Tag: Throwback Thursday

#ThrowbackThursday: Ben Henderson Scores His Last Finish to Date Over Donald Cerrone at WEC 48


(Henderson and Cerrone clash for the first time at WEC 43. Photo via Getty.)

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC event by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our second edition, we focus on Ben Henderson’s last fight to end in a finish ahead of his Fight Night 42 main event clash with Rustam Khabilov this weekend. 

Contrary to what he might tell you, former lightweight champion Ben Henderson does not actually finish fights. At least, not since making the leap from the WEC to the UFC back in April of 2010. Prior to his 9 fight, 8 decision run in the UFC, however, Henderson was a finishing machine, picking up submission victories over the likes of Jamie Varner and Anthony Njokuani and even a quick TKO over Shane Roller while making his name under the WEC banner.

His final finish (and final victory) in the WEC came at the now legendary WEC 48 over rival Donald “Go Get Some” Cer-ron-eyyy.

This might be hard to believe, but back at WEC 43, Henderson actually captured the promotion’s interim lightweight championship via a controversial unanimous decision over Cerrone (pictured above) that both fans and many media members felt should have gone the other way. I know right? Crazy times, those were.

Anyway, Cerrone would score a third round rear-naked choke over Ed Ratcliff in his rebound fight at WEC 45, and Henderson would unify the belts with a third round sub of his own over Jamie Varner at WEC 46, thusly setting up the epic rematch that fans had been begging for at WEC 48. You hear that, Jon Jones? THAT IS HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO WORK.

Join us as we look back at Henderson vs. Cerrone 2, complete with a full fight video, after the jump. 


(Henderson and Cerrone clash for the first time at WEC 43. Photo via Getty.)

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC event by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our second edition, we focus on Ben Henderson’s last fight to end in a finish ahead of his Fight Night 42 main event clash with Rustam Khabilov this weekend. 

Contrary to what he might tell you, former lightweight champion Ben Henderson does not actually finish fights. At least, not since making the leap from the WEC to the UFC back in April of 2010. Prior to his 9 fight, 8 decision run in the UFC, however, Henderson was a finishing machine, picking up submission victories over the likes of Jamie Varner and Anthony Njokuani and even a quick TKO over Shane Roller while making his name under the WEC banner.

His final finish (and final victory) in the WEC came at the now legendary WEC 48 over rival Donald “Go Get Some” Cer-ron-eyyy.

This might be hard to believe, but back at WEC 43, Henderson actually captured the promotion’s interim lightweight championship via a controversial unanimous decision over Cerrone (pictured above) that both fans and many media members felt should have gone the other way. I know right? Crazy times, those were.

Anyway, Cerrone would score a third round rear-naked choke over Ed Ratcliff in his rebound fight at WEC 45, and Henderson would unify the belts with a third round sub of his own over Varner at WEC 46, thusly setting up the epic rematch that fans had been begging for at WEC 48. You hear that, Jon Jones? THAT IS HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO WORK.

Given that their first fight was the very definition of a back-and-forth war, expectations were high heading in Henderson vs. Cerrone II, especially considering that WEC 48 had already provided fans with the instant classic that was Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung, and the massive upset that was Manny Gamburyan vs. Mike Brown.

But for every Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua II, there is at least one Silva vs. Sonnen II — a decent, if underwhelming rematch that leaves many fans ultimately disappointed with the outcome. That’s the thing about expectations; they require a delicate sense of restraint when it comes to MMA fights, television shows, or truly anything capable of generating hype in a culture obsessed with round-the-clock coverage of even the most mundane story. It’s why many people were let down by the ending of True Detective, and why many MMA fans were actually disappointed to see Henderson submit Cerrone (who had never been submitted prior and has not since) with a guillotine inside of two minutes.

Yet that’s what happened. After a brief exchange on the feet that was more a feeling out process than anything else, Bendo shot on a single leg takedown that was immediately stuffed by “Cowboy.” Henderson was able to use the momentum to push his opponent against the fence, however, where he landed a series of knees to the legs and torso of Cerrone before eventually securing the takedown.

An admittedly slow starter, Cerrone found himself on his back and in Henderson’s half guard, eating a steady diet of punches and elbows that forced him to scramble to his feet. It was in this scramble that Henderson would lock onto a no-arm guillotine and quickly force the tap. If everyone on Team Alpha Male hadn’t already proved it, Henderson’s victory showed fans that incredibly powerful grapplers who appear to be made of marble perhaps pack the best guillotine chokes of them all.

“That was way quicker than anyone expected,” said Joe Rogan from ringside, echoing the feelings of any MMA fan who was familiar with Donald Cerrone. And a somewhat anti-climactic finish it may have been, but when compared to Henderson’s current run of split and unanimous decisions, it’s probably something that fans wouldn’t mind seeing more of from “Smooth.”

Following his win over Cerrone, Henderson would meet rising contender Anthony Pettis at the final WEC event, WEC 53, with the belt on the line. I think we all know how that ended.

The temporary setback at the hands of Pettis would be just that for Henderson. “Smooth” would make his official UFC debut at UFC 129 in April of 2011, scoring a dominant decision over Canadian grappler Mark Bocek. Similarly impressive wins over Jim Miller and Clay Guida would follow before Henderson would receive his shot against champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 144. In a Fight of the Night-earning effort, Henderson would emerge victorious, setting up an immediate rematch against Edgar at UFC 150 that he would also win by an even closer split decision.

It wasn’t until Henderson faced Pettis for a second time at UFC 164 that his reign of decisions was snapped via a first round armbar loss. A tough pill to swallow for the former champ, Henderson would nonetheless bounce back in his next appearance, earning a split decision over Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 10.

While Henderson’s current streak of decisions can at least partially be attributed to the level of competition he’s been facing in the UFC — Josh Thomson, Gil Melendez, and Frankie Edgar hold just one loss via stoppage between them, after all — it would be hard to deny that Henderson has seemingly lacked the aggressive instinct that made him a WEC champion in recent years. Scheduled to face suplex savant Rustam Khabilov at Fight Night 42 this weekend, Henderson will need a stronger than usual performance if he is to ever be mentioned in the title picture while Pettis is still champion. Let’s hope he’s up to the task.

–J. Jones

#ThrowbackThursday: Dan Henderson Bests Alan Goes, Then Carlos Newton in One Night at UFC 17


(Yep, that about sums it up. Via bojanelezovic)

By Jared Jones

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC PPV by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our inaugural edition, we focus on Dan Henderson’s middleweight tournament-winning effort at UFC 17 (in his promotional debut, no less) ahead of his UFC 173 co-main event clash with Daniel Cormier this weekend. 

What can be said about Dan Henderson that hasn’t already been said about Bill Brasky, or Chuck Norris? A poor way to start a retrospective, I know, but the fact is, the inventor and sole proprietor of the “H-Bomb” has one of the most well-documented yet somehow mythologized careers in MMA. From his back-to-back Olympic runs in ’92 and ’96 to his reign as the one and only concurrent double-title holder in PRIDE, everything about Dan Henderson is simply, legendary. He’s a credit to mixed martial arts, the human race, and perhaps most importantly, ‘Murica. Dan Henderson could kick a bald eagle in its little bird balls while waving a burning flag atop Mt. Rushmore and receive a Good Samaritan Award for doing so.

But every legend has to have an origin story, and for Henderson, it was the night he took out Alan Goes and Carlos Newton in back-to-back fights to win the UFC Middleweight Tournament at UFC 17: Redemption.

Relive Hendo’s epic one-night performance, complete with full videos of both fights, after the jump. 


(Yep, that about sums it up. Via bojanelezovic)

By Jared Jones

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC PPV by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our inaugural edition, we focus on Dan Henderson’s middleweight tournament-winning effort at UFC 17 (in his promotional debut, no less) ahead of his UFC 173 co-main event clash with Daniel Cormier this weekend. 

What can be said about Dan Henderson that hasn’t already been said about Bill Brasky, or Chuck Norris? A poor way to start a retrospective, I know, but the fact is, the inventor and sole proprietor of the “H-Bomb” has one of the most well-documented yet somehow mythologized careers in MMA. From his back-to-back Olympic runs in ’92 and ’96 to his reign as the one and only concurrent double-title holder in PRIDE, everything about Dan Henderson is simply, legendary. He’s a credit to mixed martial arts, the human race, and perhaps most importantly, ‘Murica. Dan Henderson could kick a bald eagle in its little bird balls while waving a burning atop Mt. Rushmore and receive a Good Samaritan Award for doing so.

But every legend has to have an origin story, and for Henderson, it was the night he took out Alan Goes and Carlos Newton in back-to-back fights to win the UFC Middleweight Tournament at UFC 17: Redemption. (Author’s note: Truthfully, the story of Henderson’s MMA career actually dates back one year prior, when he both started training mixed martial arts and defeated Crezio de Souza and Eric Smith in one night at the 1997 Brazil Open. But as we all know, if it didn’t happen in the UFC, it didn’t happen. You hear that, PRIDE-era Wanderlei! You never even existed!)


(Henderson vs. Goes @ UFC 17: Redemption.)

Fighting on the same card that featured the professional debut of Chuck Liddell and such future legends as Frank Shamrock, Jeremy Horn, Mark Coleman, and Tank Abbott, Henderson was paired against future PRIDE and IFL vet Allan Goes, who had fought Shamrock to a draw in a Pancrase event some three years earlier (and who also, according to his Wikipedia page at least, both helped found Brazilian Top Team and is an 8-time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion).

The significant size and experience disadvantage suffered by Henderson was evident at first, as the American was wobbled by leg kicks and dropped with a clean right hand early in the first round. Had Goes known that the only thing strong enough to crack Henderson’s granite jaw was synthetic testosterone, he probably would’ve laid down and called it a night. But Goes forged ahead…right into the punches, knees, and takedowns of Hendo, who would utilize his Greco-Roman pedigree to control Goes with ground-n-pound until the halfway point of the fight.

Henderson would again find himself on the wrong end of a knockdown near the 8:30 mark, but thanks to a kick delivered to his head while he was down, referee Joe Hamilton would be forced to break up what could’ve been a fight-ending submission on Goes’ part. When the action was restarted on the feet, Henderson’s cardio would shine against the visibly exhausted Goes.

The second, or “overtime” round as it was called then, was largely controlled by Henderson, thanks in part to his aggressiveness and constant pursual of Goes. A flurry that put Goes down in the final seconds would earn “Hollywood” (I so often forget he was called that) the unanimous decision nod and a shot at Carlos Newton, who had secured his spot in the finals via a lightning quick submission over Bob Gilstrap earlier in the evening.


(Henderson vs. Newton, UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament Finals, May 15, 1998.)

Henderson vs. Newton would start off in very similar fashion to Henderson vs. Goes, with the much fresher Newton dropping Hendo in the opening exchange before succumbing to his excellent takedowns and G-n-P. The crazy thing is, Newton technically defeated Henderson that night. Watch and listen closely around the 2:10 mark of the above video. Newton drops Hendo with a combo, prompting Big John McCarthy to shout “That’s it!” before pulling an Yves Lavigne and allowing the action to continue. Henderson would go on to defeat Newton, who was never able to catch a break in the UFC when it came to big fights, by split decision.

The rest of Dan Henderson’s story is, well, legendary — filled with more brutal knockouts and top-class trim than most of us could ever dream of. On the heels of a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Maurico Rua in their Fight Night 38 rematch and set to face fellow Olympian Daniel Cormier at UFC 173 this weekend, not many fans or so-called experts are giving Hendo a snowball’s chance in Hell. And while it’s true that Henderson is older, slower, smaller, and sans-TRT-ier than his latest challenge, there’s a key X-factor that must always be considered in a Hendo fight: Manliness.

The simple fact is, Dan Henderson is more of a man than you or I. He’s more of a man than Daniel Cormier, Fedor, or Fedor standing on Zeus’s shoulders. Dan Henderson has a pocket full of horses and f*cks the shit out of bears. Dan Henderson threw a knife into Heaven and can kill with a stare. Dan Henderson once held an opponent’s wife’s hand in a jar of acid, at a birthday party. Say it with me: Dan. F*cking. Henderson.