UFC 161 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Henderson vs. Evans

When Dan Henderson steps into the UFC Octagon, subtlety all but disappears. There is no misdirection in Henderson’s game. He wants to hit his opponent with a big right hand. Nothing else will do. Nothing else matters.It’s a punch famous enough to have …

When Dan Henderson steps into the UFC Octagon, subtlety all but disappears. There is no misdirection in Henderson’s game. He wants to hit his opponent with a big right hand. Nothing else will do. Nothing else matters.

It’s a punch famous enough to have its own nickname—the H Bomb. And it deserves the notoriety. Who can forget the one he landed on Michael Bisping?

But when Henderson fails to land, he fails to win. He couldn’t land the big bomb on “Suga” Rashad Evans. And that failure was the story of the fight. Evans employed a more diverse attack, kept Henderson guessing with 10 takedown attempts and won a split decision on the judges’ cards.

It was a fairly lackluster fight. In a way that made it a perfect fit for such a lackluster card. The fights lacked promise on paper and didn’t deliver in the cage, either.

Of course, that doesn’t make every fighter a loser. There were winners who gave their all, some who won big despite getting a check in the loss column. That can happen when you show heart and guts. That’s what fight fans want and separates the winners from the losers.

Click on for my take on the night’s most important moments and athletes, along with complete results. Disagree? Let us know in the comments.

Begin Slideshow