It’s not often you have a co-main event in the UFC where both fighters are potentially fighting for future employment, but that’s exactly where Gegard Mousasi and Dan Henderson find themselves ahead of their middleweight encounter at UFC on FOX 14 this Saturday.
In 2011, these two fighters appeared like they were headed on a collision course when they fought for Strikeforce. Henderson had just defeated MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in July, while in that same month Mousasi notched his third victory in four fights (since losing his title a year earlier to King Mo). Both competing in the light-heavyweight division at the time, the matchup never materialized as the pair migrated over to the UFC when the Las Vegas-based promotion dismantled Strikeforce in early 2013.
Fast forward to 2015, both combatants are in dire need of a victory. In Mousasi’s last bout – at UFC Fight Night 50 last September – his rematch with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was billed as a competitive matchup between two of the top middleweight fighters in the UFC. Instead, what fans and pundits witnessed from the opening bell, was total domination by the Brazilian. The-29-year-old didn’t have any answers for Jacare and he endured his first submission loss in eight-plus years. The loss pushed Mousasi’s UFC record to a lacklustre 2-2, a disappointing stat when you consider all the hype that surrounded the Dutch-Armenian fighter when he signed with the UFC in 2013. Currently sitting as a three-to-one favourite heading into this matchup with Henderson, Mousasi must have a dominant performance if he wants to prove his status as a true middleweight contender.
Henderson had an equally disappointing performance in his last fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 173. Coming off an impressive knockout victory over former UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, the Team Quest captain was completely outclassed by his younger counterpart Cormier. At age 44 that bout shed light on the fact his age appears to have finally caught up with him. More importantly, it was the California native’s fourth loss in five fights. Now competing at middleweight for the first time since 2010, the former Pride champ is giving it one more shot to prove he still belongs in the UFC.
Interestingly enough, despite their age difference, these two have both amassed 42 career fights. Henderson has endured more time in the cage, with 21 of his fights going the distance compared to Mousasi’s seven. Henderson holds victories over Vitor Belfort, Micheal Bisping and current WSOF welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares, while Mousasi has earned victories over Hector Lombard, Ovince Saint Preux and K-1 kickboxers Musashi and Kyotaro.
Looking at this fight on paper, Mousasi has more ways to win. Along with being younger, he holds a black belt in judo, solid striking and boasts an exceptional ground game with 12 submission victories. Despite his age, Henderson still has knockout power in his right hand and if Mousasi isn’t careful he could be yet another victim of the “H-Bomb.”
Make no mistake about it, this is Mousasi’s fight to lose. An impressive victory would likely erase the memory of his disappointing outing against Jacare and put him back on the middleweight title path. However, if he loses his second straight fight – especially in this matchup where he’s the clear favourite – he would be put in a must-win situation for his next bout. If Henderson loses his second straight fight, don’t be surprised if he hangs his gloves up for good. Should Henderson emerge victorious – especially over a talented fighter like Mousasi – he would once again prove that age is just a number and could emerge as a dark horse in an already stacked middleweight division.
