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Dan Henderson: Is He the Greatest Fighter in MMA History?

So much attention as of late has been focused on Jon Jones, and rightly so. He’s the “in” thing in MMA at the moment, and he might be the “in” thing for many years to come.When all is said and done, Jones may ultimately be the greatest of all time.Hell…

So much attention as of late has been focused on Jon Jones, and rightly so. He’s the “in” thing in MMA at the moment, and he might be the “in” thing for many years to come.

When all is said and done, Jones may ultimately be the greatest of all time.

Hell, he might accomplish that feat in a few more years. But he’s not there yet.

So who, then, is the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts? The general consensus falls between Fedor Emelianenko or Anderson Silva, with your actual answer depending on whether you were a PRIDE fanboy or someone who started watching the sport with the advent of The Ultimate Fighter. I know that sounds like a generality, but I’ve found it to be true more often than not.

There’s one name people tend to forget when having this discussion: Dan Henderson. I firmly believe that Henderson, not Randy Couture, is the greatest American fighter of all time.

There’s no possible way to look at their respective records and come to the conclusion that Couture is the best. I like Randy, and he’s a great ambassador for the sport, but his record was 19-11. That’s not terrible, but it’s far from the kind of ledger you need to be considered great.

And Danny Acosta of MMAJunkie.com believes that Henderson, not Silva or Emelianenko, might just be the mythical greatest of all time:

Henderson’s current resume boasts 10 wins over big-show champions: Carlos Newton, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Murilo Bustamante, Kazuo Misaki, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Rafael Cavalcante, Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. That is victory against at least six future Hall of Famers. Comparatively, Anderson Silva, who’s generally the current consensus greatest fighter ever, has wins over six champions.

But what of Henderson’s losses?

Of the eight opponents to walk away victorious against Henderson, only Ricardo Arona (split decision) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (armbar) have not held notable titles. Half (Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva) are surefire Hall of Famers.

Henderson has never put together the kind of winning streak that Silva or Emelianenko have. He’ll win four or five fights, then lose one. But let’s not forget, as Acosta points out, that six of Henderson’s eight losses have come against Hall of Fame-caliber fighters. And two of them—Arona and the younger Nogueira—were very good fighters with excellent records and reputations when Henderson faced them.

Is a winning streak that comes against often-subpar talent more notable than a collection of high-profile wins with a few losses to extraordinary talent? That’s how we measure Silva vs. Henderson vs. Emelianenko.

One thing is for sure: If Henderson is able to beat Jon Jones, there will be no question that he’s the greatest fighter in the history of the sport.

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Jim Miller Plans on Getting in the Cage and Beating Nate Diaz Up

Saturday’s UFC on FOX main event between Jim Miller and Nathan Diaz could end up having big implications in the lightweight division.Champion Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar will likely tie up in August, which means a title fight for the winner of M…

Saturday’s UFC on FOX main event between Jim Miller and Nathan Diaz could end up having big implications in the lightweight division.

Champion Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar will likely tie up in August, which means a title fight for the winner of Miller/Diaz is still a ways off. And Anthony Pettis is still in the mix, adding further to the logjam that has accumulated at the top of the UFC’s lightweight division over the past year.

Diaz noted last week on a conference call to promote the FOX event that he’d been told that the winner of his fight with Miller would get a title shot. That might be the case, or it might not.

Things change so quickly, especially in a sport where legitimate new contenders seemingly emerge overnight.

Even if the winner of the FOX main event does secure a title shot, they’ll have to wait awhile. And so, for now at least, Miller is completely focused on Diaz. That’s a smart move. Diaz has proven that he’s a force to be reckoned with at lightweight, as evidenced by his dismantling of Donald Cerrone at UFC 141 late last year.

Cerrone was the potential contender with all of the momentum in the world and was just one win over Diaz away from becoming a bonafide title challenger, but Diaz derailed those plans in a hurry.

Miller is confident going into the fight, telling Heavy.com MMA‘s Duane Finley that he feels he has several distinct advantages over Diaz:

I see wrestling being one advantage. I’m comfortable anywhere, and that seems to have been the downfall for some of these guys – that they are tentative to go to the ground with him. They are not fighting as complete fighters. I fight with reckless abandon, too, and while the ground is a dangerous place to be with Diaz, as long as I’m being the aggressor then I’ll get after him and beat him up.

Miller is slightly more than a 2-1 favorite according to Vegas sportsbooks, and rightly so. He’s a better all-around fighter than Diaz and has the kind of wrestling game that can nullify much of what Diaz enjoys doing on the feet and the ground.

The key for Miller is to avoid playing the distance striking game with Diaz, because that’s where the Stocktonian truly excels. Just ask Donald Cerrone how that game worked out.

Miller needs to get inside and make it a grind. He needs to make it ugly. And ugly doesn’t always make for the most exciting fights in the world. But knowing Miller, he’ll figure out a way to thrill the fans, because that’s what he always does.

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Dana White Isn’t Roger Goodell or Bud Selig, and I Thank God for That

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years of covering mixed martial arts, it’s that someone will always find something to complain about.I get it. I’ve complained about my share of unnecessary things over the years. It’s part of the game….

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years of covering mixed martial arts, it’s that someone will always find something to complain about.

I get it. I’ve complained about my share of unnecessary things over the years. It’s part of the game.

Today’s complaint comes from Las Vegas Sun columnist J. Patrick Coolican, and it’s a doozy. And by “doozy,” I mean “completely inane and unnecessary.”

Coolican takes issue with Dana White‘s recent tweeting of the gambling odds for the weekly The Ultimate Fighter: Live fights:

Imagine NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tweeting that the Saints are 10-1 to win the Super Bowl next year.

Yeah, probably not.

I suppose we can appreciate White’s honesty compared with other sports’ commissioners, whose leagues benefit greatly from the enthusiasm generated by Vegas betting but keep their distance from our gambling dens.

But White’s loose talk seems inappropriate, especially as UFC tries to earn legitimacy.

By haphazardly associating his sport with Vegas sports betting, White is giving New York authorities an excuse not to welcome UFC.

Comparing the UFC to the NFL, especially when it comes to the gambling world, is ludicrous.

For starters, the UFC is based in the gambling capital of the world. I lived in Las Vegas for a year, and I can tell you that sports betting is part of the culture. White lives in Vegas, and he’s part of that culture. It’s a part of everyday life for many Vegas residents, mostly because placing a bet on a sporting event is as easy as a five-minute drive to the casino closest to your house.

And White isn’t telling the world that he’s betting on these fights. He’s simply giving you the lines. Many MMA fans are highly interested in the odds because it gives them something to gauge the fight on. Who’s the favorite? Who is a live underdog? These things are crucial to many MMA fans who will never, in their entire lives, place an actual bet on a fight.

And then Coolican throws in this doozy:

“Uh-oh, there goes my UFC credential.”

Ah, I see what he’s doing. Plenty of other media guys have used this same tactic, playing on the misguided idea that the UFC will rip your credentials away if you write anything they don’t like. As Coolican will no doubt find out, that’s simply not true. He’s trying to get attention by playing the martyr and nothing more.

White responded during an interview with MMAjunkie.com:

“People always ask me, ‘Do you think that Roger Goodell and Bud Selig should act more like you? No. I think their model is doing just fine. These guys are incredible commissioners that have taken their sport to incredible levels. They’re doing fine. My style is different than other people’s style.

“If this jackass from the ‘Las Vegas Sun’ doesn’t like the fact that I’m telling you what the line is, too f—— bad. Yeah, I’m not Roger Goodell, and I’m not Bud Selig. I’m not those guys. If you haven’t figured that out by now, your head is further up your ass than I thought it was after reading your story.”

White makes a very important point here. He’s not Roger Goodell, Bud Selig or David Stern. One of the major reasons for the UFC’s success over the past 10 years has been White’s brash, confrontational style of promoting his company. Fighting is a different world and a different business than pro baseball or football. Can you imagine Goodell as the public face of the UFC? It just wouldn’t work.

I mentioned earlier that I lived in Las Vegas for a year. During that time, I made multiple trips to White’s office for video and audio interviews. I’d call or text him and ask if we could drop by, and he never shut the door in our face. He was always accommodating, even when his insane schedule kept him from sleeping more than two hours a night.

You think Roger Goodell would take office visits from random NFL reporters at any time of day? It just wouldn’t happen.

There’s a reason White is one of the biggest stars in the UFC despite not being a fighter. Fans appreciate his blunt style. Yes, he’s said things over the years that he probably shouldn’t have. But his willingness to put his feelings on everything from horribly boring fight cards to other fight promotions and promoters is one of the things that endear him to fans.

Nobody wants a straight-laced figurehead running the UFC. I can’t imagine anything more boring.

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Jon Jones Doesn’t Want Any Trash Talking with Dan Henderson

Jon Jones has only been UFC light heavyweight champion for a little over one year, but he’s had to endure two of the best trash-talkers in the sport during that time frame.First, there was Quinton Jackson. “Rampage” told the world that Jones was fake, …

Jon Jones has only been UFC light heavyweight champion for a little over one year, but he’s had to endure two of the best trash-talkers in the sport during that time frame.

First, there was Quinton Jackson. “Rampage” told the world that Jones was fake, and that the real Jon Jones was a completely different person than the one presented to the public. The war of words between the two heated up quickly, and led to Jones being booed for the first time in his career during the UFC 135 weigh-ins in Denver.

After Jones disposed of Jackson, he faced Lyoto Machida. There was no animosity between the two, and they kept things cordial leading into their December bout.

Then there was Rashad Evans. We all know the story. Jones and Evans were training partners, but a bitter split ended their friendship. The pair traded barbs on Twitter, in media interviews and on television. The rivalry extended a year before they finally stepped in the cage a week ago at UFC 145.

Now, there’s Dan Henderson. He’ll be Jones’ next opponent — likely in August or September — and Jones is excited about the prospect of facing the legendary American. But he’s also calling for a truce, at least when it comes to verbal warfare:

“As far as Dan Henderson, I’m excited about him,” said Jones on ESPN’s MMA Live. “He’s a great fighter. You know, I’ve gone through a lot with Rashad as far as all of the trash talking and I really hope Dan’s listening and I really hope that Dan keeps it classy throughout this fight. I respect him as an older man, I respect him as a warrior and I just hope he keeps it classy and not drag me through another trash-talking bout. Let’s stick to why we’re really here, let’s just fight.”

As I noted earlier today, trash talk is part of the entertainment aspect of the sport. For the most part, it helps build up fights and creates public interest where there may otherwise be very little.

But with Jones and Henderson, it’s different. Any kind of verbal battling between the two would seem contrived, because it would be completely fake. Both fighters are generally respectful of their opponents, and Henderson is a legend of the sport. Getting into multiple verbal confrontations with a guy like Hendo would do Jones zero good from a public relations standpoint.

Sure, they need to hype things up a little bit. Henderson already started the process last week when he said that he doesn’t believe Jones is real. That’s fine. But I’d like to see the fight hype for this one focus on the skills in the cage, not whether or not one of the fighters present a fake image to the public. That’ll get old quick.

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Anderson Silva’s Manager Says 80% of Americans Will Root for Silva over Sonnen

Chael Sonnen never stopped flinging barbs in Anderson Silva’s direction, not even after his loss back at UFC 117. Sure, he was respectful and humble towards Silva during the post-fight press conference and while doing media rounds after the fight, but …

Chael Sonnen never stopped flinging barbs in Anderson Silva‘s direction, not even after his loss back at UFC 117. Sure, he was respectful and humble towards Silva during the post-fight press conference and while doing media rounds after the fight, but that lasted all of two weeks before Sonnen was back to his old ringmaster ways.

Because, you see, Sonnen has long understood that, for some fighters, it takes more than your fighting skills to help you become a superstar. It also takes more than bowing to your opponents and discussing how excited you are to “test your skills” against the guy who will be standing across the cage from you. You’ve gotta create public interest, and that’s exactly what Sonnen has done.

Jorge Guimaraes is one half of Silva’s management team, and he recently chatted with Tatame about the Silva/Sonnen rematch:

Chael Sonnen is a guy who came from the shadows using that marketing thing. He was unknown and then started talking about everyone, he’s talked about Lance Armstrong. He’s a bully, but got the promotion he needed. He’s not a complete MMA fighter. In matters of resources, Anderson has plenty more resources than him. As Dana White said, this sport has transpassed all limits and there’s no such thing, this kind of feeling. Here in Brazil we have that Latin blood, there’s this fanaticism, but in the United States they really admire Anderson as the best MMA fighter ever and I guarantee you 80 percent of the fans will be rooting for Anderson Silva.

I think my absolute favorite part of this quote can be found right here:

Chael Sonnen is a guy who came from the shadows using that marketing thing.

If you’ve seen the excellent documentary Like Water, which covers Silva in-depth in the months leading up to the first Sonnen fight, you saw Ed Soares—the other half of Silva’s management team—bemoan the fact that Silva either doesn’t understand the concept of marketing a fight, or he simply doesn’t care. Either way, Soares is not happy about it.

Soares should explain the concept to Guimaraes, because it’s obvious that he suffers from the same affliction Anderson does. “That marketing thing?” It’s called building a fight, making things interesting for the mass-market fans and putting more money in your pocket.

I’m not sure I agree with the quote about 80 percent of Americans rooting for Silva, either. I’ve been cageside for two of Silva’s three fights since the Demian Maia fight back at UFC 112, and it’s evident to me that UFC fans have long memories. They still vividly remember the Thales Leites and Maia fights, and they boo him lustily, especially when Silva fought Vitor Belfort in Las Vegas.

I think Guimaraes is being overly optimistic here, but I guess we’ll find out in two months.

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3 Questions: Johny Hendricks, Alan Belcher and UFC on FOX 3

The UFC returns to national television on Saturday night with “UFC on FOX 3: Miller vs Diaz.” With many apologies to Super Fight League and their Sunday event headlined by Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson, the FOX event is the biggest thing going this week. The main event features a fight with implications on the lightweight division; even if the winner doesn’t receive a title shot, they’ll certainly be placed high “in the mix,” as Dana White is so very fond of saying.

With that in mind, this week’s edition of 3 Questions is focused squarely on UFC on FOX. Let’s dive in.

Will UFC on FOX 3 Deliver Exciting Fights?

The first two installments of UFC on FOX were long on star power. The first edition featured the heavyweight title fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, and the second featured Rashad Evans, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping.

Yeah, there were plenty of stars. But the fights didn’t deliver in terms of excitement, leaving fans with an underwhelming feeling once the shows ended.

The UFC is taking a different approach with the third network television event. Instead of using stars to drive interest in the show, the matchmaking here seems to be geared more towards creating exciting fights. Jim Miller and Nate Diaz aren’t the biggest names in the company, but they should combine for an awesome fight. The same goes for Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson and Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher.

It’s an interesting deal. The lack of star power may hurt the show, but the sacrifice in ratings for this show would be worth it if the fights deliver great action. It’ll create more interest for future shows.

I think it’s a great idea on paper, but it will be interesting to see how the new direction plays out on television.

Will Lack of Activity Hurt Alan Belcher?

Alan Belcher has only fought twice since January 2010. He made his return to the cage last September after suffering an eye injury that nearly ended his career. He returned in fine form, beating Jason MacDonald into submission.

But now Belcher is taking a significant step up in competition—at least from MacDonald—when he faces Rousimar Palhares, master of leg locks. Palhares is one of the meanest fighters in the sport; he’s not above twisting your foot off your leg if need be. Belcher will need to be wary of Palhares and his takedown attempts, because the ground is the one place you don’t want to be with the Brazilian.

Belcher has always been a talented fighter. He has many advantages over Palhares. But he’s spent so little time in the cage over the past two years, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s going to hurt him against better competition.

Is Johny Hendricks the Real Deal?

Outside of a loss to Rick Story at the tail end of 2010, Johny Hendricks has been perfect in his MMA career. A two-time NCAA champion, Hendricks has one of the best wrestling pedigrees in the sport. He’s combined that with a deadly boxing game; all you need to do is watch Hendricks and his knockout of Jon Fitch to understand just how much power Hendricks has in his hands.

“Big Rig” is one of the best prospects in the welterweight division—and let’s be honest, that’s one of the best nicknames in mixed martial arts—but he’s facing an opponent with the kind of game to nullify any advantages Hendricks may have in the cage. Koscheck is a phenomenal wrestler, having notched four All-American awards during his time at Edinboro University. In many ways, both fighters are mirror images of each other. They’re fantastic wrestlers, but both guys prefer to stand and trade power punches whenever possible.

A win over Koscheck would be a big deal for Hendricks’ fighting career. It would also legitimize him, taking him from prospect to contender. There’s a lot riding on this fight, and a potential title shot could be waiting for the winner.

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