Dan Henderson is always one shot away from ending a fight instantaneously.
The 41-year-old, who is set to challenge Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title later this year, is unquestionably one of the most powerful strikers in the sport today, and his boxing coach, Gustavo Pugliese, doesn’t see any reason why that is about to change when he meets the 24-year-old champion.
Henderson has already competed for a UFC title on two separate occasions, and Pugliese is confident he can put on a strong performance against Jones.
“I don’t hope for anything less than a knockout,” Pugliese told TATAME.com. “He’s putting his hands on him, buddy.”
Henderson has strung together some quality wins over the past year and is well-deserving of a title opportunity at this stage in his career. Prior to returning to the UFC, the former PRIDE light heavyweight and middleweight champion defeated Rafael Cavalcante and Renato “Babalu” Sobral to capture the 205-pound Strikeforce title. Henderson then decided to accept a fight with former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, whom he knocked out in the first round.
Upon his third tenure in the UFC, Henderson picked up a unanimous decision over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139 to earn his fourth straight victory—and an opportunity to face Jones.
Although Jones has ran through the division thus far, defeating former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, Pugliese isn’t too concerned with what Jones brings into the fight, especially his massive 84.5″ reach.
He said Henderson has already began to neutralize and prepare for Jones’ skill set.
“We’re having him doing sparrings with guys the same size as Jones so that Dan get used to it,” he said. “We have to cut well the octagon, putting pressure but not rushing into things. We have to try to make the Octagon small, leaving no space out for Jones to escape Henderson. We have to use a lot of flow, combine kicks, move the head and work on the reach.”
While some fans might not like Henderson’s chances heading into the bout, his experience and power still make him a serious threat to Jones’ title reign.
Henderson has become quite reliant on his striking in recent years, but if he is able to mix up his attack and utilize his Greco-Roman wrestling as well, fans might just reconsider his odds and see a much more competitive fight.
If anything is certain, it’s that Henderson will be prepared to test Jones, whether he wins or loses.
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