Dan Henderson has been fighting for 18 years in a 22 year old sport, and in the eyes of many, is the greatest of all time in mixed martial arts.
In 2012, MMAJunkie’s Dany Acosta broke down the arguments for Hendo’s place as the king of kings.
•Quality of Wins
Henderson beat 10 big-show champions: Carlos Newton, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Murilo Bustamante, Kazuo Misaki, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Rafael Cavalcante, Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Comparatively, Anderson Silva, has wins over six champions.
•Quality of Losses
Of Henderson’s eight losses, only Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira have not held notable titles. Henderson also holds victories over three (Misaki, Wanderlei and Big Nog) of the opponents who defeated him.
None of the four fighters to best Anderson Silva wore a significant championship belt in his career.
•The Minuses
The hang-up in calling Henderson the greatest all-time, is a March 2008 second-round rear-naked-choke defeat to Anderson Silva. Silva’s 14-0 run through the UFC is a defining streak of longevity that has always eluded Henderson. After starting his career 9-0, Henderson’s win column is almost entirely comprised of three- and four-fight win streaks, interrupted by one of eight career losses.
Henderson is 1-3 in his most recent title bouts. He fell to light-heavyweight champ “Rampage” via unanimous decision in September 2007, and tapped out to Anderson Silva six months later. He left the octagon for Strikeforce, where he was upset by middleweight champion Jake Shields.
•The Big Plus
Where Henderson surpasses Silva is in his divisional jumping. The significance in jumping up two weight classes to best the two greatest heavyweights of the generation Fedor Emelianenko and Big Nog) is a feat that cannot be understated.
Like Henderson, Silva has been successful in three weight classes, but with much less frequency.
