Fight Story: Double Damage

Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 03.12.2007

The Tale of "Dangerous" Dan Henderson

Welcome to Fight Story, the long overdue bi-weekly written history of Mixed Martial Arts. I'm Damian Sarcuni and my editor is Jose Chavez. Together, our goal with this column is to record the history of MMA while showing the epic stories behind each fighter that the record books don't always show. This past week was huge for MMA, as both the UFC and PRIDE put their best fighters on display in Las Vegas for the entertainment of United States fans and many more watching around the world. When so much talent gives their all in such a short time period, only one of two things can happen: either history is made, or everyone will fade into the background. Thanks to two great champions, the first of which is our subject for today, the former was very much the case.

Before we get to that however, we have a few things to take care of.

Leftovers

It's been awhile since we actually got around to publishing this column and during the course of doing so we realized we missed out on some feedback and corrections that never got posted about our article on Mirko Crocop. In addition, we also have some words on the recent coverage of PRIDE's Second Coming pay per view here at 411. So without further ado:

Damian,

Your Crocop article made my day!

Awesome job of researching it. Plus ya gotta love the nickname "Tiger", I've been telling Newby for months that Crocop is Sagat from Street Fighter, that only solidifies it.

Good work,

Andrew
SIXAXIS

Haha, although Sagat was a muay Thai champion and Crocop is a traditional orthodox kickboxer, I do see the resemblance. Between Crocop's game character-like move set and the digitized Street Fighter Alpha animations made in his image floating around various message boards, its hard not to think of the Croatian sensation's left high kick showing up in a Capcom fighter. Quarter circle forward twice, MK + HK…while not unblockable it would definitely deal 100% damage, every time.


Damian,

Great article on The "REAL Croatian Sensation", Mirko'Cro-Cop' you indeed did your homework, my Man! Kudos and Keep up the Great Back-Ground research on the Top Fighters in MMA today. I am anxiously looking forward to some of the upcoming commentaries on the other venues of MMA as there are so many clamoring Fight Clubs wishing to have their Day in the Sun as well.

Thanks for all of the Hard work that gives us 'old timers' the Truth behind the facade' that is all but too prevalent in today's overly sensitized Liberal Bull-Crapola' The regular Bed-wetters out here in the SW USA are trying their best to paint a pink circle around the Octagon as it does not figure into their flimsy-flamsy Hollywood ideals or their life-styles!

In Freedom and Liberty,
Doc, Bear, Kimber and Lil' Bit'

Hmmm I didn't mean to reveal my political affiliations in this column, perhaps I let it slip by accident? Seriously though, 411mania is indeed working on expanding our MMA coverage. I'm not at liberty to give away too much, but suffice to say we don't view the UFC and PRIDE as being the end all of MMA orgs, and we aren't going to stop there at all. Much like the fighters of today, fans have a lot to learn from the roots of mixed martial arts, and I hope that fighters today realize just how much groundwork they are laying for the future of the sport, whatever incarnation it takes.


Hey man, good read on the Pride 33 Report, I just wanted to make two slight corrections.

After Lee's victory, he wasn't saying where's Nakamura, he was asking "Where's Sakikabara?", as can be seen after the fight when he went over to thank him for the opportunity.

Also, it was a left hook that dropped Wanderlei, not a right.

Thanks again, real good read.

Mike Malkasian

Thanks for the corrections. The Sakikabara thing wasn't my fault; my friend misheard and said it to me while I was typing. As for the left hook, well, that was all pure adrenaline. I try to be objective when doing a play by play or Fight Story article, but I've been waiting for Silva to lose that belt for 3 years now. I predicted it, it happened, and thus the world turned upside down.

Double Damage: The Tale of Dan Henderson



One point that mixed martial arts fans love is that MMA is a very young sport. We are living in a time period that will be remembered as MMA's golden age, when the first records were set and the first legends were made. Yet as young as MMA may seem in the long run, most of the men whose names we see at the top of the rankings are fighting veterans who are no strangers to combat or competition.

It is little wonder then, that Dan Henderson has his name written alongside the greatest mixed martial artists ever to step into the ring. From the very start of his fighting career, Henderson has challenged and beaten the best MMA fighters from around the world. Yet this American's accomplishments have only just recently hit their peak, as just a short while ago, Dan Henderson became the first man to ever hold two mixed martial arts titles in two different weight classes simultaneously.

A member of the legendary Team Quest, Henderson has fought and found success at various weight classes in several MMA promotions, but the home base for his career has been in Japan's PRIDE FC organization. It is there that Henderson (or "Hendo" as he is referred to for short) has found his greatest successes, becoming known for his dangerous right hand that holds some serious knockout power. Yet Henderson is also a wrestling champion, and his path to becoming one of the most complete fighters in MMA today is the crux of our story.


Chapter 1 – Not So Humble Beginning

Dan Henderson originally hails from Apple Valley, California. He was born August 24th, 1970 and began his first combat training when he began wrestling at the mere age of 5. Even at that early age, it was clear Henderson was destined to be a fighter. "Apart from roofing for six weeks in the summer of 89, I've relied on my ability to beat people up to earn a living" he writes. Henderson continued all the way into high school competition where he became a two time California state placer. He then continued in college at Arizona State University and there he immediately began to work on expanding his career to the International level, competing at the 1993 NCAA wrestling championships as well as the 1992 and 1996 summer Olympics in Greco-Roman competition. Yet despite these accomplishments, Henderson still fell on financial hard times. "Unfortunately as the number one ranked wrestler in the country I only made $650/month." He says.

After relocating to Oregon one year later, Dan started lacking direction in his career. Fortunately, Dan happened to befriend one of the must influential men in his career and all MMA, Randy "the natural" Couture. Randy invited Dan to join the Real American Wrestling team (RAW). Debuting in the UFC himself that same year, Couture felt that Henderson could also find success in mixed martial arts. Taking Randy's suggestion, Henderson began to cross train in wrestling and muay Thai kickboxing.

The suggestion paid off in spades. "I got a call to fight in the Brazil Open, a Vale Tudo fight in Brazil. None of us had ever trained anything but wrestling and I only had two weeks to prepare but the winner got $12,000. Easy decision. Fortunately I won and began my career as a professional fighter" says Henderson. Just one month after Couture shocked the world by winning a UFC mixed martial arts tournament, Dan Henderson mirrored his friend's accomplishment by winning the tournament, defeating Eric Smith (who managed to best famous fighter Jose Landi-Jons during the tournament) with a guillotine choke in a mere 30 seconds. This set the standard for the seemingly insurmountable challenges and uncanny success Henderson would throughout his entire career. Henderson continued to train MMA for a year and debuted in the UFC in May of 1998.

At the UFC 17 – Redemption tournament, Henderson took on two very famous names in MMA history: Allan Goes and Carlos Newton. While both men were noted for their submission abilities, Henderson was able to convincingly best both men and win decision victories in both of these fights. After just one year in the MMA game and with a mere 4 fights under his belt, Dan "Hollywood" Henderson (a name he publicly disagrees with) was already a 2 time tournament champion.


Chapter 2 – The 5 RINGS



Henderson kept his tournament success ball rolling in Japan when he entered into the 1999 RINGS King of Kings tournament. Although RINGS used somewhat different rules than those used by MMA organizations today (i.e. there were no strikes allowed while an opponent was on the ground) Dan found still more success there. Entering into Block A of the tournament on October 28th, Henderson bested two more Japanese fighters in one night, the second of which was the notable Hiromitsu Kanehara.

The tournament finale happened the next year on February 26th, and on that night Henderson bested three of the most famous mixed martial artists in the world, all in one night. These were famous muay Thai kick boxer Gilbert Yvel, Brazilian jiu jitsu legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (who was undefeated up until that point), and UFC mainstay Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Henderson won the tournament with split and unanimous decision wins over these three top fighters, and thus found himself in even heavier demand in the MMA scene.

Now established as an up and coming champion, Henderson was brought into the PRIDE fighting championship later that same year. Showing he had fear of no one, Dan took a fight on a mere two weeks notice, this time against the popular and lethal Wanderlei Silva. During their pre-fight stare down, Henderson first tried to avoid eye contact with Silva. However, Silva swayed from side to side, staring straight ahead, a trademark before all his fights. When Dan looked up to see Silva's swaying intensity, he visibly smiled. At the sound of the bell, both men circled but Silva threw a quick flurry knocking Henderson to the ground. However, Henderson kept his legs up, trying to kick Silva and keeping him in close. When Silva tried to create distance, Henderson attempted to catch him in an arm bar submission, causing Silva to stand up. After several kicks to the thigh by Silva, the stood the too men up.

Dan quickly landed a right hand and the two went into a clinch, followed by a flurry of strikes from Silva. However, as the two circled, Henderson landed a solid right hand in Wanderlei's left eye, stunning him. As Wanderlei stumbled forward, Henderson went into the clinch and took Wanderlei to the ground. Wanderlei's eye began bleeding and swelling severely, but when Henderson rested in the guard, the referee stopped the fight to check Silva's cut. When the cut was cleared, the two continued to battle. Silva, now somewhat recovered, pushed forward with strikes. Dan attempted to take Silva down, but Silva threw an illegal four point attack that didn't land solidly. Henderson recovered and the fight resumed again, with both men standing. Silva landed flurry after flurry of strikes, but Henderson continued working for the shoot, which Silva was able to defend against. This set the pace for the rest of the fight, and Silva continued landing strikes and kicks on the ground for the next two rounds to earn a unanimous decision. Thus, Henderson suffered his first MMA loss in his debut in the PRIDE ring.


Chapter 3 – Building the House



Having now earned another nickname, "Dangerous" Dan returned to the PRIDE ring 3 months later at their very next event, entitled PRIDE 13 – Collision Course. Taking on the legendary BJJ artist Renzo Gracie, Henderson commented that he recognized the need for cross training in the sport of MMA, did not really consider himself just a wrestler anymore. Both men shook hands and embraced before the fight, showing a lot of respect. At the sound of the bell, Henderson landed a big right hand that knocked Renzo down. Renzo attempted to shoot into Dan, but Dan sprawled very well. The two boxed a bit and Dan defended all of Renzo's shots perfectly. When Dan started to throw knees into the mix, Renzo shot in again, this time running directly into a right uppercut by Henderson, knocking him out. Dan, not realizing Renzo was out, threw two more punches but stopped then he realized the situation. Thus Henderson was back in the winner's circle, becoming the first man to KO anyone in the Gracie family at a quick 1:40 in the first round.

Becoming a mainstay in PRIDE, Henderson next took on Akira Shoji in May of that year, earning a TKO in the third round due to strikes. Dan then returned that November to face Murilo "Ninja" Rua. Although Ninja was dominant for most of the fight, Dan nearly knocked Ninja out in the third round with his now infamous right hand and earned a controversial split decision victory. Dan's next fight would be in April of 2002, where he faced the nearly unstoppable Ricardo Arona. Though the fight went to a split decision, Arona got the win due to superior ground control.

Next it was time for a rematch, as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (now the PRIDE world heavyweight champion) sought revenge against Henderson for his previous loss. Although Nogueira dominated this non-title match, spectators were absolutely amazed how hard it was for the submission master to best the smaller Henderson. Eventually though, Nogueira did manage to secure an arm bar in the third round, avenging his loss to Henderson, the only loss in his career at the time. Now on a two fight losing streak, Dan stepped into the ring again at PRIDE 25 – Body Blow, stepping up against Japanese judoka Shungo Oyama.

Henderson came out swinging soon after the bell, but Oyama did not back down from Dan's flurry. The two men separated briefly nodding a show of respect, and began circling each other. Dan tried using leg kicks to set up his big right over hand punch, but after he missed Oyama eventually came in with another flurry. Dan threw a left and went into the clinch with Oyama, but the judoka was able to throw Dan to the ground beautifully. Henderson used his jiu jitsu experience to keep Oyama off balance and get back up, but not before Oyama landed a big left knee to Dan's head. The two mixed it up again and Henderson went back into the clinch, this time successfully getting Oyama down quickly. Shungo soon managed to buck out from under Dan and stood back up, but Dan jumped right on his opponent with another right. With Shungo off balance, a big left hook hit Shungo, stunning him. Henderson took Shungo to the ground but it was already over, a few more strikes and Dan secured his victory at 3:38 in the first round.

Back to his winning ways, Dan next took on a teammate of Nogueira's, who was a bit more Dan's size. Murilo Bustamante, a Brazilian jiu jitsu master responsible for much of Brazilian Top team's success, had recently joined with PRIDE and face Dan at Final Conflict 2003. The match was quick and although Dan did score a KO victory in under a minute, Bustamante claimed that there was a headbutt involved, asking for a rematch. Henderson, meanwhile, went on to another victory against Kazuhiro Nakamura when the judoka separated his shoulder in the first round. Dan would return once again two months later, facing Pancrase mainstay Yuki Kondo on new year's eve 2004 at PRIDE's yearly Shockwave show.

Dan dominated early, getting Kondo into a clinch and firing knees to the body followed by a successful takedown. Henderson made the most of this with choke attempts and ground and pound, but Kondo was able to roll out and the two stood up. Henderson threw flurries of strikes, but Kondo moved well to avoid much of this. Kondo wound up on top of Henderson after a failed takedown, working from side mount while Dan also stayed busy on the ground. After awhile Dan rolled over and managed to get up, but Kondo came in with a significant combo. Dan answered with his own combo and a clinch but Kondo landed on top once again. Kondo managed to mount Dan, but Henderson still held Kondo close. Near the end, Yuki attempted a side choke but Henderson escaped just before the bell rang.

Both men worked the same ground work in round 2, staying busy and tiring themselves. However, Dan stepped up his striking slightly, swinging a bit wilder and avoiding much of Kondo's countering. This took its toll on Dan as round 3 saw a much more visibly tired Henderson, who pushed his striking even more. Taking Kondo down, Dan spent most of the final round on top of Kondo but unable to do any severe damage. The judges still awarded Henderson a split decision win, however.

Having missed his opportunity to enter PRIDE's middleweight tournament for the previous year, Dan was quick to sign up for 2005 Total Elimination event. In interviews, Henderson spoke of regret for missing the previous tournament, feeling that he could have won even in a rematch against Wanderlei Silva. With nothing but respect for the middleweight champion, Henderson did remark that not all of Silva's fights had been against the very best competition, and he hoped to face him again in this upcoming tournament.

Instead, Henderson's opponent was a name all too familiar by now…Nogueira. However, this time around, Dan was facing Antonio Rodrigo's twin brother, Antonio Rogerio. While both of the brothers were known for their supreme jiu jitsu skills, Rogerio was also noted for his boxing ability. The fight went at a very fast pace and Dan, though aware of the danger, was unable to avoid a close quarters arm bar submission late in the first round. Due to his poor conditioning, Dan Henderson was eliminated from the middleweight tournament his very first try.


Chapter 4 – Welterweight



What many people did not realize at the time was that Dan Henderson was not in fact a true PRIDE middleweight at all (205 lbs). Dan's ideal weight class was 185 lbs, which was a weight class that did not exist in PRIDE FC. This changed in 2005, as PRIDE decided to dedicate their "Bushido" brand of shows to new welterweight and lightweight divisions. In order to kick these divisions off with a bang, two tournaments were announced that would crown the first champion of each division. With the chance to fight at a weight class far more suited to him, Dan Henderson entered the tournament.

His first opponent was Ryo Chonan, a kyokushin karate practitioner who had just come off a quick KO loss to noted striker Phil Baroni. At a mere 22 seconds into the first round, it happened again. Dan, predicting Chonan's lead moves, landed a quick right hand sending Chonan to the ground as the ref stepped in. It is interesting to note that this quick KO later prompted Chonan to travel to America where he actually lived and trained with Henderson for awhile, and the two have since remained friends.

Next up that same night was Akihiro Gono, a popular Japanese fighter known for his flashy entrances and rock hard chin. At nearly 8 minutes into the first round, Dan was able to knock Gono out as well, moving on to the tournament finale at the Shockwave 2005 event on New Year's eve. To get the belt, Dan would have to win a rematch with Murilo Bustamante, who was all the more motivated to win due to his belief that his first loss to Henderson came from an illegal blow.

Though Henderson felt this fight would be a bit of a rematch of their first battle, it was not to be. At the start of the first round the two traded combos and Bustamante attempted to clinch and sweep Henderson down, but Dan reversed. After a few strikes in guard, Dan stood out and the two stood up. Henderson chased Murilo with his right, which led him into a perfect single leg takedown. Henderson countered with an up kick and got right back up however. The two circled and Bustamante shot in but Henderson caught Murilo into a guillotine. His grip broken, Henderson got a body lock and the referee restarted the action into the ring's center. Both men traded combos again, with Henderson swinging a bit wild and going for the quick KO. When next they clinched, Henderson again went into a body lock but Bustamante tripped him to the ground.



Murilo got full mount on Dan, but Henderson was able to kick him off. Bustamante missed with stomps but landed a nice side kick which Dan countered with a heel strike to the thigh. After another stomp to the body and low kick, Bustamante got into side mount on Henderson, where Dan countered with knees from the bottom. Bustamante stood again but this time when Murilo stomped Dan caught his leg and attempted a heel hook. Murilo pulled out and went into Henderson's guard again. With nothing there, Bustamante stood again and the referee set the fight standing again. Dan worked aggressively, but Bustamante clinched and took Henderson down a second time. Though Murilo punished Dan with strikes, but Dan again countered with submission attempts and heel strikes. The ref stood the two again. Henderson came out with a big right but expected Bustamante's counter, catching his kick and taking him down into guard. Before Dan could gain the advantage though, the bell for round 1 sounded.

In round 2, Dan pushed forward with big strikes, catching a counter kick again and taking Bustamante to the ground. Although Murilo attempted a sub from the bottom, Dan postured up and the two were stood again. They circled and boxed again, but this time Dan went into the clinch and managed to get Murilo down again. However, Dan was unable to capitalize again and the two were stood yet again. This time Bustamante pushed the combos, cutting Henderson underneath the eye. In the clinch, neither man could get the other down and the fight was broken to wipe Henderson's blood, and restart the fight standing. This time Dan swung big and landed a heavy right, followed by a knee that rocked Bustamante to the ground. Though Dan jumped on top, Bustamante held him close in half guard while trying to recover. Both men stood but Dan held the guillotine position, landing more knees to Bustamante's head bringing them back down. Adding more knees on the ground and standing up, Dan allowed Bustamante to stand. When Bustamante swung, Dan went for a final takedown which failed. As the bell sounded, both men swung wildly for a big finish. The fight was close, with neither man able to really get off their trademark offenses on the other. In the end though, the judges awarded a split decision and the welterweight title to Dan Henderson.



For fans who felt the fight should have gone the other way, Dan earned his third nickname: "Decision" Dan Henderson. It would not be long before Henderson would live up to that name again, has he would make his first title defense in April of 2006 against Kazuo Misaki. Although Misaki was resilient, Henderson was not able to fire off any major damage against him. The fight did go to the decision but this time it was a unanimous one in favor of Henderson.

Misaki was not done with Henderson, however. PRIDE announced another welterweight tournament just two months later, and Misaki worked his way into the 2nd round of the tournament by out striking the dangerous Phil Baroni to a unanimous decision. Meanwhile, Henderson was given a bye on the first round in the tournament given his status as champion. In the second round, Dan faced Misaki again. This time, the roles reversed and though Dan did not sustain much damage, Misaki got off a bit more offense and countered well. Misaki won the unanimous decision, knocking the champion out of the tournament. Misaki would go on to become the winner of the welterweight tournament for 2006.


Chapter 5 – Full Circle



Dan Henderson's career was about to come full circle in many ways. Still the welterweight champion, Dan would return to PRIDE again but this time in his home country of the United States. Facing the famous striker Vitor Belfort at PRIDE 32 – The Real Deal, Dan gave the closest he had come to a hometown performance he'd had in years down in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Henderson pressed the action early, opening with a right hand end a knee, following with a quick takedown. Vitor soon pulled off a sweep and reversed the position, changing over to side mount. Henderson managed to kick Belfort off and when Vitor grabbed a leg Dan attempted to wrap it into a submission, bringing Belfort in half guard. Belfort grabbed Dan's knee again but Henderson grabbed an ankle and escaped. When the referee stood up the action, Dan came out with more combos and wild rights. Getting into the clinch, Henderson brought Belfort down again, winding up in half guard. Henderson started to sink a choke in but Vitor got out as the first bell sounded.

In the second round, more of Dan's combos led to another clinch where Belfort pulled guard. Henderson made Belfort pay for that by slamming him hard to the ground and adding in some heavy strikes to the head for good measure. When the ref restarted the action in the center, both men seemed tired but Dan got back throwing a few heel strikes before both stood again. After another clinch, Dan hit Vitor with a few foot stomps and a knee, followed by another take down into half guard where the second round ended.

In round 3, Vitor came out swinging but could not avoid Hendo's knee – clinch – takedown chain. Henderson added big strikes while Vitor attempted an arm bar which he was too tired to finish. When Vitor opened his guard Dan pounded away. Belfort pulled off a successful sweep and got behind Henderson, who tumbled and landed into Belfort's guard again. Both men were desperate as Henderson attempted a choke and Vitor tried for some strikes to the body and face. When Belfort managed to stand, Henderson landed more hell strikes then grabbed a leg twisting into an ankle lock. Vitor slipped out but landed on his back where Henderson moved to side mount. This time it was Henderson who got Vitor's back, almost sinking in another choke. They switched position a few more times as the bell sounded leading to another unanimous decision victory for Henderson.

PRIDE chose to return to Las Vegas in February of 2007, and it was here that Dan Henderson's career would truly complete its circle. PRIDE announced that Wanderlei Silva, still the undefeated middleweight champion, would rematch Dan Henderson (still the welterweight champion) for the 205lb belt in the main event of PRIDE 33 – Second Coming. Fans were excited to see Silva's first fight in the United States under PRIDE rules and many did not give Henderson much of a chance. Henderson insisted that he was still new to the sport when he first fought Silva, and that now he would win because of his gained experience and the same right hand that hurt Silva badly the first time around.

In the stare down, Henderson smiled once again. When the bell rang Henderson immediately pressed the action, throwing wide but slipping on the mat. While Wanderlei got on top, he was unable to initiate much offense and the referee stood both men back up with a stalling warning. Henderson again pushed forward with big punch and knee combos. Silva, on the other hand, was unable to get off his usual offense. Pushing to the corner, Dan landed a low kick that prompted Wanderlei to start off his offense, but this time Wanderlei slipped. Henderson capitalized with a short combo and knee, but as the time waned both men began swinging wildly. Silva landed managed to catch Dan with a wild swing that seemed to hurt him, but both went out punching as the first round ended.

In round 2, Wanderlei made more of an effort to get his offense going while striking and in the clinch. Dan managed to apply a guillotine choke however, adding in a knee straight to Silva's head. The damage was done as Silva escaped, and Henderson pulled off a takedown that was restarted in the center. Silva worked his best to buck Henderson off, but Dan continued striking from the top, eventually opening a small cut on Silva. When Wanderlei attempted an arm bar, Dan avoided it completely and continued to lay in more big hits. Silva managed to catch Dan in an arm bar but a big left from Henderson broke it up as the round ended.

In round 3, Silva tried to be even more aggressive. This only put him into Henderson's clinch, which prompted Silva to begin working low kicks. Henderson landed a big right and shot in for a takedown which missed, allowing Silva to take his back. Silva followed up with a big combo in the corner, but Dan managed to get out. It was here that Dan's brain truly began to show as he began to act dazed from Silva's combo. When Silva moved in for the kill, Dan threw a huge spinning back fist, forcing Silva into position. With his target in sight, Dan threw a powerful left hook, knocking Silva out.

Dan Henderson set many records that night. He became the first person to hold two MMA belts in two different weight classes simultaneously, and the first person to do so by moving up a weight class instead of down. In his post fight interview, Dan commented on his future, stating that he would like to try another weight class, but that lightweight would be impossible. With a possible heavyweight contention on the horizon, Dan stood in the center of the ring with a big smile on his face, as the first champion ever to truly deal in double damage.



On Record

Thank you for reading Double Damage: The Tale of Dan Henderson. Dan has indeed accomplished much in just a short time professionally, but so much more is on the horizon for him. He has already stood up to amazing challenges so many others backed down from, and his bravery has paid off in spades. However, what more is left for this man to accomplish? Our On Record question asks:

Kazuo Misaki is owed a title shot, Wanderlei Silva wants a rematch, and Dan Henderson wants to fight heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianeko. Which of these should happen, and what would the outcome be for each?

Jose: Misaki is owed a title shot – This is honestly the least intriguing match up. Dan and Misaki already fought twice. The first time Henderson didn't look to be that dominating. Misaki showed he was a tough fighter, but it wasn't exactly a barn burner. In the second fight, it seemed like a role reversal: Misaki pressing the pace, and ahead on points to earn the decision, but the fight itself was average in my opinion. If anything it showed Misaki to be a much improved fighter. He certainly has the talent to defeat Henderson again in the same manner. I see this match as being predictable, no matter the outcome. The two fighters will most likely pick away at each other until the bell.

Silva wants a rematch - Henderson fights better when he's being pushed. That seems to happen more for him at 205lbs. We've seen our share of exciting moments from him in this division. He did almost KO Silva when they first fought. He almost knocked Murilo Ninja out as well. In losing to Rodrigo Nogueira in 2002, he put in one of the most impressive displays of heart and submission escapes ever witnessed. I would be excited to see this rematch, but only if Wanderlei Silva gets back to form with some wins under his belt. It's been a rough year for Wanderlei, from fighting heavyweights and getting smashed by Mirko Crocop to having to defend his title right after. Wandy just did not look good in his fight with Dan. He really didn't pull the trigger like he should have. If we were to see the Wanderlei that knocked out Quinton Jackson in '04, I think we would have one hell of a fight on our hands.

Henderson wants to fight Fedor – Seriously, Henderson did really well against Nogueira who had to have had 20 lbs on him. But let's face it: Fedor is a different breed of animal. He knows how good Henderson's sub defense is and can probably crush him with his fists and get an early TKO. Fedor could probably submit Dan or do whatever he wants. It's too large of a mismatch in size and power. Dan's right hand is a great weapon, but I don't feel its enough.

In closing, I honestly believe that Henderson could fight Misaki because after that he could fight Kang or Filho, which are fights a lot of people want to see. Or he could relinquish the WW title and he could certainly continue in the middleweight division instead. Something about this division seems to bring out superhuman feats in dangerous Dan. That's about it though…Fedor would be too much for him.


Damian: Misaki is owed a title shot – PRIDE has a tendency to get their title situations all screwed up. Yes, Misaki is owed a title shot somewhere, but remember he also just lost to Frank Trigg. I'm not saying this voids Misaki as a contender, but Henderson didn't get where he is by being blind to his opponent's game. Trigg beat Misaki convincingly and I am 100% sure Dan could mirror this performance. The most interesting welterweight bout for me is a rematch between Dan Henderson and my favorite fighter Ryo Chonan, this time as teacher and student.

Silva wants a rematch – As Nakamura said: "Tell Wanderlei shut the fuck up!" Chute Box annoys me and it stands to reason that both Wanderlei and Shogun Rua want a crack at Henderson's belt. Both of them are very good of course, especially in Japan where they have more options on the ground. But Chute Box thinks more with their cojones than with their brains, and right now neither Shogun nor Silva are in a good position to successful pluck the belt from Dan's grasp. Shogun doesn't look as offensive anymore and Silva is on a losing streak. Bias aside, Chute Box really needs to sit this one out for a few, rest up, and come back with some serious strategy.

Henderson wants to fight Fedor – You have to respect Henderson for having no fear, even of the undefeated champion. Yes, Henderson did beat Nogueira but he did so in a ring that did not allow for any striking on the ground which is Fedor's bread and butter. Add in the fact that Nogueira isn't exactly a boxing legend whereas Fedor could be, and this fight doesn't look good for Henderson. However, you have to admit Dan is playing it smart. Resting up for 6 months due to his injuries and allowing Matt Lindland to test the waters against Fedor is genius stuff straight out of the Red Devil playbook (yes, Fedor does owe his brother Aleks a few unspoken "thank you's"). Will it be enough? Only time will tell.

Geez, why did I pick a question that requires an answer far longer than I want to give? I don't even have a clear response for my own damn question. Sigh, well I guess all I can say is Henderson has plenty of options which may or may not be such a great idea. What he decides in the future will be of great interest to MMA fans all over the world, and we'll be watching the outcome with much anticipation.


Thank you for reading, and join the 411 MMA revolution every week here in the Sports section.