to do Bisping v. A. Silva, but what a lopsided fight that would be. Looking back, bisping would have tried to outstrike a striker, and die.
by Miketsi on Jul 14, 2009 11:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I say you have him and Nate Marquart fight and the winner gets a title shot. I’m only saying this because both of them have already had a shot and we don’t want to see two rematches I’d rather see the better of the too. Plus I think it would be a great match.
by kibbled_bits on Jul 14, 2009 11:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
no question, dan henderson deserves a title shot and i think he will probably get it one of two ways.
if anderson loses or looks just okay against forest, dana will have him go back to 185 and fight henderson. this road may eventually lead to gsp vs anderson should they both with their next couple of fights.
if anderson completely man handles forest, dana will pressure him to move to lhw, leaving hendo to fight the winner of marquart and maia for a interim championship.
by COR on Jul 14, 2009 12:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hendog deserves a shot 4 damn sure! i think hes the 1 to beat the spider & i hope he ktfo of the spider!!
by d*locc on Jul 14, 2009 1:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If hendo fights silva the same way he fought bisping only standing, he will get smashed again, sure his standup is sharp but are his shots still quick or will he be able to close distance and clinch silva like he did first time, cus that was all he had, and hendo is slowing, in another case I do believe hendo could defeat maia only cus dan can keep it standing if he wants, nate…not so sure it would be good match
I say
Hendo vs okami = I think dan would win decision
Winner of maia/nate fights silva
And winner of okami/hendo fights whover wins that last one
In the end only one who can beat silva imo would be maia
by phenomenal angel on Jul 14, 2009 1:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i think the winner of maia vs. marquardt should have to face hendo in a number one contenders match to see who gets to face a.silva next.
by big reg on Jul 14, 2009 1:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Remember Anderson Silva may retire soon.. Dana doesnt want Anderson to lose until he fights GSP. Think about it. If Anderson loses to Hendo, than there will be no superfight between GSP and the Spider. This is what i think Dana wants.. For GSP to fight Anderson beat him than Anderson retires and GSP will take over where Anderson left off. “The number 1 pfp fighter in the world.” Not to mention it would probably be the biggest ppv UFC in the history of the UFC. A true super fight. The hype would be more than UFC 100. Hendo is the only man in the MW Division that has a chance, if he GNP’s and isnt stupid and doesnt try to stand and bang he probably has the best chance at beating the Spider.
by Sky on Jul 14, 2009 3:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
hendo might not win against silva but he deserves the shot…his first fight against silva he was in horrible shape. hendo deserves it
by ufc fan on Jul 14, 2009 6:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ya i agree. I think dan was coming off a loss and may have overlooked silva. But he’s a whole new animal these days and im sure he’s got the right game plan to beat silva now.
by jay on Jul 15, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hendo has 3 straight wins over tough opponents like Pahlamres and Franklin plus one of the most devastating KO’s in UFC history given to Bisping.
Hendo deserves this more than anybody unless Marquadt soccer ball kicks Maia in the head (haha I know..i know…its illegal) or Maia gets Marquadt in a flying armbar. I don’t see anybody else more worthy of it.
WAR HENDO!!!
by skelow on Jul 14, 2009 6:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Both Hughes and Franklin were the previous champs and held their belts a long time THAT is why they got rematches after only one win. Henderson was never the champ of the ufc middleweight division. All that said I believe he is the #1 contender.
by mikeharmon on Jul 14, 2009 7:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No Henderson was not champ of the UFC, but your arrogance is only surpassed by your ignorance: You’re overlooking the fact that Dan Henderson was the ONLY 183lb champion of Pride, and when the organization ceased to operate, he was both the 183 lb. AND 203 lb. champions. Pride FC was arguably much tougher than the UFC was. If his first fight in a cage in ten years is indicative of his deserving another title shot, then something seriously needs to be reconfigured in the system.
Henderson totally deserves the title shot more so than Maia or Marquardt. I’m on the Demien Maia bandwagon, but if he beats Marquardt, then he deserves the 2nd shot. Marquardt has had a loss in the past year, controversial or not, it’s still a loss. Okami definitely deserves a shot at A. Silva, but when they fought in Pride, Silva absolutely demolished him before being disqualified for an illegal kick. A Silva vs. Okami fight makes no sense.
Right now, Henderson is the only viable option.
by RU486 on Jul 14, 2009 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Arrogance? Ignorance? Why? My point was valid in why there is a difference. I never said it was right. It’s just the reason. Also my point in inserting UFC Champ is because this is not Pride. I am not a newbie and yes I already knew about Dan’s impressive career in Japan. I think you are arrogant because you think I know nothing. i know plenty. More than you? who knows but it really doesnt matter. The point is valid. I never thought I would have to spell it out for you. Funny thing is we both agree Dan should get the next shot. Chill homie dont take this personal. I was replying to one point in the article not you. Take that fire and do something productive with it.
by mikeharmon on Jul 14, 2009 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess everyone is entitled to an opinion no matter how strange it is: IMO Joe Rogan is the #1 contender not Henderson.
Henderson? He lost 2 UFC title matches, won a sqweaker, couldn’t finish another guy but because his right hand finally lands he gets a title shot? huh?
Joe Rogan, Maia or Nate are up next.
by theotherguy on Jul 15, 2009 12:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think dan henderson knows what he has to do to beat silva this time. Remember how it went with wanderli. Anderson is starting to look a little beatable and if anyone deserves a shot its definitly dan. If henderson does in fact lose i expect him to do a whole lot better than the first fight,but i don’t see him losing to anyone twice. Thats just dans style
by jay on Jul 15, 2009 4:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
EVERYONE THINKS THAT ITS A GIVEN THAT SPIDER BEATS FOREST I DONT AGREE I THINK FORSET WILL BEAT SPIDER THEN WHEN SPIDER LOOSES HENDERSON WILL BEAT SILVA FOR THE TITLE AND IN THERE LAST FIGHT SOMETHING DID NOT LOOK RIGHT WHEN HENDERSON TOOK SPIDER DOWN MOST OF THE FIRST ROUND HEDERSON COULD OF HAMMERFISTED HIM ALMOST THE WHOLE FIST ROUND AND BROKE HIS NOSE RIGHT OFF THE BAT AND SPIDER KEEPS HIS HANDS VARY LOW WHEN DEFENDING THAT WILL COST HIM IN HIS NEXT TWO FIGHTS AND I HOPE HE TRIES TO GRAB HENDERSON WITH BOTH HANDS BEHIND THE HEAD BECAUSE IF HE DOES HENDERSON WILL OVERHAND RIGHT HIM NOT IN THE HEAD BUT IN THE RIBS AND PROBABLY BREAK ONE BECAUSE THEN THERE IS NO PRETECTION FOR HIS RIBS THEN HE WILL DROP HIS HANDS THEN GET KOED
by alpha on Jul 15, 2009 4:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If you watch the first fight between hendo and anderson at the end silva makes a comment about franklin being the only true champ he faced in the octagon. To me that says it all. Nothing against franklin but what did he do to deserve that kind of credit. Dan punished him the whole first round,and franklin did nothing of the kind. I thind silva was happy hendo didnt make it to the next round cause dan would have reimplimented his strategy from the first round and possibly have knocked him out. If nate or maia get the shot its gona be just like silva’s last two fights. Dana white complains about silva not fighting up to par give him an opponet that will make him fight. GIVE HIM DAN HENDERSON.
by jay on Jul 15, 2009 4:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
ALSO HENDERSON GOT A RIB BROKE IN THE FIRST ROUND AGAIST FRANKLIN AND STILL WON SILVA WILL LOOSE HIS NEXT TWO FIGHTS MARK MY WORDS
by ALPHA on Jul 15, 2009 5:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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