Since his now-legendary war with Shogun Rua back in 2011, Henderson has slumped to an undesirable 1-5 record, a spell that has seen him finally defeated by knockout, and a humiliating demolition courtesy of now-light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Henderson needed something huge to change the minds of fans calling for the veteran to finally hang up the gloves. Written off by almost every single MMA publication, website and blogger (Including this one!), ‘Hendo’ only needed 28 first round seconds to achieve this goal.
Well aware of his opponent’s diminishing skills, Boetsch did what any fighter would do in his position; he surged forward, hoping to quickly impose his will and finish the fight quickly. Unfortunately for ‘The Barbarian’, his aggression proved to be his undoing as he walked straight into Henderson’s famous H-Bomb’ right hand. Crumbling under the might of Henderson’s very first shot, Boetsch was helpless as ‘Hendo’ pushed him up against the cage wall, unleashing a flurry of follow-up strikes before finally dropping the Maine-based fighter with an uppercut, forcing pioneer ref John McCarthy to intervene and stop the fight.
Let’s not get too carried away here. Dan Henderson is an absolute legend of the sport; a man who has achieved everything except a UFC title. This victory may have been impressive, but it only delays the inevitable. Fast approaching his 45th birthday, riding off into the sunset after this blistering knockout win would have been an ideal scenario, but Henderson is probably too tough for his own good. Hopefully these are concerns that are also shared by UFC matchmakers. Henderson can still entertain, but he should in no way be booked to compete against the elite of the middleweight division...no matter how proud and hungry for competition the man may be.
Musings from the night's other fights:
- Rothwell win was impressive, but not particularly spectacular. He's a top 10 contender in a desperately shallow division. He doesn't have the skill to challenge for the title.
- Might we have witnessed the emergence of three new contenders at lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight? Poirier, Ortega and Birchak all looked like world-beaters in the respective bouts.
- Speaking of Ortega, he might be my new favourite prospect. His war with Thiago Tavares might also be my favourite fight of the year so far.
Middleweight
Dan Henderson def Tim Boetsch via KO (punches) in round 1
Heavyweight
Ben Rothwell def Matt Mitrione via submission (gogó choke) in round 1
Lightweight
Dustin Poirier def Yancy Medeiros via TKO (punches) in round 1
Featherweight
Brian Ortega def Thiago Tavares via TKO (punches) in round 3
Bantamweight
Anthony Birchak def Joe Soto via KO (punches) in round 1
Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Francisco Rivera def Alex Caceres via KO (punches) in round 1
What did you think of the fight and this Fight Night in general? Leave your comments and analysis below!
What did you think of the fight and this Fight Night in general? Leave your comments and analysis below!
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