Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as over 30,000 fans blew the roof off the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden at UFC Fight Night 59.
Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Akira Corassani, who was brutally knocked out by Sam Sicilia in the very first round (recap). And Andy Ogle, who was eliminated in under 10 seconds by Makwan Amirkhani (video). But which fighters are suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?
Dan Henderson and Alexander Gustafsson.
Both "Hendo" and "The Mauler" were looking to pick up an all-important "W" in the co-main and main event of the evenings against Gegard Mousasi and Anthony Johnson, respectively, albeit for entirely different reasons.
For Henderson, a win over Mousasi would have helped him stop the bleeding after losing four of his last five outings, including his previous loss to Daniel Cormier earlier this year. For Gus, a win against "Rumble" would have secured his much-desired rematch against light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
Unfortunately, both men came up short, as they were finished by their foes in dramatic fashion in the very first round.
Henderson was hurt early by Mousasi, as a well-placed punch opened up a cut above his left eye. Admittedly, "Hendo" decided to push the pace in attempt to finish the fight before the cut worsened. That ended up being his downfall, as Gegard caught Dan with a perfect strike coming in, and proceeded to put on the finishing touches that forced a stoppage.
That wasn't the case in the headlining bout. Johnson stormed out of the gate as usual, swinging heavy leather in hopes of earning a quick win. After a brief pause for an inadvertent eye-poke from Gus, "Rumble" clipped the towering Swede, dropped him, and proceeded to pounce on the wounded fighter (video highlights here).
What followed was an onslaught of powerful strikes that was hard to watch, as "Rumble" landed one punch after another. Unlike "Hendo," Gustafsson was given all the chances to answer back.
He simply couldn't.
Now, both men face an uphill climb, though one might be tougher than the other.
While Gus lost out on his chance to get some revenge against "Bones," he still has time on his side, as the 28-year-old is likely only one or two wins away from another shot at the title. But if he doesn't get his rematch with "Bones," he could very well have a do-over against "Rumble."
"Hendo," though, doesn't have that same luxury.
While the living mixed martial arts (MMA) legend is adamant he will keep fighting at the age of 44, his latest loss hurt his chances of getting back to the big dance. And he finds himself with more questions than answers, as he has now lost bouts at both light heavyweight and middleweight.
Many fans would like to see him hang them up for good, seeing as how he has nothing left to prove. To us, at least. But, being the true warrior he is, he'll keep marching on.
Where he ends up though, only he knows.