Author: Nick Caron

Hendo to the Rescue: Why Dan Henderson Should Replace Overeem at UFC 146

After a month of nearly no MMA news in March, things heated up quickly in the month of April as UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos now likely sits without an opponent following Alistair Overeem’s failed drug test. Dos Santos was set to m…

After a month of nearly no MMA news in March, things heated up quickly in the month of April as UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos now likely sits without an opponent following Alistair Overeem’s failed drug test.

Dos Santos was set to meet the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion at the event scheduled for May 26th, but the failed drug test will almost certainly lead to the bout being completely cancelled as Overeem will be suspended for a period of time yet to be determined.

Top contenders Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez, who UFC president Dana White confirmed will still meet one another on the same card, have had their names thrown around as potential replacements for Overeem, but that has obviously since fell through.

The depth of the UFC heavyweight division has never been stronger, however, the top-tier talent has thinned out significantly following injuries to and retirements from many of those top stars.

Without a logical opponent for Dos Santos to fight, it is now believed that the title fight will be scrapped entirely, with Dos Santos waiting to meet the winner of the Velasquez vs. Mir bout at a later date.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In fact, current UFC light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson might have just given the UFC an excellent opportunity. On April 6, Henderson tweeted that he would be interested in potentially moving up in weight to replace Overeem and compete against the heavyweight champion at UFC 146.

To some who are just watching the sport casually, Henderson’s tweet may have come off as being somewhat nonchalant and lacking sincerity, but those who have followed him throughout his career know that if he says it, he means it.

Henderson would absolutely accept the fight with Dos Santos and, quite frankly, the UFC should be jumping at the opportunity to give it to him.

Following victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in late 2011, Henderson is perceived to be next in line for a UFC light heavyweight title shot after the Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans bout at UFC 145.

However, as we have seen many times in the past, being the one who everyone thinks is going to get the next shot at the title doesn’t always mean that it’s going to happen. Even if White says it’s going to happen, it’s still not a guarantee.

Henderson knows that. If he’s not getting an immediate title fight and he has an opportunity in another division, what’s stopping him from taking off or adding on a few pounds to make money as the headliner of a pay-per-view event?

Some might argue that Henderson’s eyes might be bigger than his appetite, but let’s not forget that this wouldn’t be the first time that he has competed against a top-level heavyweight. His first-round knockout of the great Fedor Emelianenko this past July also took place in the heavyweight division.

Not only that, but with Dos Santos not being one of the larger heavyweights in the division, the weight difference wouldn’t be much more between Henderson and Dos Santos than it was with Henderson and Fedor.

From a business standpoint, this fight makes all the sense in the world. Though it hasn’t always been the UFC’s most important title, the perception still remains that no fan should miss a heavyweight title fight. If there is no replacement and Dos Santos simply goes back to sitting on the shelf, the UFC automatically misses out on that added revenue.

Even if Henderson hasn’t fought his way through the heavyweight division, his track record speaks for itself. He will certainly go down as one of the best of all-time and even at 41 years old, he is still one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet today.

Rather than let Henderson and Dos Santos sit on the shelf for months while they wait for a fight to open up, why not let them get in the cage against one another in a fight that everyone would love to see?

The UFC always claims that one of their biggest goals is to give the fans the fights they want to see. So, fans, let them hear it. Tell them you want to see Henderson move up and fight Dos Santos at UFC 146.

After all, what do they have to lose?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

B/R Official Rankings for April: The Top 10 Heavyweights in MMA

If you haven’t heard the news, the heavyweight scene was shaken Wednesday when the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that UFC No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem had failed a surprise drug test at the press conference for his upcoming UFC 1…

If you haven’t heard the news, the heavyweight scene was shaken Wednesday when the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that UFC No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem had failed a surprise drug test at the press conference for his upcoming UFC 146 bout with Junior dos Santos.

There wasn’t a lot of MMA news over the past month given the lack of major events from the Strikeforce or UFC brands, but the heavyweight rankings are now in serious disarray following one of the consensus top fighters potentially being suspended.

These rankings are the combined efforts of some of Bleacher Report MMA’s best writers, as we continue to try and provide you with the best content on the web.


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Is Dan Henderson Among the Top 5 MMA Fighters of All Time?

Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko. Without much debate, these amazing mixed martial artists have cemented themselves as the very best in the relatively short history of the sport of MMA. While those three have been set on a tier, th…

Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko. Without much debate, these amazing mixed martial artists have cemented themselves as the very best in the relatively short history of the sport of MMA.

While those three have been set on a tier, the skies surrounding who comes next on the list are very cloudy. No one seems to have a real solid case for who should come next.

However, if we take a closer look at categories such as consistency, dominance and overall skill set, there is one fighter who seems to stand out from the rest. This fighter has traveled the world in search of the very best competition while defeating them in some of the best battles we have ever seen. Not only that, but he has done so while competing in three weight classes.

I’m talking, of course, about Dan “Hendo” Henderson.

A former two-time Olympic wrestler, Henderson made his debut in the sport in 1997 and quickly began planting the seeds for what has now blossomed into a Hall of Fame-level résumé.

Unlike many of the other veterans of the sport who had the benefit of padding their record against inferior talent, Dan Henderson has never been one to take fights against opponents who are obviously below his skill level. In fact, every one of the eight losses he has sustained in his career have come against an opponent that practically every MMA fan is very familiar with.

The eight losses might sound bad on the surface, but when you consider the quality of the 25 wins, it’s easy to see why a case can be made for Henderson as the fourth-greatest MMA fighter of all time.

Not only does Henderson have impressive victories over the likes of Shogun Rua, Rich Franklin, Rousimar Palhares, Feijao Cavalcante, Babalu Sobral, Renzo Gracie and Vitor Belfort, but he also did something that no other MMA fighter has ever done when he simultaneously held two major MMA championships, in separate weight classes, at the same time.

Henderson achieved this amazing feat at Pride 33 when, as the sitting Pride 185-pound champion, he opted to move to 205 pounds to defeat an opponent whom many believed to be essentially unbeatable at the time, a prime Wanderlei Silva.

This incredible two-title achievement alone should put Henderson in the conversation for being a top-five fighter of all time. However, it has been what he has done since that time that has truly put him over the top.

Now in the perceived twilight of his career, it’s astonishing to see that at 41 years old, “Dangerous Dan” is still every bit as threatening as he has ever been.

Following his most recent victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, Henderson is currently riding a four-fight win streak, each of which came against a former top-level champion.

His victory over “Babalu” Sobral at “Strikeforce: St. Louis” earned him a shot at then-champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante’s Strikeforce light heavyweight championship. They met just three months later in a bout that Henderson would end up winning in violent fashion, knocking out Cavalcante with his trademark “H-Bomb” punch.

The Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce thinned out the light heavyweight division, but it was Henderson’s choice not to sit around and wait for another top contender to surface. Instead, he did the unthinkable when he opted to move up in weight for one night, challenging the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in July 2011.

Henderson survived some serious damage from Fedor midway through the round before recovering and catching Emelianenko off-guard with a huge punch that sent the former Pride heavyweight champion to the canvas for good.

The victory didn’t do much for Henderson’s ranking in the light heavyweight division, but what it did is prove once and for all that “Hollywood Henderson” is completely unphased by even the most intimidating of opponents.

All great things must come to an end, and with each passing year, experts continue to predict the drop-off for Henderson and his skills. But while others seem to fade away, it’s Henderson who seems to have found the fountain of youth.

As he awaits the winner of the upcoming UFC light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, Henderson will continue to improve. His 41-year-old body may not be in the peak physical condition that it once was; however, his mind for the fighting game has never been sharper.

An underdog no matter whom he eventually fights between Jones and Evans, Henderson will need to use every bit of that fight intellect to come out on top…but after a career like this, who could really be surprised if Hendo had one last run as the top 205-pounder in the world?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

5 MMA Fighters Who Did More with Less

MMA fans have been spoiled in recent years with the likes of Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva. In the good ole days, we were satisfied when two guys stepped into the cage and just swung for the fences.Now we’re seeing…

MMA fans have been spoiled in recent years with the likes of Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva. In the good ole days, we were satisfied when two guys stepped into the cage and just swung for the fences.

Now we’re seeing front-kick knockouts, flying triangles and athletes springing themselves off the cage, throwing cinema-like spinning kicks that actually connect on their opponent’s chin.

These athletes have incredible, natural physical gifts and have begun to take over the sport. Not only that, but they have truly changed the direction that it will head in years to come.

No longer is technique alone good enough to be the best. To be the best, fighters will need that rare combination of technique and natural ability.

But it hasn’t always been that way and for many fighters, it wasn’t anywhere near this easy. These five fighters had to make use of what they were given, and in some cases it wasn’t all that much when compared to some of their opponents.

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Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz and 6 MMA Fights That Were Never Meant to Be

The feud between UFC welterweights Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz has been one of the most talked-about topics in the MMA world in 2012. Since Diaz’s departure from Strikeforce and arrival in the UFC, fans have been calling for the two champio…

The feud between UFC welterweights Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz has been one of the most talked-about topics in the MMA world in 2012.

Since Diaz’s departure from Strikeforce and arrival in the UFC, fans have been calling for the two champions to meet head-to-head to determine who truly is the No. 1 welterweight fighter in the world. They were set to do that at UFC 137 in Diaz’s return to the promotion, but after he opted to skip out on numerous press appearances, the UFC’s hand was forced in removing him from the main event.

That was just the beginning to this crazy saga.

Both fighters have become increasingly hostile toward one another in recent months. However, it is beginning to look like this fight just might never happen.

This isn’t the only “dream” fight that has somehow never happened, though. There have been many others and some that are arguably even more surprising.

There are a variety of reasons these fights haven’t occurred, but let’s count down the top six MMA fights that were never meant to be.

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UFC’s Zuffa Era: The 10 Least Memorable Champions

The Zuffa era of the UFC began in 2001 and since then there have been over 40 champions to hold titles in the promotion’s seven weight classes.Champions such as Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn have cemented their plac…

The Zuffa era of the UFC began in 2001 and since then there have been over 40 champions to hold titles in the promotion’s seven weight classes.

Champions such as Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn have cemented their place in history as perhaps the best fighters in the history of their weight class, but there are a number of former champions who just are just not quite as memorable. In fact, many of them have seen their title runs go all but forgotten by the average MMA fan.

These guys might not be who you think of immediately when you think “UFC champion,” but perhaps a trip down memory lane will help us recall that each of these former champions had their own, important place in UFC history.

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