The Four Ages of Dan Henderson - Where/when was he at his best?

Discussion in 'MMA Forum' started by Manila, Jan 3, 2013.


  1. Manila

    Manila Temporarily Unbanned Full Member

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    Stage One: 1998/2000 Rings/UFC Tournament/intro to Pride
    Age: 28-30
    Achievements: Won UFC 17 middleweight tournament by beating Carlos Newton, won Ring King of Kings 1999 tournament (beating Big Nog en route)
    Stage-ending loss: Well beaten by ferocious Wanderlei Silva to lose his unbeaten record in his first fight in Pride

    Stage Two: 2001/2006 Pride Years
    Age: 31-36
    Achievements: Won the Pride Welterweight Championship by beating Chonan, Gono and Bustamante
    Stage-ending loss: Dropping a unanimous decision to Kazuo Misaki in the next Pride WW GP opening round

    Stage Three: 2006/2010 Stardom in Pride and the UFC
    Age: 36-40
    Achievements: Winning the Pride MW title with a revenge KO of Wanderlei Silva, being competitive but unsuccessful in title challenges vs Anderson Silva and Rampage Jackson, legendary KO of Michael Bisping after TUF coach season
    Stage-ending loss: Weight-drained and dominated by Jake Shields in Strikeforce

    Stage Four: 2010/present Light-Heavyweight and Zuffa
    Age: 40+
    Achievements: Winning Strikeforce LHW title, knocking out the great Fedor Emelianenko, outfighting Shogun Rua in epic 1st fight back in the UFC
    Stage-ending loss: None as yet, stage still in progress



    My question is, at which point was Hendo the best fighter he ever was? And your reasons for this opinion?
     
    Manila, Jan 3, 2013
    Manila, Jan 3, 2013
    #1
  2. sugarngold

    sugarngold RIDDUM Full Member

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    He's at his peak right now. Look at his recent wins and opposition.
     
    sugarngold, Jan 3, 2013
    sugarngold, Jan 3, 2013
    #2
  3. BobDigi5060

    BobDigi5060 East Side MMA Full Member

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    08-12', he went life and death with Shogun, and I don't expect him to get past a nagging knee injury and Lyoto Machida.

    Hard to say now as Fedor and Shogun are more beatable than ever.
     
    BobDigi5060, Jan 3, 2013
    BobDigi5060, Jan 3, 2013
    #3
  4. BobDigi5060

    BobDigi5060 East Side MMA Full Member

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    Even still, his greatest victory was beating Wanderlei Silva in the rematch!
     
    BobDigi5060, Jan 3, 2013
    BobDigi5060, Jan 3, 2013
    #4
  5. benebox

    benebox Active Member Full Member

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    Stage one.
     
    benebox, Jan 3, 2013
    benebox, Jan 3, 2013
    #5
  6. rusty nails

    rusty nails Tszyu for PM!! Full Member

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    i really felt he beat rampage
     
    rusty nails, Jan 3, 2013
    rusty nails, Jan 3, 2013
    #6
  7. iceferg

    iceferg Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    He didn't.
     
    iceferg, Jan 3, 2013
    iceferg, Jan 3, 2013
    #7
  8. Stoo

    Stoo Obsessed with Boxing banned

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    Beating Wandy was his best win imo. Most of his top wins have come against faded opposition though...there I said it! But given the weight discrepancy, Im not taking any credit away from Dan, the GOAT MMA fighter from the States no doubt
     
    Stoo, Jan 4, 2013
    Stoo, Jan 4, 2013
    #8
  9. the_bigunit

    the_bigunit Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Stage 3 is so crazy.

    Picks up the greatest win of his career.

    Loses two times in a row.

    Obliterates Bisping's soul.

    Outwrestled by a Welterweight.

    EDIT: Well he picked up decent wins against Franklin and Palhares. Was also good against Silva and Jackson. This stage is a bit more consistent than I originally thought.
     
    the_bigunit, Jan 7, 2013
    the_bigunit, Jan 7, 2013
    #9
  10. WiDDoW_MaKeR

    WiDDoW_MaKeR ESB Hall of Fame Member Full Member

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    Also, the Shields fight can be thrown out. He absolutely manhandled Shields before becoming a corpse in the ring. He clearly had nothing for that fight. I think the start of that fight showed exactly how much better Hendo is than Shields. Jake laying on top of a spent Hendo for the rest of the fight doesn't prove anything to me, other than the obvious fact that Shields was in better shape.
     
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Jan 8, 2013
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Jan 8, 2013
    #10