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