411 MMA Interviews: Dan Henderson

Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 02.18.2011

MMA legend and Pride double-champion Dan Henderson checks in with 411mania.com for an exclusive interview before his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship bout with Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante on March 5. Dan talks about the loss to Jake Shields, fighting Feijao, his illustrious career and much more!

MMA legend, Dan Henderson (26-8, MMA; 1-1, Strikeforce), once again goes for another title opportunity on March 5 at the next Strikeforce event. "Hendo" as he is also called will be taking on the reigning Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (10-2, MMA; 3-1, Strikeforce). Feijao won the belt by knocking out the undefeated champion, King Mo. Last week, Dan Henderson was gracious enough to take a break from his training and speak with 411mania.com for an exclusive interview:



Jeffrey Harris: You will be facing Rafael Cavalcante for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title. How are you feeling coming off your most recent win over Renato "Babalu" Sobral?

Dan Henderson: I feel great. And yeah I'm excited – excited for the match-up. It definitely has the makings to be a pretty good brawl so that's always good for the fans and entertainment. I'm excited for the opportunity to win a Strikeforce title.

Jeffrey Harris: We know Feijao is a tough opponent with great striking and kickboxing. He knocked out King Mo who was previously undefeated. What challenges do you think Feijao poses for you?

Dan Henderson: Yeah, I mean I'm prepared where ever the fight goes. I think he's really well rounded and so am I. He looks like he hits hard, but a little bit more on the wild side with his punches. He's got some really good knees. So those are things I need to be careful about and just go out there and implement what I want to do to him. So I plan on hitting him hard and making him feel those hard punches, make him a little bit nervous on his feet with me.

Jeffrey Harris: What did you think of Feijao's fight with King Mo where he won the title?

Dan Henderson: I think his takedown defense was pretty good. Mo was only kind of shooting on him on the outside, wasn't setting up his shots all that well. But it just looks like he's got some really good knees on him. He caught Mo with a nice knee and followed up with some punches. I think like I said, it's going to be an exciting fight.

Jeffrey Harris: How did it feel coming off a tough loss against Jake Shields and getting back in there and finishing Babalu in the first round? Especially considering the first time you and Babalu fought earlier in your careers.

Dan Henderson: Obviously it's always good to be on the winning side of things and to win in a decisive matter is always better as well. Hopefully I can do that in the next fight.

Jeffrey Harris: Did it surprise you that Babalu challenged you instead of opting for a title fight with King Mo?

Dan Henderson: Yeah, I mean that surprised me quite a bit. I don't know why everyone wants to fight me. Maybe they think I'm getting old, but I feel great.

Jeffrey Harris: With Strikeforce now doing the heavyweight tournament, and the talk of Strikeforce doing more tournaments in the future, would it interest you at all to maybe compete in a tournament again considering your experience fighting and winning tournaments in Pride, UFC, and RINGS?

Dan Henderson: It's something I would definitely consider. It's not something I look forward to doing, but it's something I would definitely consider. It all depends on who's in the tournament and the match-ups. If it's exciting and a challenge, then definitely I'll do it.

Jeffrey Harris: In your tournament experience where you've fought multiple times in one night, what is the mindset going into a setting where you have to plan on fighting 2-3 times in one night? How do you prepare for that?

Dan Henderson: It's just like any other fight. You just make sure you are well prepared to go out there and fight however many rounds or however many fights the night it is. The most I've fought in a night is three fights and that was definitely the toughest night of fighting I've had.

Jeffrey Harris: In the 2005 Pride Welterweight Grand Prix, how did it feel knocking out both your opponents in first round (Ryo Chonan and Akihiro Gono) in one night and at the end of the night you know you are going into the finals to compete for the title?

Dan Henderson: It felt great being able to finish guys in that manner and coming out injury free for the finals is always good. I was excited to be able to be in that situation.

Jeffrey Harris: When you won your first MMA title in Pride, you beat Murilo Bustamante in the finals of the WWGP. The fight went the distance. Some people have argued the decision maybe should've gone the other way. I felt you hit Bustamante more and knocked him down several times, making more moves to finish the fight. Would you not agree, going by that I had to give the fight to you.

Dan Henderson: Yeah, it was a lot closer then I would've liked. But I definitely did more damage to him. I tried to finish the fight more and these are things that under the Pride rules that's the main thing that they seem to account for. He did a good job in that fight, keeping it fairly close. But I felt good in that fight and felt like I did a lot more damage and won the fight decisively.

Jeffrey Harris: When you fought Jake Shields last April for the Strikeforce middleweight title, did anything surprise you about Jake Shields as the fight went on and continued after that dominant first round?

Dan Henderson: It wasn't really anything he did that surprised me. I knew he was going to be tough and was going to try and take me down and get on top of me and mount me. It was just a matter of me not being able to fight the way I normally do. I just did not feel good that night. That happens and those are the things you try to avoid and learn from those mistakes when preparing to go out there and fight.

Jeffrey Harris: So far you are still the only man in MMA history to hold two titles in two weight classes at the same time. What were you thinking going into your title fight with Wandrlei Silva at Pride 33, considering the two of you had both fought to a decision before?

Dan Henderson: Well I pretty much accomplished exactly what I wanted to do with him. I didn't want to go out there and strike with him and try to knock him out early. I wanted to beat him up and then knock him out. And felt like I won the first two rounds and knocked him out in the third. I wasn't really thinking about having a second belt or what would that mean . . . I wasn't worried about the belt, I just knew he was a dangerous opponent and giving me a big challenge. And I wanted to make sure it was based on beating him, and I wanted to definitely just beat him up the whole time and then knock him out. And I felt like I did that.

Jeffrey Harris: What is it like to see how your training camp, Team Quest, has grown and spread over the years and become one of the best training camps in the business?

Dan Henderson: I do have a lot of pride in the team, where it's at now, especially where it's come from. When Randy [Couture] and I first started, it was just us two. It's nice to see where it's at now.

Jeffrey Harris: Are there any sponsors you would like to thank or give a shout out to?

Dan Henderson: Yeah, just always Clinch Gear (ClinchGear.com). Clinch Gear, I've been a part of a number of years now, at least six years. It's nice to see where it's grown and the people behind it. So check out ClinchGear.com.

Jeffrey Harris: Thanks so much for your time. Good luck with your fight and bringing back another title.

Dan Henderson: Well thank you man, I appreciate it.



Thank you to Dan for taking his time to speak with us. Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Feijao will be broadcast live on Showtime on March 5. Remember to check 411mania.com to get the best and quickest live play-by-play of the event. So remember to bookmark us to your favorite sites or add us as your homepage.