Michael Bisping fights Dan Henderson in a rematch seven years in the making Saturday night.
The vicious knockout, with an exclamation point strike thrown in for good measure, administered by the American at UFC 100 seemed to make a sequel moot. But Bisping gained the UFC middleweight belt by beating champion Luke Rockhold on short notice, which gave him something Dan Henderson desperately wanted. Now Bisping, who realized revenge on Rockhold in their rematch, seeks to make things right with Henderson as well.
The Brit says this time the man who memorably took away his memories of UFC 100 loses consciousness.
“I’m coming for him, make no mistake,” Bisping said on Friday. “I’ve got no ill will towards him, he’s a nice guy, I wish him the best but tomorrow night I’m looking to hurt this guy, I’m looking to knock him out.”
Henderson, coming off an impressive knockout win over Hector Lombard that saw him add a high kick and unorthodox elbow strikes to his arsenal, sees the UFC 204 main event going the same way as his main-card engagement with the mouthy Mancunian at UFC 100.
“I pushed a little harder with the cardio because it’s a five round fight and that’s about the only difference,” the 46-year old says of his training camp. “I focused on the game plan and getting in shape. Personally, it’s all about getting the belt. It could be anybody that has it, I’m looking to go and take it from them. It just happens to be Bisping who has it and just because I knocked him out last time, I’m not thinking that it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going to knock him out again.”
The two-weight Pride champion owns victories over Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Rich Franklin, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The decoration one of the most decorated mixed-martial artists in history lacks is a UFC title. Win or lose, Henderson vows to retire after the match in Manchester.