https://youtu.be/dAuWoH-mU50
On October 8, the UFC will set up shop in beautiful Manchester, England with UFC 204. The evening’s main event will see new middleweight champion Michael Bisping defend his title against an old rival in 46-year-old legend Dan Henderson.
Bisping and Henderson first met at UFC 100, all the way back in 2009. On that night, Henderson scored one of the most iconic knockouts of all time, leveling Bisping with a rocket-fuelled right hand and nailing him to the canvas with a standing-to-ground forearm to the face.
Today, Bisping and Henderson are at very different junctures of their careers. Bisping, of course, is the reigning middleweight king, having shocked the world with a first-round knockout of the talented Luke Rockhold back in June. Henderson, meanwhile, plans to retire no matter the outcome of his UFC 204 title fight with Bisping. When we last saw him in action, he scored a career-reviving knockout win over the ever-dangerous Hector Lombard.
Given that the aging Henderson is 3-2 in his last 5 fights, the announcement of this title fight was met with some skepticism. Many fans believed the title shot should have been given to Rockhold, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Chris Weidman, or Yoel Romero instead. Yet as the video above suggests, this title fight is all about revenge – not rankings. It’s about giving Bisping the chance to avenge the worst loss of his career before the opponent who dealt that loss hangs up the gloves for good.
Are you excited for Bisping vs. Henderson 2, or do you think the title shot should have gone to somebody else? Sound off, PENN nation!