Tough competition is nothing new for Dan Henderson.
In his career, Henderson has fought seven fighters that have worn UFC gold. From Carlos Newton to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice) to Murilo Bustamante (twice) to Vitor Belfort to Quinton Jackson to Anderson Silva to Rich Franklin, Henderson has taken on some of the best fighters in the promotion's history and boasts a 6-3 record against them.
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| Henderson would like to shut Bisping up. (UFC) |
Silva has virtually torn through the division, successfully defending the title six times. Since his run, the UFC is no longer loaded with new contenders at 185 pounds. The freshest might very well be Bisping.
But Bisping is the clear underdog in the fight with Henderson. For his part, Henderson is not taking the former Ultimate Fighter winner lightly.
"Anybody is a danger in the sport," Henderson said. "He is improving every fight. The biggest thing I wanted to work on for this fight is my conditioning."
The matchup comes after Henderson and Bisping were opposing coaches on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, the show that played a vital role in making the UFC mainstream.
Unlike Rich Franklin -- the man Henderson defeated at UFC 93 to get the coaching slot -- Henderson hopes he is not through working with the reality program. Franklin coached during the show's second season, but earlier this year, he openly stated he would not be happy if asked to coach again.
"I had a good time," Henderson said. "I enjoyed it, and I'd do it again. I feel like I had a positive impact on some of these young fighters' careers."
But the former Pride FC middleweight and light heavyweight champion isn't so sure that the fighters he coached will be instant superstars. He feels many of them will need a lot of work before making it to the main show.
"Not anytime soon, but a couple of them could make an impact in the UFC," said Henderson. "They need more experience and need more training."
Henderson is going to provide that education for at least two members of his team.
"A few of the guys have talked about it," Henderson said. "Frank Lester moved down to train with me. Richie [Whitson] was and is training here."
Henderson had one of his current training partners, Cyrille Diabate, as the lead assistant coach. Another man Henderson is closely linked with is former UFC fighter Matt Lindland, who has fallen out of favor with UFC president Dana White in recent years. Currently, the main issue stems from comments Lindland made about White and the UFC in his upcoming documentary Fighting Politics.
Henderson confirmed he spoke with Lindland about coaching as the season approached.
"It just didn't work out schedule-wise," said Henderson. "I'm sure Dana wouldn't have liked that though."
During the finale of The Ultimate Fighter, Bisping got the better of Henderson -- both winners were from Bisping's Team U.K. Henderson is using those losses as incentive in the fight.
"I need to redeem the U.S. since they won the Ultimate Fighter. It's added motivation," said Henderson.
Even though a title opportunity would seem likely if he beats Bisping, Henderson hasn't been promised anything.
"I haven't been told that I'd be getting a title shot, but it'll happen as long as I keep winning," Henderson said.
Henderson has an interesting perspective on how the UFC has grown over the years. His first stint with the promotion ended at UFC 17 in May 1998. He returned close to nine years later at UFC 75 in September 2007.
He noticed one important change during his 58-event absence.
"The sport has definitely become mainstream," he said. "Everyone is watching now. Not just the hardcore fans."
As his fight with Bisping nears, Henderson is ready for what will likely be the most viewed UFC pay-per-view event of all time. The event will receive more mainstream coverage than any that came previously. He expects to put on a show for the fans.
"I'm going to beat his ass," said Henderson. "I'm going [to] definitely be trying to finish him. I see it happening in this fight. I'm going to knock him out."
And if his prediction comes true, Henderson could very well be looking at his 10th fight with a UFC titleholder.
