A photo of Dan Henderson.
Daniel Jeffery Henderson (born August 24, 1970) is an American former Olympic wrestler and current mixed martial artist fighting for Strikeforce and was the last Welterweight Template:Convert/LoffAonDbSoff and Middleweight Template:Convert/LoffAonDbSoff champion of the Pride Fighting Championships. He was the only mixed martial artist to concurrently hold two titles in two different weight classes in a major MMA promotion. Henderson is the UFC 17 middleweight, Pride 2005 welterweight and 1999 RINGS King of Kings tournament champion. Henderson also owns the Clinch Gear MMA apparel brand. Henderson is currently the #2 ranked Middleweight in the world according to MMARanked.com's rankings.[1]
Biography[]
Dan Henderson was born in Downey, California and grew up in Apple Valley, California.[2] He attended Victor Valley High School[3] in Victorville, California, and earned medals at the California State Wrestling Championships in 1987 and 1988. Henderson went on to wrestle at both Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State University, participating in the 1993 NCAA championships.[4] He represented the United States in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling.[5]
MMA career[]
He began training in mixed martial arts in 1997, when he joined the Real American Wrestling team (RAW).[6]
Early career and UFC[]
In his first year of MMA competition, Henderson won the Brazil Open, a four-man heavyweight tournament. Just one year later, he won the UFC 17 tournament, defeating Allan Goes and Carlos Newton. In his next MMA foray, Henderson defeated five opponents over the course of two events to claim the 1999 RINGS King of Kings title. He won two fights on October 28, 1999 in Tokyo, Japan, to qualify for the finals, and then beat Gilbert Yvel, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Renato "Babulu" Sobral on the evening of February 26, 2000, to win the tournament.Dan left the sport for a short period of time and participated in the WCW (World Championship Wrestling) before he quit and moved back to participate in MMA.
Pride FC[]
Henderson later found a home with the Pride Fighting Championships, competing primarily in the middleweight (205 lb) division. In Pride, Henderson competed against many of the sport's elite fighters including Wanderlei Silva, Renzo Gracie, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Murilo Rua, Murilo Bustamante, Yuki Kondo, Ryo Chonan and Akihiro Gono.
When Pride began its Bushido brand, Henderson won their first welterweight Template:Convert/LoffAonDbSoff tournament, defeating Ryo Chonan and Akihiro Gono by knockout, and then defeating Bustamante by split decision in the finals to capture the welterweight title. At Pride Bushido 10, Henderson defeated Kazuo Misaki by unanimous decision after hurting him with strikes on numerous occasions. Henderson later entered the second Pride Welterweight Grand Prix, losing by decision in a rematch with Misaki.
Henderson's final Pride bout was a rematch with Wanderlei Silva at Pride 33 in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 24, 2007, where he scored a one-punch knockout victory to become Middleweight Champion, while still holding his Welterweight title. Henderson became the first fighter to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes in a major MMA organization.
UFC return[]
On September 8, 2007, Henderson returned to the UFC to face light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 75 in London, England. In a closely contested fight that saw Henderson impose his will early, Jackson controlled the later rounds and won a five-round unanimous decision to retain his title.
On November 17, 2007, it was announced during the post fight at UFC 78 that Henderson would fight UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva to unify the Pride welterweight (183 lb) and UFC middleweight (185 lb) championships. UFC 82 took place on March 1, 2008 and was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Henderson lost via submission at 4:52 of the second round by rear naked choke.
Henderson bounced back from his inauspicious start in the UFC with a victory over highly-touted Brazilian jiu jitsu ace Rousimar Palhares at UFC 88, winning by unanimous decision. It was his first win in the UFC in over ten years. After the bout, Henderson laughed and said, "Hopefully I don't have to wait that long before I get my next win."
Henderson returned to the light heavyweight division to face former UFC Middleweight champion Rich Franklin on January 17, 2009, at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. Henderson won the fight via a controversial split decision following an unintentional eye-poke in the third round and was subsequently selected to lead Team USA on season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter, with Michael Bisping coaching the opposing Team UK.
Coaching The Ultimate Fighter and aftermath[]
The reality TV show, which spawned a feud between the two coaches that continued until their fight, aired on Spike TV and premiered on April 1, 2009, with the live finale on June 20, 2009 in Las Vegas. Dan received a high-end Land Rover for being coach on the show, along with Bisping.
On July 11, 2009 at UFC 100 at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Henderson and Bisping settled their differences with their fists, culminating with Henderson becoming the first man to knock Bisping out, doing so in the second round with a right cross to the jaw as Bisping was circling to his right. This win put Henderson back into contention for a title shot at the UFC Middleweight Champion. The knockout punch also won Henderson a $100,000 bonus for "Knockout of the Night."
Controversy arose from the fight due to Henderson immediately following up his knockout punch with a flying forearm-drop to the prone Bisping's head shortly before referee Mario Yamasaki ended the fight at 3:20.[7] Immediately after the fight, Henderson addressed the issue of the final blow to the knocked-out Bisping, saying "Normally I'm not that way in fights. I know if the guy's out, I tend to stop. I knew I hit him out and I think that one was just to shut him up a little bit."[8]
After UFC president Dana White said Henderson had made those comments in jest, Henderson clarified stating, "When you're in the heat of the moment, the ref hadn't stopped me yet, who knows what's going to happen, if he's going to recover. I really only hit him twice, once on my feet, once on the ground. I didn't keep going. I didn't go after him after the ref tried to stop me, it was nothing like that. It was a reaction of mine to keep going until I was stopped—and you know, it did feel good though."[9]
Henderson was originally scheduled to fight Rich Franklin at UFC 103, a rematch from UFC 93 which ended in a split decision victory for Henderson following an unintentional eye-poke, but following the cancellation of Affliction: Trilogy and the transfer of 20 fighters' contracts to the UFC, Franklin instead fought Vitor Belfort and lost by knockout in round 1.[10]
Strikeforce[]
Dan Henderson signed a four-fight, 16-month deal with Strikeforce on December 5, 2009, after his contract expired with the UFC. Henderson could debut for Strikeforce as early as April on a tentatively planned CBS event and might face the promotion’s middleweight champion, Jake Shields, right out of the gate. Henderson, who also fights at light heavyweight, is being eyed for a matchup against Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi.[11] Henderson has also expressed interest in eventually fighting World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko at some point during his new contract.[12]
Henderson is expected to make his Strikeforce debut on April 17, 2010 at Strikeforce on CBS against Jake Shields.[13]
Personal life[]
Dan Henderson is part English, Scottish, French and Native American.[14] He grew up on a ranch in Apple Valley, California. He started wrestling at a young age and started being noticed as a relentless competitor. When he entered high school he placed on the wrestling team with his brother Tom at Victor Valley High, which was coached by their father Bill Henderson, Sam Gollmyer and Joe Barrios.
Dan was also coached by Bob Anderson, of the California Jets (now a defunct organization). He placed second at the California State Wrestling Championship in 1987 and Victor Valley won the team title. In 1988, he placed fifth in the state finals and several months later won national crowns in both freestyle and Greco Roman at the Junior Nationals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
He has three children with his wife Alison.[15][16] He now lives in Temecula, California[17] and is currently associated with Team Quest where he trains with fellow fighters Matt Lindland and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. He is currently training fighters such as newcomer Albert Mercado, Krzysztof Soszynski, Phil Davis, Dave Kohn, Tyron Woodley, Jake Morris, and Justin Nelson. Henderson has also made guest appearances on television shows such as The King of Queens,[18] The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Inside MMA and Rome is Burning.
According to the March 2007 Confederated Umatilla Journal: "Henderson's grandmother, Alice (Bergevin) LeJune, is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and owns land on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. From all accounts, Henderson is 1/16 Walla Walla Native American." In the interview Henderson commented: "Now I know I’m Walla Walla. It’s refreshing to find some of those things out. I look Indian and I knew I had some, but I didn’t know what tribe or exactly how much. It will be good to be able to tell my kids about their heritage."[19]
Clinch Gear[]
Henderson owns the Clinch Gear MMA apparel brand,[20] which he acquired in January 2007 after wearing Clinch Gear shorts in many of his fights in the preceding two years. He has grown the product line to include 11 colors of performance board shorts in two styles, including the Primo Hendo signature model.[21]
Team Quest[]
Dan Henderson is an owner of Team Quest Fitness Gym located in Temecula, California.
Championships and awards[]
Wrestling[]
- United States
- 1990 Espoir Nationals champion
- 1990 Junior Nationals double champion
- 1990-91 U.S. Olympic Festival champion
- 1991 & 1993-94 University Nationals champion
- 1992 Final Olympic Wrestle-off champion
- 1992 Olympic Team Trials champion
- 1992 Western Regional Olympic Trials champion
- 1993-94 World Team Trials champion
- 1993-94 U.S. Nationals champion
- 1996 West Regional Olympic Trials champion
- 1988 Espoir Nationals (2nd)
- 1995 World Team Trials (3rd)
- 1991 U.S. Nationals (3rd)
- 1992 U.S. Nationals (5th)
- 1990 University Nationals (4th)
- 1989 Espoir Nationals (5th)
- 1996 U.S. Nationals (6th)
- 1990 U.S. Nationals (7th)
- International
- 1995 Sunkist International Open champion
- 1994 World Cup (2nd)
- 1994 Pan American Championships (2nd)
- 1991 Concord Cup (3rd)
- 1995 Pan American Games (3rd)
- 1994 German Grand Prix (4th)
- 1993 German Grand Prix (7th)
- 1992 Olympics (10th)
- 1994 U.S. World team member
Mixed Martial Arts[]
- Pride FC
- Pride FC Middleweight championship
- Pride FC Welterweight championship
- 2005 PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix Tournament Winner
- UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament Winner
- Knockout of the Night Honors
- RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament Winner
- Brazil Open Fight
- Brazil Open 1997 Lightweight Tournament Winner
- World MMA Awards
- Knockout of the Year (2009)
Mixed martial arts record[]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 37 | 25 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 3 |
| By decision | 13 | 4 |
Championships and accomplishments[]
Template:S-start Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-non Template:S-new Template:S-ttl Template:S-non Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-new Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:End Template:Pride FC Championships
References[]
- ↑ MMARanked.com. Dan "Hendo" Henderson Career Stats, Information & Analysis (MMA - Mixed Martial Arts). MMARanked.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-01.
- ↑ Dan Henderson Biography and Fighting Information. Submittomma.com. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Dan Henderson. Complete Martial Arts.com (February 24, 2007). Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Dan Henderson. Washington Post (August 24, 1970). Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ After losing a tough fight to Rampage, what's next for the first ever double-champ in UFC, Pride and MMA history. Henderson is currently ranked 2nd in the world for the middleweight division according to sherdog.com?. Fighting Spirit Magazine. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Daniel "Hollywood" Henderson - Official Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Resume. Mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Henderson gets in last word
- ↑ Henderson Should be Fined for the Additional Hit on Bisping
- ↑ Dan Henderson - "It did feel good" to knockout Bisping
- ↑ Rich Franklin's record on UFC.com
- ↑ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Henderson-Reaches-Agreement-with-Strikeforce-21377
- ↑ http://archive.is/20120711150852/mmajunkie.com/news/17132/strikeforces-dan-henderson-now-there-is-another-option.mma
- ↑ Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson Title Fight Signed for April in Strikeforce. mmafrenzy.com (2010-02-24).
- ↑ Henderson Speaks. Fightsport.com (December 10, 2005). Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Team Quest MMA Fitness, Murrietta, CA. Teamquestmma.com. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Dan Henderson profile. Clinchgear.com. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Team Quest MMA Fitness Center Staff. Teamquestmma.com. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Dan Henderson and Frank Trigg on CBS (May 10, 2006). Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Pride Fighting champ has WW heritage (PDF). Confederated Umatilla Journal pp. 41. Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (March 2007). Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Clinch Gear Bio. Rdfc.tv: Red Dragon Fight Company website. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ↑ Primo Classic Hendo Signature Performance Board Shorts. Clinchgear.com (September 5, 2007). Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
External links[]
- Official site
- Official Dan Henderson MySpace
Professional MMA record for Dan Henderson from Sherdog Fight Finder- Clinch Gear
- Official Clinch Gear MySpace
- Dan Henderson at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Team Quest
Template:The Ultimate Fighter 9
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| Outcome | Record | Fighting | Style | Place | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 25–7 |  Michael Bisping
|
KO (Punch) | UFC 100 | 2009-07-11 | 2 | 3:20 |  Las Vegas, NV, United States
|
Middleweight bout Won Knockout of the Night Won Knockout of the Year 2009 |
| Win | 24–7 | Rich Franklin
|
Decision (Split) | UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson | 2009-01-17 | 3 | 5:00 |  Dublin, Ireland
|
Light Heavyweight bout |
| Win | 23–7 |  Rousimar Palhares
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 88: Breakthrough | 2008-09-06 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, US
|
Middleweight bout |
| Loss | 22–7 | Anderson Silva
|
Submission (Rear-naked Choke) | UFC 82: Pride of a Champion | 2008-03-01 | 2 | 4:50 | Columbus, Ohio, US
|
For UFC Middleweight Championship |
| Loss | 22–6 | Quinton Jackson
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 75: Champion vs Champion | 2007-09-08 | 5 | 5:00 | London, England
|
For UFC Light Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | 22–5 | Wanderlei Silva
|
KO (Punch) | Pride 33: The Second Coming | 2007-02-24 | 3 | 2:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
Won Pride Middleweight Championship |
| Win | 21–5 | Vitor Belfort
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Pride 32: The Real Deal | 2006-10-21 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
PRIDE Middleweight Bout |
| Loss | 20–5 |  Kazuo Misaki
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Pride Bushido 12 | 2006-08-26 | 2 | 5:00 | Nagoya, Japan
|
PRIDE 2006 WW Grand Prix Quarterfinal Round |
| Win | 20–4 | Kazuo Misaki
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Pride Bushido 10 | 2006-04-02 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan
| |
| Win | 19–4 | Murilo Bustamante
|
Decision (Split) | Pride Shockwave 2005 | 2005-12-31 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan
|
PRIDE 2005 WW Grand Prix Final Round, Won Pride 183lb Championship |
| Win | 18–4 | Akihiro Gono
|
KO (Punch) | Pride Bushido 9 | 2005-09-25 | 1 | 7:58 | Tokyo, Japan
|
PRIDE 2005 WW Grand Prix Semi-Final Round |
| Win | 17–4 | Ryo Chonan
|
KO (Punches) | Pride Bushido 9 | 2005-09-25 | 1 | 0:22 | Tokyo, Japan | PRIDE 2005 WW Grand Prix Opening Round |
| Loss | 16–4 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
|
Submission (Armbar) | Pride Total Elimination 2005 | 2005-04-23 | 1 | 8:05 | Osaka, Japan | PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round |
| Win | 16–3 | Yuki Kondo
|
Decision (Split) | Pride Shockwave 2004 | 2004-12-31 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 15–3 | Kazuhiro Nakamura
|
TKO (Injury) | Pride 28: High Octane | 2004-10-31 | 1 | 1:15 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 14–3 | Murilo Bustamante
|
TKO (Punches) | Pride Final Conflict 2003 | 2003-11-09 | 1 | 0:53 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 13–3 | Shungo Oyama
|
TKO (Strikes) | Pride 25: Body Blow | 2003-03-16 | 1 | 3:28 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
|
Submission (Armbar) | Pride 24: Cold Fury 3 | 2002-12-23 | 3 | 1:49 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| Loss | 12–2 | Ricardo Arona
|
Decision (Split) | Pride 20: Armed and Ready | 2002-04-28 | 3 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 12–1 | Murilo Rua
|
Decision (Split) | Pride 17: Championship Chaos | 2001-11-03 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 11–1 | Akira Shoji
|
TKO (Strikes) | Pride 14: Clash of the Titans | 2001-05-27 | 3 | 3:18 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 10–1 | Renzo Gracie
|
KO (Punch) | Pride 13: Collision Course | 2001-03-25 | 1 | 1:40 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 9–1 | Wanderlei Silva
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Pride 12: Cold Fury | 2000-12-09 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | PRIDE FC debut |
| Win | 9–0 | Renato Sobral
|
Decision (Split) | RINGS: King of Kings 1999 Final | 2000-02-26 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Won RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament |
| Win | 8–0 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
|
Decision (Split) | RINGS: King of Kings 1999 Final | 2000-02-26 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | 7–0 |  Gilbert Yvel
|
Decision (Unanimous) | RINGS: King of Kings 1999 Final | 2000-02-26 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Win | 6–0 | Hiromitsu Kanehara
|
Decision (Split) | RINGS: King of Kings Block A | 1999-10-28 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament 2nd Round |
| Win | 5–0 |  Bakouri Gogitidze
|
TKO (Strikes) | RINGS: King of Kings Block A | 1999-10-28 | 1 | 2:17 | Tokyo, Japan | RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament 1st Round |
| Win | 4–0 |  Carlos Newton
|
Decision (Split) | UFC 17: Redemption | 1998-05-15 | 1 | 15:00 | Mobile, Alabama, US
|
Won UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament |
| Win | 3–0 | Allan Goes
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 17: Redemption | 1998-05-15 | 1 | 15:00 | Mobile, Alabama, US
| |
| Win | 2–0 | Eric Smith
|
Submission (Guillotine Choke) | Brazil Open '97 | 1997-06-15 | 1 | 0:30 | Brazil
|
Won Brazil Open 1997 Lightweight Tournament |
| Win | 1–0 | Crezio de Souza
|
TKO (Strikes) | Brazil Open '97 | 1997-06-15 | 1 | 5:25 | Brazil
|