Dan Henderson beredd på trilogi mot Bisping: “Han skadade mig inte en enda gång”

Nästan två veckor efter titelmatchen mot Michael Bisping är veteranen Dan Henderson fortfarande bedrövad över domslutet. Han ser stora problem med dagens poängsystem och menar – trots den planerade pensionen – att han är beredd på en trilogi.

Den åttonde oktober gick UFC 204: Bisping vs. Henderson II av stapeln i Manchester, England. I galans huvudmatch var mellanviktsmästaren Michael Bisping (30-7) ute efter hämnd mot 46-årige MMA-pionjären Dan Henderson (32-15) efter den förödande knockoutförlusten på UFC 100, drygt sju år tidigare.

Denna gång fick “The Count” sin upprättelse då han kammade hem vinsten via enhälligt domslut efter en tuff femrondare. Domarnas beslut blev emellertid ett omdiskuterat sådant och många ansåg att “Hendo” gjorde nog för att förtjäna segern.

“… if he looks like a guy that got his ass kicked…he probably did get his ass kicked.”

– Dan “Hendo” Henderson

Henderson var själv missnöjd med resultatet och kände sig som den rättmätiga vinnaren, något han uttryckte på presskonferensen efter galan. Nu i efterhand har han studerat matchvideon och står fortfarande fast vid sin åsikt.

Nyligen skrev han av sig på champions.co, där han vädrade sina känslor om matchen, dagens poängsystem samt sina tankar om en potentiell tredje match mot Bisping.

“It’s been a pretty mellow week since UFC 204, but I still haven’t reconciled myself with the scoring the judges put forth for my fight with Michael Bisping. I finally got around to watching the video of it last night, and I’ll admit, I’m pretty pissed about it. I was going to say frustrated, but that doesn’t quite cover the range of feelings I’ve got right now.

He just wasn’t doing anything to me. He was throwing punches that weren’t really landing or were just barely touching me. Most of the punches I was throwing were meant to hurt him, and obviously, they did. There was a big difference in our significant strikes. I think the definition of that needs to be spelled out better, because he didn’t throw that many significant strikes.

He didn’t hurt me once. It was one of those things…I think the commentators said, ‘He stunned him,’ right as he kicked me in the balls, but he really didn’t do anything other than kick me in the balls, and then tried to capitalize on it when the ref didn’t stop the fight for a recovery period.

I absolutely felt that I won rounds one and two, and the fifth. I landed almost or as much as he did and I took him down in the fifth. Going into that last round, I felt that worst case, it would be a draw. I didn’t want that. I wanted to win, so I went out there and poured it on, and I’m sure I did. That’s how I felt that night, and even moreso after watching the video.

I don’t know what type of fight anyone’s ever witnessed or been in, whether it be in a school yard, a professional arena or in a bar, where if one opponent looks like Mike did, if he looks like a guy that got his ass kicked…he probably did get his ass kicked. He’d probably be called by everyone the loser of the fight.

I’m almost positive that in boxing—which is where MMA got its 10 point must system—if one guy knocks the other guy down, it’s considered a 10-8 round. According to boxing rules, where this sport’s rules originated, I would’ve gotten a 10-8 score in two rounds.

The fans—his fans—knew who won that fight. It was very telling that I was in “enemy territory,” and the crowd was chanting my name after the fight. I can’t tell you how many people came up to me afterward, telling me they felt I won. Hell, even before the fight, I had several Brits telling me they hoped I would win, and they were specific…they hoped I would kick his ass. I feel like I delivered in spades.

If this fight had happened last year, and I hadn’t decided to make it my retirement fight, the fans would have demanded a trilogy. Hell, I’m pretty pissed off right now, and for the right money, I’m pretty sure I could be talked into the rubber match, not that I think he would accept another invitation to get beat up again. At the same time, I’m content with what I’ve done and in knowing, if only in my heart, that I won that fight.

The theme of this event was “vengeance,” but Michael Bisping didn’t get that. If anything, he got the exact opposite. He got wrecked, and dropped twice by the same punch he so desperately wanted to eradicate. I said it once, and I’ll say it again—you can’t change history.”

Henderson sa att han skulle gå i pension oavsett resultat, men med irritationen över det kontroversiella resultatet finns det fortfarande en match han fortfarande skulle acceptera. Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

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 Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images