UFC 100: Henderson vs. Bisping

Date July 7, 2009

The two Ultimate Fighter coaches square off

UFC 100: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

Over the next three days leading up to UFC 100, I will break down the top fights of the night, beginning today with Henderson vs. Bisping:

Name: Dan Henderson
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 185 pounds
Age: 38
Record: 24-7 (4-2 UFC)
Key wins: Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort
Key defeats: Anderson Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Name: Michael Bisping
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185 pounds
Age: 30
Record: 18-1 (7-1 UFC)
Key wins: Chris Leben, Matt Hamill
Key defeats: Rashad Evans

Betting odds (from Mandalay Bay):
Dan Henderson (-225) vs. Michael Bisping (+175)

Breakdown: One constant theme you will see with all of the main fights from Saturday night is there is one guy with the clear experience advantage in all of them. The biggest difference might be here as Dan Henderson has fought for a long time against the best of the best. Anderson, Rampage, Wanderlei, both Nogueira brothers, Ricardo Arona, Renzo Gracie, Babalu. The quality of competition makes Henderson’s 24-7 overall record much more impressive than Bisping’s 18-1 record against relatively limited opposition. Bisping has never been in the ring against the caliber of a Henderson, which is why Hendo is about a 2:1 favorite.

Henderson has always been known for his overhand right, but it’ll be interesting to see who has the advantage standing. Where Henderson will own Bisping is with his wrestling, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see this fight go somewhat like the Rampage/Henderson fight, with a lot of takedowns and ground maneuvering, but not a lot of clean ground and pound. Bisping’s key is he will have to use his speed, be quick with his hands and try to frustrate Henderson, who is getting close to the 40-year-old mark.

I go back to the Bisping/Matt Hamill fight, a fight in which I thought Hamill clearly won, and even though Bisping has improved tremendously since then, I think a similar pattern will evolve in this fight. Bisping won’t be able to hurt Henderson on his feet and when he wants to, Henderson will be able to shoot in and take down Bisping at will. I see Henderson controlling most of this fight, and grounding out a pretty one-sided unanimous decision victory.

Prediction: Henderson via unanimous decision

Category Posted in Fights