Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson both made weight ahead of their middleweight title tussle in Manchester on Saturday night at UFC 204.
Bisping, the champion, will be defending the strap he won against Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in his hometown. While this one will be a memorable occasion for that fact alone, the Englishman also has the chance to avenge his controversial loss to Henderson in 2009.
For the veteran American, there’s a chance to make history. Should he upset his rival’s homecoming and win a UFC title for the first time, the 46-year-old would become the oldest competitor in the company’s existence to win a belt.
Here’s a recap of some of the key information from the weigh-in and what’s being said ahead of one of the year’s biggest sporting occasions.
Bisping Out to Settle Henderson Score
Although both of these men are a little past their peak years, the anticipation levels ramped up when they came face-to-face for the final time before their rematch.
In terms of weight, Henderson was just the lighter man on the scales, measuring 184 pounds. As we can see here courtesy of his Instagram account, despite coming in at exactly 185 pounds, Bisping had quickly bulked up again following the weigh-in:
It’s going to be fascinating to see how both men approach this one and just how much of an influence their first fight will have on the thinking of each.
In that one, Henderson landed a stunning right hand, leaving Bisping dazed as he fell to the floor. However, despite appearing to be unconscious, Henderson struck his opponent hard a second time before the bout was eventually called off.
The UFC’s Twitter account posted the following clip previewing the rematch, including footage of that infamous knockout from Henderson back at UFC 100, in which Bisping makes it clear he’s out for revenge:
So perhaps it was no surprise that Bisping was pumped up at the ceremonial weigh-ins when discussing the logo Henderson uses, which is a silhouette of the knockout seven years ago.
“Every time I see that logo, on his shorts, his banner, I think: ‘You bastard,’” said Bisping, per Andy Bull of the Guardian. “I don’t sit up at night thinking about [Henderson], thinking about revenge. But I do want to set the record straight.”
Henderson will be hoping that win plays on the mind of his opponent as he seeks to add the final chapter to his distinguished legacy in the sport.
Henderson explained what winning a title would mean to him during an appearance on the Fight Society podcast (h/t Fox Sports’ Damon Martin):
It’s definitely something that’s been a goal of mine and I feel like I’ve been close to having that opportunity again and should have had that opportunity against Jon Jones and just got hurt and had a rough road back after the injury. I’m pretty thankful to be in this position where the fans asked for this fight and Dana White obliged.
For Henderson this will be a completely different and potentially even more difficult challenge than the one he faced at UFC 100. Bisping is a man that’s looked emboldened with the belt, and the win over Rockhold will provide him with a lot of confidence.
The American’s recent record doesn’t read particularly well, with six losses in his last nine UFC fights. However, per MMA journalist Alan Murphy, such is the nature of the sport, and it’s tough to write him off:
Given his power and experience, Henderson does have a chance, and there have been times in Bisping’s career when his chin his looked suspect. Should he land flush again, the veteran can go on and win this one.
However, there’s been a maturity in Bisping’s recent displays, with wins over huge names like Rockhold and Anderson Silva. Provided he can avoid his opponents’ “H-Bomb” shots, the Englishman’s superior industry, improved striking variety and home-crowd backing will see him secure a memorable triumph.
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