June - 2015
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
12
THE LEGEND OF DAN
HENDERSON VS. REALITY
Article By: Michael Davis
It’s hard to believe, but Dan
Henderson is headlining an-
other UFC event. He has been
fighting for almost twenty
years, and is recognized as
one of the all time greats of
the sport. He has been a star
in Rings, Pride FC, Strikeforce,
and the UFC. His ability to
knock out his opponents with
one punch has earned his over-
hand right it’s own name, The
H-Bomb.
The H-Bomb combined with
Henderson’s ability to absorb
punishment makes for some
very dramatic fights. Even
when he is losing, there’s al-
ways a chance that he can win.
It’s almost as though you’re
watching a movie when Hen-
derson fights. The unfortunate
reality is that it all comes at a
cost.
In recent years, there have
been countless studies on the
affects of head trauma. I don’t
know if there is a better case
right now for a major fighter
who is fighting far past his
prime. It’s never talked about
in depth, but it’s the elephant
in the room. Media members
certainly reference his age, and
ask about retirement, but no
one says he should.
In most circumstances, it is
out of place for media mem-
bers to say a fighter should
retire, but this is the excep-
tion. While Henderson has only
been knocked out twice in his
professional career, he has cer-
tainly taken a lot of damage.
What isn’t considered is the af-
fects of the punches that didn’t
completely knock him out, but
still injured his brain.
He is forty-four years old, and
has participated in forty three
professional fights. The legend
of Henderson is built on fights
from a long time ago. Fans may
get a glimpse of his greatness
from time to time, but that is
all. In his last six fights, he has
only won once. Those two pre-
viously mentioned knock out
losses have both fallen into the
past two years.
Ultimately, it’s the commis-
sion’s call to determine wheth-
er a fighter should be licensed
or not. The commissions have
a conflict of interest between
protecting fighters and protect-
ing tax revenues coming into
their states. Hopefully, Hender-
son finally puts his gloves in the
middle of the cage following
his fight on Saturday, because
it looks like he will always be
granted his license regardless
of his record, age, or health.
Esther Lin/MMAFighting
