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3 Fights for Dan Henderson to Finish out His Hall of Fame Career

He wasn’t always like this.
Seventeen years ago, Dan Henderson made his MMA debut at the 1997 Brazil Open. He finished two opponents within six minutes before branding himself as one of the toughest dudes on the planet.
He’d go on to make h…

He wasn’t always like this.

Seventeen years ago, Dan Henderson made his MMA debut at the 1997 Brazil Open. He finished two opponents within six minutes before branding himself as one of the toughest dudes on the planet.

He’d go on to make his UFC debut (no, not that UFC debut) six months later, capturing the UFC 17 tournament title when he defeated Carlos Newton via split decision.

Over the course of the 16 years that followed, Henderson would share a fighting platform with some of the best fighters to ever be.

No matter the weight or opponent, Henderson was always a fighter to count on.

At 44 years old and fighting in the post-TRT era, there isn’t much gas left in Henderson’s tank. But with wins over some of the best fighters to ever grace this planet, there isn’t much Henderson has left to prove. He could have several fights ahead of him. He could also only have one. Let’s assume it’s the latter.

Here are three fights that make sense for Henderson as he bids farewell to the sport that he helped build.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

There are few ways Henderson can see any sort of success by staying at light heavyweight. Stepping into the cage against Little Nog in a rematch of their 2005 PRIDE bout might just be one of them. With a combined total of nearly 70 fights between them, there isn’t much tread left on their tires.

Little Nog‘s fresh off the wrong end of a first-round knockout against a rejuvenated Anthony Johnson in July while Henderson’s still a little drowsy from being put to sleep in his latest outing against Cormier in May.

The bout could serve as the closing act to two of the most impactful MMA careers to ever be. Here’s hoping the UFC can get them to sign on and Little Nog can healthily find his way into the cage to make this happen.

Gegard Mousasi

Again, there are few ways Henderson can see his hand raised by staying at 205. That’s not to say he’ll find himself in any sort of title fight by dropping down to middleweight; those days are long gone.

Whether he decides to fight Mousasi at 205 or 185 shouldn’t make too much of a difference; Mousasi‘s never been one of the bigger fighters in either weight class. In other words, there’s no reason to believe he’ll be able to rag-doll Henderson like Cormier did. He also hasn’t shown the same sort of explosiveness to prove that he’ll be able to turn Henderson’s lights out the way Belfort did.

The bout should stay standing, Mousasi will pepper Henderson from the outside while we all hold our breath as Hendo keeps the H-Bomb cocked and ready to go for 15 to 25 minutes.

Anderson Silva

Silva’s already pegged to fight Nick Diaz in January. But, for just a brief moment, let’s assume Diaz‘s suspected DUI prevents him from making it to UFC 183 in Las Vegas.

Assuming he gets a reasonable amount of time to cut the weight to fit a middleweight’s mold, Henderson should be able to fit right into that main event slot with little-to-no problem. It would be a rematch to the UFC/PRIDE title unification bout of 2008. It would be one of the only reasons to drop 20 pounds and step inside the cage again. It would be, by most logical accounts, the best way to end a storied career for Henderson.

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.

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Ronda Rousey T-Shirt Design Contest

Las Vegas, Nev. – The UFC® is calling all fans, artists and designers to show off their creativity and submit a design that will be worn by UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey as her Walkout T-shirt at her next fight. The UFC and Rousey are looking for a creative, unique design that showcases her personality. There is no cost to enter and entries must be received by Friday, Oct. 31.
In addition to Rousey wearing the T-shirt, the winning designer will also receive The Ultimate UFC Pack, which includes a limited edition, custom-made EA SPORTS™ UFC® Octagon K … Read the Full Article Here

Sorting out the Women’s Bantamweight Division Past Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano

One of the best stories of 2014 has been the return to action of women’s bantamweight contender Cat Zingano. After missing out on a coaching spot and title fight opposite Ronda Rousey due to injury late last year, Zingano has gone through difficu…

She’s back now, and her third-round TKO over Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 last month set up a fight that many have been waiting for: Ronda Rousey vs. the rightful No. 1 contender, “Alpha” Cat Zingano. Looking at the current landscape, there are a few different outcomes we might be looking at past Rousey vs. Zingano.

As of this writing, 10 of the Top 15 fighters in the UFC women’s bantamweight division don’t have fights booked. Aside from Leslie Smith vs. Jessica Eye at UFC 180 and Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington at UFC 181, the fights involving the key players aren’t scheduled yet, so we don’t know the next moves for a lot of the women in the division.

Zingano is the most legitimate threat to Rousey in the division, and like Rousey, she has yet to taste defeat in mixed martial arts. Despite all this, Rousey will be a heavy favorite to defeat her.

If Rousey is able to hand Zingano her first loss at UFC 182, then what? Who might be next for Rousey and the rest of the top of the UFC women’s bantamweight division?

The Top Five

Aside from Cat Zingano, the women in the Top Five have all lost to the champion, with Sarah Kaufman being the only one who lost to Rousey outside of the UFC. Believe it or not, these women might be the farthest away from the title, despite their high rankings.

2014 has seen Miesha Tate bounce back from two straight losses and take home unanimous-decision victories over Liz Carmouche and Rin Nakai. She’s going to need a lengthy winning streak with strong performances to get back into the title conversation.

There are plenty of fights for Tate to take, and a bout with Sara McMann or Alexis Davis might make sense. Tate might also best be served as a stiff test for new entrants to the division.

McMann had a surprisingly tough fight against former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Lauren Murphy back in August but left with a split-decision victory. The UFC needs to be a bit careful what it does with McMann, because she could be a bona fide hype-killer. Her wrestling credentials could make her a veritable nonstarter for young prospects who are just starting out in the UFC.

Her only loss is to the champion, so a few impressive finishes might align McMann for a rematch with Rousey toward the end of 2015 or early 2016.

On The Rise

The archrival and nemesis of the “Four Horsewomen” is the undefeated Brazilian, Bethe Correia. After a decision victory over Rousey team member Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172, she threw up four fingers and lowered one of them, firing the first shot at Rousey and her crew.

That earned her a fight with another member of the Horsewomen, Shayna Baszler. Correia finished Baszler at UFC 177 and has made it onto the champ’s radar. With the UFC looking for Rousey to make a quick turnaround after her next fight, the 31-year-old out of Pitbull Brothers will likely fight for the title in 2015.

The UFC announced this week that undefeated prospect Holly Holm will make her Octagon debut at UFC 181 on December 6 against Raquel Pennington. Holm, who trains out of the famed Team Jackson-Wink in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a former world champion boxer and posted a 33-2-3 record in professional boxing record and went 2-1 in kickboxing before going 7-0 in MMA.

She’ll get a game opponent on the feet in Pennington, who’s willing to brawl in a fight that will likely be fought in Holm‘s stand-up comfort zone.

Cyborg and Carano

UFC President Dana White has gone back and forth about the status of Gina Carano entering the Octagon. White went from saying that he was going to get a deal done one week to telling FoxSports.com that Carano was “the hardest human being we’ve ever dealt with and I didn’t see it coming.”

With the door most likely close to shut on a fight between Carano and Ronda Rousey, the only remaining matchup of intrigue for Rousey outside the UFC is against Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

Cyborg is scheduled to make her 135-pound debut on December 5 at Invicta FC 10 on UFC Fight Pass. No opponent has been signed as of yet, but with a win, Cyborg would likely get shipped over to the UFC for a superfight with Rousey or a top-contender fight against someone else in the upper end of the women’s bantamweight division.

A lot of fighters in the Top 15 of the women’s bantamweight division simply don’t have fights booked for the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015. We know Rousey and Zingano will finally face off, likely at UFC 182 on January 3, but beyond that is speculation.

The UFC is doing a good job of signing female prospects from around the world and from Invicta, and the talent pool in the bantamweight division might start to catch up with its dominant champion.

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4 Fighters Who Could Challenge Demetrious Johnson

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been extremely dominant as the UFC’s first and only flyweight champion.
Since his 2012 rematch with Ian McCall, he has reigned supreme over every 125-pound fighter the UFC has put in front of him….

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been extremely dominant as the UFC’s first and only flyweight champion.

Since his 2012 rematch with Ian McCall, he has reigned supreme over every 125-pound fighter the UFC has put in front of him. Despite many people thinking that Johnson has essentially cleaned out the top of the flyweight division, a few worthy adversaries remain.

Johnson was one of the top fighters at 135 pounds when the UFC first introduced that weight class prior to flyweight. He defeated Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Miguel Torres to earn a shot at then-bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz but came up short, losing by unanimous decision to Cruz in October 2011.

If Johnson ever truly clears out the 125-pound ranks and needs some competition, he can do what former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva did from time to time—move up in weight for occasional showcase fights against intriguing opponents.

There are more than a few intriguing bouts for Mighty Mouse at his old stomping ground of 135 pounds, including a “superfight” with the champ T.J. Dillashaw.

Johnson really doesn’t need to look beyond his current weight class for formidable opposition. Not yet, anyway. An upcoming matchup between sixth-ranked flyweight Jon Lineker and third-ranked Ian McCall on November 8 could likely determine the next challenger for Johnson’s title.

Here are four fighters who could challenge UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.

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Sorting out the Contenders, Pretenders in the UFC Middleweight Division

Atop the middleweight mountain stands Chris Weidman. He’s young, big, strong and capable of competing with and defeating everybody who stands in front of him.
Champion-like qualities aside, his controversial victories over Anderson Silva left muc…

Atop the middleweight mountain stands Chris Weidman. He’s young, big, strong and capable of competing with and defeating everybody who stands in front of him.

Champion-like qualities aside, his controversial victories over Anderson Silva left much to be desired. Understandably so, a fluke knockout and a broken shin created questions that we needed to be answered.

Then he stepped into the cage with Lyoto Machida and silenced most of his critics. He’s the real deal.

After Weidman lies a crop of fighters who are all vying to compete for UFC gold. Some are the real deal; some even have the skills to dethrone the ultra-confident Ray Longo-trained fighter. But many aren’t and don’t.

Scroll along as we brand each of the UFC’s top 10 middleweights as a contender or a pretender. For the purposes of this article, contenders are those who stand a chance (slim or otherwise) of defeating the champion. Pretenders, on the other hand, do not.

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The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Launches Casting Call

São Paulo – The UFC® will be hosting a casting call for the fourth season of its Brazilian reality TV show, The Ultimate Fightersup>®, airing on Globo, on Monday, October 27 at the Windsor Barra hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Tryouts will be open to bantamweights (61 kg) and lightweights (70 kg). This season’s coaches have not yet been announced.
All candidates for The Ultimate Fighter® Brazil should be between 18 and 35 years of age and have a minimum of three professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights – holding a winning record (with verifiable records). For … Read the Full Article Here