Bantamweights Brad Pickett and Iuri Alcantara will square off this October at UFC 204, according to a report by MMA Fighting.
Pickett (25-11) is coming off a February split decision win over Francisco Rivera that snapped a three-fight losing streak …
Bantamweights Brad Pickett and Iuri Alcantara will square off this October at UFC 204, according to a report by MMA Fighting.
Pickett (25-11) is coming off a February split decision win over Francisco Rivera that snapped a three-fight losing streak for the Brit. The soon-to-be 38-year-old is 5-5 over his last 10, including losses to Thomas Almeida, Ian McCall and Michael McDonald.
Alcantara (33-7) is two years removed from a three-fight win streak and a record of 5-2 with one no-contest during a stretch of action inside the Octagon. Last January, he lost to Jimmie Rivera.
UFC 204 takes place October 8 from Manchester, England and features Michael Bisping defending his middleweight title against Dan Henderson.
Yesterday (August 4, 2016), it was finally confirmed that newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping will make the first defense of his title in a rematch nearly seven years in the making when he meets veteran Dan Henderson in the main event of October 8’s UFC 204 from Manchester, England. The two first met […]
Yesterday (August 4, 2016), it was finally confirmed that newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping will make the first defense of his title in a rematch nearly seven years in the making when he meets veteran Dan Henderson in the main event of October 8’s UFC 204 from Manchester, England. The two first met at UFC 100 in 2009 with “Hendo” scoring one of the most emphatic knockouts of all-time.
This time, however, Bisping expects the outcome to be different, although he did recently make a bold prediction, saying that “Hendo” will attempt to cheat:
“Let me tell you this, lightning does not strike twice. It struck once the first time, it will not strike twice. There will be no TRT, no drugs, no steroids, no performance-enhancing drugs. Dan Henderson I challenge you to announce to me at the press conference that you will not take any performance-enhancing drugs, that if USADA show up on any day, any time they can test you, because I think he’s gonna cheat. I think he’s gonna go out there and have some sneaky PEDs because he’s gonna think, ‘Well screw it. If I get suspended, so what? I’m retiring anyway.’ Bisping said on his podcast.
“I think he’s gonna juice because if he gets popped, he’s just gonna get suspended. That is no consequence to him and people will remember that he retired as champion even though it would be a No Contest. If he was to get the win, he could still retire saying, ‘I just beat the world champion.’”
On the flip side, however, Bisping expects Henderson to make it to the Octagon given the payday he would be risking if he were to test positive, although “The Count” wouldn’t be surprised either way: “But then again, the problem with that is if he was to go out there and do that, with USADA, – and I’m gonna make sure this guy is thoroughly tested – and if he was to test positive, then the fight would be off. So that is the only deterrent I think. Because he’s gonna earn a lot of money for this fight and if he wants to collect on that paycheck, he’s got to make it to the octagon. So he’s playing with fire but we’ve seen it time and time again, people do play with fire even though they know USADA might turn up…People do make these stupid f**king mistakes. Dan Henderson being a weird version of bloody Fred Flintstone – that’s what I’m gonna nickname him, he looks like Fred Flintstone – he will probably make that mistake.”
Despite Bisping’s claims, Henderson has never failed a test, and it’s unlikely that he’d risk it in what’s likely to be his last fight ever.
During his show on SiriusXM Thursday, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping confirmed that he will indeed fight Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in Manchester, England.
Bisp…
Aaaand …. @bisping himself confirms that it's him vs. @danhendo on October 8th in Manchester!
During his show on SiriusXM Thursday, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping confirmed that he will indeed fight Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in Manchester, England.
Bisping and Henderson will headline the October 8 card that will air in the usual 10 p.m. ET pay-per-view time slot. That means the main event between the two could take place around 5 a.m. local time in England.
Back at UFC 100, Henderson knocked Bisping out in one of the more memorable and re-lived moments in UFC history.
The card also features Vitor Belfort-Gegard Mousasi and Ovince Saint Preux-Jimi Manuwa.
Last month, UFC President Dana White announced that newly minted middleweight champion Michael Bisping would be making the first defense of his 185-pound title against aging veteran Dan “Hendo” Henderson in a rematch of their UFC 100 bout where Henderson scored one of the most iconic knockouts in sport history. Despite “Hendo” being ranked outside […]
Last month, UFC President Dana White announced that newly minted middleweight champion Michael Bisping would be making the first defense of his 185-pound title against aging veteran Dan “Hendo” Henderson in a rematch of their UFC 100 bout where Henderson scored one of the most iconic knockouts in sport history. Despite “Hendo” being ranked outside of the top 10, fans appeared to be interested in the bout, and White said that it was being targeted for October in Manchester, Bisping’s home.
Now, however, the bout has officially been confirmed. MMAFighting.com has reported that two veterans will be squaring off in the main event of October 8’s UFC 204 from Manchester, England. “The Count” also announced the bout earlier today (August 4, 2016) on his SiriusXM radio show.
Bisping shocked the world at June 4’s UFC 199, knocking out then champion Luke Rockhold in the very first round of their rematch. What made the victory so sensational, however, was that the Brit accepted the bout on extremely short notice after Chris Weidman had been forced to withdraw. Prior to beating Rockhold, Bisping had won three straight over Thales Leites, C.B Dolloway, and Anderson Silva.
Henderson, on the other hand, is coming off of a brutal stoppage victory over Hector Lombard also at UFC 199, although the American had hit some rough times prior to that, losing three of four. At age 45, Henderson has said that win or lose, this rematch will be his last fight.
Who do you see taking home middleweight gold on October 8th?
According to a report by MMA Fighting, two more bouts have been set for UFC 204, as Jimi Manuwa takes on Ovince Saint Preux and Stefan Struve battles Ruslan Magomedov.
Manuwa (15-2) has yet to fight this year as he has been recovering from an injury…
According to a report by MMA Fighting, two more bouts have been set for UFC 204, as Jimi Manuwa takes on Ovince Saint Preux and Stefan Struve battles Ruslan Magomedov.
Manuwa (15-2) has yet to fight this year as he has been recovering from an injury. In his last appearance, he was knocked out by top contender Anthony Johnson.
Saint Preux (19-8) stepped in on short notice and fought Jon Jones for the interim UFC light heavyweight title in April, losing via decision. He has recovered from a broken arm suffered early in that fight.
Struve (27-8) knocked out Antonio Silva in 16 seconds this past May, while Magomedov (14-1) is on a nine-fight win streak.
UFC 204 takes place October 8 from England and is expected to feature Michael Bisping defending his middleweight belt vs. Dan Henderson.
Mixed martial arts legend Dan Henderson has a very unique opportunity laying ahead of him, and it came about through unexpected circumstances. After Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 to claim the middleweight title, ‘The Count’ called out ‘Hendo’ as his first title defense. Henderson was fresh off a stunning knockout win […]
Mixed martial arts legend Dan Henderson has a very unique opportunity laying ahead of him, and it came about through unexpected circumstances. After Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 to claim the middleweight title, ‘The Count’ called out ‘Hendo’ as his first title defense. Henderson was fresh off a stunning knockout win over Hector Lombard on the same night, but many believed the 45-year old would retire on the back of that victory.
The situation was made more heated by the fact Bisping accused the former Pride FC two-weight champion of abusing TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) before their first fight. UFC 100 was the scene of their first battle, and it ended with one of the most recognizable moments in MMA history. ‘Hendo’ knocked Bisping clean out to end their rivalry, but with Bisping’s new-found success the reports are they will do it all again at UFC 204.
Talking with Severe MMAduring a recent podcast, ‘Hendo’ says he’s sure the fight will happen in October, and also talks about Bispng’s win over Rockhold and more:
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s happening in October, I’m not sure where just yet. I think it’ll definitely happen, I’m excited to get in there and hopefully do the same thing as last time. Not too many people gave (Bisping) a chance to win (against Rockhold), including myself. I didn’t think he could out-point Luke, and Luke’s in good shape. Up until that fight I’d never seen him have knockout power. It’s good to see he’s got better, I think it surprised everybody, mostly Luke Rockhold. He did a good job.”
“I’m sure that he wants that one back, but that one will never get back. It’s instilled in the history books with some of the best knockouts, and I’m hoping to add another one to it.”
After Bisping accused 46-fight veteran of steroid abuse in a recent rant, Henderson says he still isn’t fond of guys with big mouths.
“I don’t really know him too much, I don’t hear very highly of him as a person. I’m not fond of guys who have big mouths like that, everybody is different. Whatever, I have no desire to hang out with he guy, he just talks out of his ass. He’s an asshole.”
“I’m sure he’s improved a lot overall, but so have I. It’s on me to make sure that my conditioning is there to go every round, as well as some tactics and game plan. It’s not an easy fight, it’s up to me to make it happen. I’m going to do my best to knock his ass out again.”
As well as the banter from the new champion, Henderson has been the target of some criticism from fellow fighters. Contenders such as Jacare Souza and Chris Weidman have voiced their displeasure over ‘Hendo’ leap frogging them for the title fight. Currently ranked at number 13, Henderson insists he never once asked for the title fight.
“I didn’t ask for it once, this is a fight that came about because the fans asked for it. They asked in such large numbers, the UFC and Dana White listen to the fans. It didn’t hurt that Bisping was asking for it too. I wasn’t sure if the Hector fight was my last one. For a title, for sure I’ll fight one more time. I’m definitely going to make the most of it.”
To have a title fight as the final step in Dan Henderson’s career is quit fitting, although the rankings may argue against it. Will he cap off an illustrious career by once again overcoming insane odds in a fashion we have now become accustomed to, or will it be one step too far?
