Tag: UFC 151

Is Dan Henderson the One to End Jon Jones’ Run?

At UFC 151, we will see two warriors meeting in the cage at opposite ends of their careers.Jon Jones is the young (recently turned 25) seemingly invincible champion, while Dan Henderson, now at 41, has had a long and storied career (and hasn’t shown an…

At UFC 151, we will see two warriors meeting in the cage at opposite ends of their careers.

Jon Jones is the young (recently turned 25) seemingly invincible champion, while Dan Henderson, now at 41, has had a long and storied career (and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down).

Does Henderson have what it takes to stop the young phenom?

He’s currently riding a four-fight win streak, including a decision win over Shogun Rua, in what can be considered one of the most exciting fights of 2011. He also defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko.

As impressive as that win was, Hendo was not fighting the dominant fighter Fedor once was. Fedor was coming off a two-fight losing streak, and is now retired.

Shogun Rua is the former UFC light heavyweight champ, and is still one of the top contenders in the division. Hendo won a decision over him, while Jon Jones dominated Rua with a TKO victory (and took his title).

Jones’ title run started with Rua, and he’s since defeated three other former champs—Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans. The only one to even remotely pose a threat to him was Machida.

The edge when it comes to previous competition faced has to go to Jones.

When it comes to skill set, Henderson brings a strong wrestling game along with knockout power in his hands.

Jones also has a wrestling background (much less decorated than Henderson’s), but he also brings a much more dynamic striking attack.

Jones will also hold a significant reach advantage (84.5″ to Hendo’s 71″).

Jones has dominated numerous wrestlers, Matt Hamill, Ryan Bader and Rashad Evans to name a few, and I don’t really see anything new that Henderson brings to the table. He has a Greco-Roman wrestling base, but I think he’ll find it hard to get on the inside against Jones. In addition to his wingspan, Jones has very long legs.

With that said, this was the right time for Henderson to receive his title shot. I know better than to count him out. However, come September, the Jones hype train will keep on rolling.

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UFC 151: Does Dan Henderson Have a Legitimate Shot Against Jon Jones?

UFC 151 will see 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones attempt a fourth successive title defense when he takes on Dan Henderson in a match that some feel will be his toughest test to date; but it won’t, because “Hendo” chances of an upset are b…

UFC 151 will see 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones attempt a fourth successive title defense when he takes on Dan Henderson in a match that some feel will be his toughest test to date; but it won’t, because “Hendo” chances of an upset are between slim and none. And slim? Well, he ain’t gonna be in Vegas come fight night.

Long story short, “Bones” Jones has this one in the bag and after the night’s proceedings, he’ll continue on his trajectory to MMA immortality.

Henderson is a former Olympian (Greco-Roman wrestling), a former NCAA Division l standout and a former multi-division titlist (PRIDE and Strikeforce).

Truth be told, there isn’t enough space to list his accomplishments.

“Hendo” is a living legend.

But that’s where the Henderson fairy tale ends, because all his attributes and achievements will not avail him when he comes face-to-face with the bane of the light heavyweight division.

Since this fight was announced, Henderson’s heat seeking missile (overhand right), aptly named the H-Bomb, has been all the rage. The assumption is, once it lands and detonates on impact, it’s sayonara Jones and konnichiwa new champ.

Theoretically it sounds greats, but from a pragmatic point of view, it’s a non-starter.

At 5’11” and a 71-inch reach, Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has two obstacles to contend with: Jones’s 6’4” height and that overly long reach of 84.5 inches.

And since Jones is highly aware of the devastating effects of the H-Bomb, there’s not a cat’s chance in hell he’ll stand in harm’s way, à la Michael Bisping.

Jones will stay out of the pocket and employ his height, reach and overall physical presence to keep Henderson at bay and overwhelm him with his Pandora’s Box of unorthodox tricks.

Can he take the fight to the mat? With that in mind, who was the first and the last fighter to put Jones on his back? No one.  And neither will Henderson.

However, if Jones takes matters to the ground, that’s a different story altogether. Expect a submission win or a ground-and-pound onslaught equivalent to the one he meted out to Brandon Vera.

That said, it’s been quite a while since Jones has executed those devilish hell-bows.

At the grand old age of 41, Henderson isn’t getting any younger, and that per se will hamper his chances.

Sure he defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko and Rafael Cavalcante, but Jones, who recently turned 25, is in the prime of his life and that will count for a lot during the match.

Furthermore, Henderson’s cardio or lack thereof has been well-documented: two-rounds and he’s more or less gassed. And even though he managed to prevail in the Mauricio Rua bout, his cardio problems would be suicidal against Jones.

Finally, both combatants possess championship mentality, but the phenom Jones (16-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) is an absolute disparate type of species. Three successive title defenses and four consecutive victories over former champions in just over a year is the stuff of legends.

Dan Henderson, courageous as he is, doesn’t have a legitimate chance of unseating Jon Jones at UFC 151.

 

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

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Jon Jones Says "Disrespectful" Dan Henderson Has Given Him New Motivation

Dan Henderson may have woken a sleeping giant.In his bouts against Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jon Jones showed a willingness to engage in pre-fight trash talk.He hoped his upcoming UFC 151 bout with Henderson would be different. There …

Dan Henderson may have woken a sleeping giant.

In his bouts against Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jon Jones showed a willingness to engage in pre-fight trash talk.

He hoped his upcoming UFC 151 bout with Henderson would be different. There are few fighters who garner the same amount of respect as an all-time great like Henderson, who is the epitome of a modern-day warrior.

In an interview with ESPN, Jones implored that Henderson keep things “classy”:

As far as Dan Henderson, I’m excited about [him], he’s a great fighter. You know, I’ve gone through a lot with Rashad as far as all of the trash talking and I really hope Dan’s listening and I really hope that Dan keeps it classy throughout this fight. I respect him as an older man, I respect him as a warrior and I just hope he keeps it classy and not drag me through another trash-talking bout. Let’s stick to why we’re really here, let’s just fight.

Unfortunately, things haven’t gone the way Jones hoped.

In a post on Twitter, Jones said he felt Henderson was being “disrespectful” in some of his comments leading up to the fight. He never pinpoints exactly what was said that upset him, but he assured the MMA world that Henderson’s mouth had given him extra motivation:

No clue why Dan Henderson decided to be so disrespectful to me leading up to this fight, but it is what it is. I could use the motivation

The dudes done so much for the sport, I’m not even trying to come at him like that. I did enough trash talking with Page&Evans

FYI Henderson’s mouth isn’t bothering me at all, I just figured with all his experience he’d be over stuff like that

Jones could be referring to Henderson’s recent interview with ESPN, where the MMA legend called him “young” and “sloppy.”

Henderson also said he felt Jones had “a lot to learn, technically.”

For the most part, Jones has been relatively quiet leading up to his September 1 showdown with Henderson.

There was even some talk of him possibly overlooking Henderson’s chances, especially after the picture he posted of himself on Twitter that has him looking out of shape.

Is it really smart to give Jones added motivation?

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Josh Koscheck vs. Jake Ellenberger Confirmed as ‘UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson’ Co-Main Event


(Koscheck doesn’t like curly blonde wigs for the same reason that Jon Jones doesn’t like fake UFC belts. It’s like, bro, you didn’t put in the work, okay? / Photo via Sherdog)

You can’t keep a good man down — or a bad one, either. Coming off his split-decision loss to Johny Hendricks in May, welterweight contender Josh Koscheck will try to bounce back against Jake Ellenberger in the co-main event of UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson, September 1st in Las Vegas. Ellenberger is also coming off a defeat — his leave-from-ahead* knockout loss to Martin Kampmann at the TUF 15 Finale — which followed a six-fight win streak, including victories over Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. So which top 170-pounder is going to wake up the next morning with two straight losses?

Koscheck hasn’t started talking trash to Ellenberger on twitter yet, but he did recently call you a sissy and pat his hair on the back. In other notable UFC 151 booking news…


(Koscheck doesn’t like curly blonde wigs for the same reason that Jon Jones doesn’t like fake UFC belts. It’s like, bro, you didn’t put in the work, okay? / Photo via Sherdog)

You can’t keep a good man down — or a bad one, either. Coming off his split-decision loss to Johny Hendricks in May, welterweight contender Josh Koscheck will try to bounce back against Jake Ellenberger in the co-main event of UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson, September 1st in Las Vegas. Ellenberger is also coming off a defeat — his leave-from-ahead* knockout loss to Martin Kampmann at the TUF 15 Finale — which followed a six-fight win streak, including victories over Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. So which top 170-pounder is going to wake up the next morning with two straight losses?

Koscheck hasn’t started talking trash to Ellenberger on twitter yet, but he did recently call you a sissy and pat his hair on the back. In other notable UFC 151 booking news…

– TUF 12 finalist Michael Johnson — who most recently gave TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson his first loss in the UFC — will face Danny “Last Call” Castillo, who’s riding a three-fight win streak in the Octagon.

– Dennis Siver and Eddie Yagin have signed for a meeting in the featherweight division. Siver won a unanimous decision over Diego Nunes in his 145-pound debut in April, while Yagin is coming off of his massive upset of Mark Hominick at UFC 145.

– Takeya Mizugaki and Jeff Hougland will try to rebound from their recent losses (and improve their .500 UFC records) in a bantamweight contest.

– A lightweight bout between Dennis Hallman and Thiago Tavares has been moved to this card from UFC 150.

* The opposite of “come-from-behind,” obviously. But yeah, we need a better phrase for that.

Josh Koscheck vs Jake Ellenberger: Head-to-Toe Breakdown

A showdown between two of the top welterweights in MMA is set to go down at UFC 151. Former title challenger Josh Koscheck will look to get back into the mix at 170 when he takes on a fellow top contender in Jake Ellenberger at the September 1st event,…

A showdown between two of the top welterweights in MMA is set to go down at UFC 151.

Former title challenger Josh Koscheck will look to get back into the mix at 170 when he takes on a fellow top contender in Jake Ellenberger at the September 1st event, and the winner will find themselves right back in the title picture with guys like Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.

Both Koscheck and Ellenberger are coming off of tough defeats in the their last appearances inside the Octagon, but the fighters are still ranked near the top of the weight class and the winner should be considered a serious threat to whomever holds the UFC welterweight belt by the end of the year.

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UFC 151: Jake Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck to Meet in Co-Main Event

The UFC’s welterweight division has picked up a fight between two top ten combatants, as the UFC has announced that Jake Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck will face each other in the co-main event of UFC 151. The fight, which will take place on Septe…

The UFC’s welterweight division has picked up a fight between two top ten combatants, as the UFC has announced that Jake Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck will face each other in the co-main event of UFC 151.

The fight, which will take place on September 1 in Las Vegas, puts most of the top ranked welterweight fighters in play over the next few months.

Also tentatively scheduled to compete before the end of the year are Georges St-Pierre, Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks. St-Pierre and Condit will face off to determine who is the one true owner of the UFC welterweight crown, while Kampmann and Hendricks will compete to thin the herd at the top of the division. Those two fights are penciled in for UFC 154, which is scheduled for November 17 in Montreal, Quebec.

Also in the welterweight mix, Rory MacDonald will face BJ Penn at UFC 152 in September.

Ellenberger and Koscheck are both coming off losses in their last bouts.

Ellenberger (27-6) was on a six-fight UFC winning streak and hearing whispers about a possible title shot when he ran into Martin Kampmann during the TUF 15 final fight card. Kampmann took that fight by second round knockout. Fighters that Ellenberger defeated during his winning streak included Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields.

As for Koscheck (17-6), he saw a two-fight winning streak come to an end on the UFC on FOX 3 card when Johny Hendricks took a split decision victory over the always-game Koscheck. Before the loss to Hendricks, Koscheck had defeated Matt Hughes and Mike Pierce.

UFC 151 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title bout as champion Jon Jones puts his belt on the line against former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson.

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