Hendo seeks to end career with final goal fulfilled

Dan Henderson is arguably the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. He won the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt and the PRIDE welterweight and middleweight belts. However, he never won a UFC title.

That could change at UFC 204 when Hendo fights middleweight champion Michael Bisping on October 8, in Manchester, England.

During a recent appearance Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Bisping said that when the offer came, he had intended to speak with UFC president Dana White about a post-retirement position with the league. Hendo had intended to retire, after becoming the first person to ever stop Hector Lombard at UFC 199 in June.

“It all depended on what my options were afterwards as far as employment goes,” said Henderson, as transcribed by Luke Thomas for MMA Fighting. “I was ready to kind of have that one be my last fight depending on, like I said, what options I’d have. For whatever reason, the stars aligned and the fans asked for one more fight, I guess.”

“Kinda wanted to finish my contract up and have a talk with Dana [White] about either representing them in some capacity outside of the cage in working for the UFC. That was what I was going to speak with them about, not necessarily fighting again.”

The offer of course was not for an office job, it for the shot at the middleweight championship, in a rematch of the UFC 100 fight that many consider the greatest knockout on league history.

“I don’t know if I was surprised just because I saw on my social media and all over the place how many fans wanted that fight,” said Henderson. “The UFC does listen to the fans sometimes. It didn’t hurt, like I said, that Michael Bisping wanted the fight also.”

“It’s something I didn’t think was going to happen and now it’s happening and I’m going to make sure to make the most of it.”

“I don’t think Dana quite believes me. I have no desire to fight again after this one.”

So Hendo wants to win the belt, and walk away.

“It’s pretty much the last goal that had set for myself,” he said. “A couple of years ago as I lost a couple of times here and there and wasn’t having the best of luck, I kinda figured that I wouldn’t have that opportunity again, but I was still satisfied with what I’ve done with my career and satisfied with myself with not having that UFC belt. But it is the last one that I don’t have.”

“The last I don’t know how many years, it’s gotten tougher. It is what it is. I just keep on going. I’m pretty disciplined when it comes to a lot of things with training. Where I’m lacking, I have somebody to yell at me and get me going. I’ll make sure I’m focused on certain things, but, no, this isn’t going to be any different than the last training camp. I might be even easier knowing there’s a belt there and I get to attempt to shut Bisping’s mouth up again.”

First question, will someone get hurt before the fight? Second question, who wins? And lastly, if Hendo wins, will be really retire?