Dan Henderson: Making a Point

When Dan Henderson (24-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC, #5/#8 IWMMAR) steps into the cage at UFC 100, he may very well be thinking about putting the beatdown on Michael Bisping (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), but that’s not the most important consequence of this bout. As a fighter who already has a legacy in the sport, as well as top ten spots and former championships in two divisions, Henderson doesn’t have to worry about being a legend (not in the same way a young up-and-comer like Bisping does). He’s just thinking about his next fight, and that could very well be a rematch against the middleweight champ, Anderson Silva (24-4 MMA, 9-0 UFC, #1 IWMMAR).

Dana White has said, openly, that if Bisping wins, he’s getting a shot at Anderson. Henderson is just as legitimate a contender. Though, perhaps, he should wait until after Demian Maia (10-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC, #4 IWMMAR) gets a shot at the belt, assuming that Maia beats Nate Marquardt (28-8-2 UFC, 7-2 UFC, #3 IWMMAR) at UFC 102. Still, as the man who actually won a round against Anderson, Hendo makes for a nice contender in a very competitive division.

Still, what’s more important than whether or not Henderson wins is how Henderson wins, and that needs to be taken into account when one makes predictions about the Bisping fight.

The easiest way to call this one is a knockout for Henderson. Bisping has said openly that he wants to trade with the wrestler, but that’s not nearly as good a gameplan as it sounds for the kickboxing Brit. Whether he feels that he’s capable of evading Henderson’s hands or just simply that Henderson’s chin is overrated, it’s clear that Bisping things a lot higher of his own kickboxing skills than he should.

Henderson is certainly the superior wrestler in the bout, but it’s not as though the superior wrestler always wants to take the fight to the ground, even if he’s the all-around superior grappler. The point is, Henderson likes to bang-it-out in the cage, and if Bisping doesn’t work his angles appropriately, this isn’t going to go down the same way as the Leben fight. Bisping can’t just try and work around Henderson. The power in Henderson’s hands only require closing the distance enough to land the punch. Making sure that punch doesn’t land, especially against a guy like Henderson, who comes forward like a madman, is going to be a lot harder than it sounds.

Choosing to stand with Henderson can only really make sense if Bisping thinks he has the power to do damage to Henderson’s jaw. Since he’s never been finished with strikes, it’s hard to believe that Bisping has deluded himself into thinking he can be the first, when Wanderlei Silva (32-10-1-1 MMA, 2-5 UFC) and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (30-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC, #3 IWMMAR), accomplished knockout artists, couldn’t. Bisping is a British kickboxing champion, but if he couldn’t finish Chris Leben (18-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC), it’s hard to believe that he’ll finish Henderson.

If Henderson posts a big knockout of Bisping, instead of just pinning him to the mat and pounding on him for fifteen minutes (which he’s certainly capable of doing), then it certainly makes an argument that Henderson, once again, belongs at the top of the heap of contenders in the UFC middleweight division (of course, as previously mentioned, this argument does depend, in large degree, to the outcome of the UFC 102 bout between Maia and Marquardt).

If this fight stays standing, it’ll be a war and a fight fans will enjoy between a guy who knows the ins and outs of professional kickboxing (Bisping) and a guy with hands that can put out anyone he hits. However it unfolds, it’ll be a memorable conclusion to an interesting rivalry.