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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