Dan Henderson is an iconic name in the world of mixed martial arts. He stands as one of the trailblazers of the modern-day version of the sport, and has been involved in some of the most epic matches that have been seen in MMA over the last 20 years.
That said, “Hendo” is winding down his career and has a hunger to have the strap around his waist one last time, before he ends his MMA career that started back in 1997 – and at age 42, he really doesn’t have much time left to do it. Last night at UFC 161 Henderson had an opportunity to take one more stab at the title, but had to get through Rashad Evans as the first step on the path to getting there. Now well into his 40s, many people still ask why he continues to battle on.
If there is a fighter who has been at the front of every stage in MMA, it’s Dan Henderson. “Hendo” (or “Hollywood” as he once was know), has been a top-level fighter in the three biggest promotions in MMA of this era – the UFC, Strikeforce and Pride FC. Henderson started his mainstream MMA career in the UFC, where he beat Carlos Newton for the UFC 17 middleweight title. Not being totally satisfied, Henderson would later fight in RINGS King of Kings tournament (which he won), later moving on to PRIDE FC. Henderson’s PRIDE FC legacy has its roots in his conquest of both the welterweight and middleweight titles, which he held simultaneously. While he had a number of shots at the title (against Rampage, Anderson Silva) in the UFC at various levels, he was never able to secure the belt. After a brief foray into Strikeforce, where Henderson captured the light heavyweight title, Henderson returned to the UFC again, but never won the championship belt so coveted.
Henderson was sitting at 40 upon his most recent return to the UFC, and realistically could’ve thrown in the towel right then in there , but he was riding a wave of some credibility and wanted to keep things going for one last run. His win against Fedor Emelianenko was dominating and the UFC brass probably thought he deserved one more shot. In one of the best fights I’ve ever seen, and at age 40, Henderson went toe-to-toe with Shogun Rua for 5 rounds (although visually gassed after three rounds) and secured the win. A title shot against Jon Jones loomed, but for a number of reasons never happened.
At the age of 42 now, can Henderson expect to get one more title? Why won’t he just throw in the towel?
Henderson wants one last title, but more importantly MMA fans want to watch him fight for the title. Jon Jones has been unbeatable at 205 lbs and he has completely dominated every fighter of credibility in the division, save a short few.
Probably the last two fighters at the top of the division that Jones has not yet beaten are Alexander Gustafsson and Dan Henderson. Gustafsson doesn’t yet have the name that can draw a big mainstream appeal, but there are many who think that Henderson still has what is takes to beat the current champion.
Henderson’s late career run in Strikeforce turned many into believers. His trademark “H-Bomb” has the gusto many think can put the lights-out on Jon Jones. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see another Randy Couture-like performance in the UFC? People love to see the old warrior come back and show the world that he is one of the best that has ever been seen; that he is not just another man, and something that represents the best of humankind. Maybe I’m getting a little overly poetic here, but I think my sentiment is true.
Henderson wants that last title, and we want to see him win it! It’s not to say we want to see Jon Jones lose that bad (although, I know there are a lot out there who do), but we really want to see this man that we’ve watched so many times in so many legendary wars to take the title one last time and call it a day. My gut tells me that Henderson senses this and feeds off of it.
After back-to-back losses, Henderson does have a long road ahead. The UFC is usually willing to spend some credibility to put on a big fight, but I think even Dana White and Joe Silva would struggle to rationalize a Jones vs. Henderson title shot at this point. “Hendo” is at least two BIG wins away from a shot – and even two BIG wins, is really pushing it.
I think two more losses, and we see Henderson throw in the towel. As a fan of the sport though, I really would love to see him get a shot at Jones!
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Photo Credit: East718 via wikicommons, CC
