The notion of locking horns with light heavyweight champ Jon Jones seemingly faded away for Dan Henderson when the 42-year-old got outpointed by Lyoto Machida at UFC 157.
The setback signified more regression for Henderson, the former Strikeforce and Pride kingpin who was originally appointed to face Jones at UFC 151 before pulling out of the bout with a knee injury.
But the UFC’s brass didn’t give up on “Hendo,” deservedly awarding their third-ranked light heavyweight with one last shot at reaching Jones by pitting him against another former champ and top contender in Rashad Evans at UFC 161.
Ranked sixth at 205, Evans saw his stock plummet when he got outshined by fellow world-ranked light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (No. 5) to suffer his second straight loss in his last bout at UFC 156.
Regardless of their recent woes, Henderson and Evans still represent two of the best on the planet at 205. And because both fighters are coming off losses, they’ll each have plenty to prove in this three-round main-event bout.
Here are three things Hendo must do in order to get his long-awaited crack at “Bones.”