UFC 199 fight card: Dan Henderson vs Hector Lombard full fight preview

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight hitters Dan Henderson and Hector Lombard will hunt for the knockout this Saturday (June 4, 2016) inside The Forum in Inglewood, California.

It may be true that "Hollywood" Henderson has fallen on rough times and is nearing the end of his career, but that doesn't mean he's incapable of knocking out just about anyone if his right hand lands.

Lombard's last 18 months haven't been great either, as he failed a drug test and was stopped from strikes for the first time in his long career. Now back at Middleweight, Lombard is hoping for another chance at a fresh start.

Let's take a closer look at the keys to victory for both men:

Dan Henderson
Record: 30-14
Key Wins: Mauricio Rua (UFC 139 and UFC Fight Night 38), Fedor Emelianenko (Strikeforce: Fedor vs Henderson), Tim Boestch (UFC Fight Night 68)
Key Losses: Vitor Belfort (UFC Fight Night 77, UFC Fight Night 32), Gegard Mousasi (UFC on FOX 14), Lyoto Machida (UFC 157)
Keys To Victory: Once an stifling wrestler with an iron jaw, Henderson has devolved into a power puncher without much durability. It's unfortunate, but that's often the fate of the fighter who chooses to keep fighting at the age of 45 nearly two decades into his professional career.

Normally, this is the part where I write about some fight specific tactics or techniques that could really influence the outcome of the bout. At the very least, some type of analysis on the match up itself would be relevant.

In the case of Dan Henderson, that would all be rather pointless.

At this point, Henderson has one strategy, and it's to land his big right hand. Sadly, there's really no evidence that he's capable of bringing anything else to the table at this point in his career.

On the bright side, it is a really nasty punch. If it lands, Henderson has every chance of ending his opponent's night immediately. If not, Henderson is in for a rough night.

That's all there is to it.

VS.

Hector Lombard
Record: 33-5-1 (2)
Key Wins: Jake Shields (UFC 171), Nate Marquardt (UFC 166), Rousimar Palhares (UFC on FX 6)
Key Losses: Neil Magny (UFC Fight Night 85), Tim Boestch (UFC 149), Yushin Okami (UFC on Fuel TV 8)
Keys to Victory: Like Henderson, Lombard is a former Olympian -- though Judo in his case -- with some massive punching power. Unlike his opponent, Lombard's ground game is still formidable, as he's quite difficult to take down and has some tricky throws of his own.

Lombard's sole key to victory -- as mentioned above -- is to avoid the overhand. As long as he doesn't pull a Tim Boetsch and just walk into the punch, he really shouldn't have any problems.

Besides simply being aware, Lombard could use distance to avoid that punch. He's far faster and more explosive, meaning that he could stand well out of Henderson's range before exploding in with punches.

Alternatively, Lombard could shoot for a takedown and force Henderson to grapple for a bit. Once "Hendo" is tired, his power punch should be easier to avoid.

Bottom Line: Both men could really use a win.

It may not be clear what exactly Henderson is fighting for anymore, but for the sake of his health and UFC career, he needs to win fights. Henderson has now lost six of his last eight bouts and is being finished pretty often.

Win or lose, he should probably call it quits sooner than later.

If Henderson does pull off the victory, it would be another incredible name on his resume. That's great, but he's not really trying to climb the divisional ladder so it's not that important anymore.

The stakes are much higher for Lombard. Unlike Henderson, Lombard is still a potential contender. Now that he's back at Middleweight, Lombard needs to reestablish himself as a Top 15-ranked fighter, and a victory over Henderson should be enough to earn him that ranking.

On the other hand, a loss would be devastating. Both of Henderson's wins since 2011 came over fighters that appear to be on their way out, and Lombard does not want to have himself placed in that category.

At UFC 199, Dan Henderson and Hector Lombard will battle. Which man will earn the victory?