Dan Henderson (32-14) is known for his “H-Bomb” of a right hand, but at UFC 199 he brought out the “H-Bow” against Hector Lombard (34-6-1, 2 NC).
The two veteran middleweights went toe-to-toe in one of the most exciting bouts of 2016.
The fight started off with a lot of tension. Both men understood the power the other possessed and they were not going to make a mistake right out of the gate.
As they got more comfortable with their range, the power shots came. Henderson connected with a straight right hand that caught Lombard flush.
Lombard began to come forward and that is when Henderson cracked him with a big right hand. It hurt Lombard, but as Henderson went in for the finish he got clipped himself with a left. Lombard tossed Henderson to the canvas and advanced to the crucifix position. Henderson worked his way up to his feet, but Lombard uncorked another power shot that knocked Henderson down.
The American survived the round, but it didn’t look good for the former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight champion.
After each took hard strikes in the first round, there was a clear respect for each other’s power as the second got underway. And just like that, it was over.
Henderson threw a kick that Lombard caught, and then Henderson connected with a back elbow that put Lombard out cold. Henderson followed up with a couple vicious elbows on the ground before the referee could peel him off of Lombard’s lifeless body.
It’s difficult to gauge what’s next for Lombard. This was his return to middleweight, and he got iced. Vitor Miranda recently suffered a loss of his own, and would make for an appropriate next bout for Lombard’s return.
Henderson is an even bigger question mark.
After taking a lot of damage throughout his MMA career the end is definitely near. But will he continue to fight on? Perhaps not. In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Henderson noted that this could have been his final fight.
If that’s the case, then he went out in true Henderson style in front of a friendly California crowd. A true legend deserves to go out in such an impressive and exciting manner.
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