Under the Microscope: Analyzing Light Heavyweight Greats

Eric StintonAug 13, 2015

Dan Henderson won titles in Pride and Strikeforce. | Photo: Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog.com

Dan Henderson

* Light Heavyweight Record: 13-8
* Opponent Winning Percentage: .702
* Longest Winning Streak: 9
* Record in Major Light Heavyweight Title Fights: 2-1
* Finish Percentage: 62
* Finished Percentage: 38
* Notable Victories: Murilo Rua, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Renato Sobral, Mauricio Rua (twice)
* Career Accomplishments: Pride middleweight champion; Strikeforce light heavyweight champion; two-time UFC “Performance of the Night” bonus winner

CASE FOR: Like Couture, Henderson is another ageless wrestler who continued to compete at championship levels well into his 40s. He first sated his title thirst by dethroning a prime Wanderlei Silva in dramatic fashion at Pride 33, knocking out the longstanding champion with a left hook. On top of that, he went on to snatch the Strikeforce crown, as well, and had he not followed his appetite for big game by moving up to heavyweight, he would have likely tallied a couple defenses to it. Even as a slightly undersized light heavyweight, “Hendo” carried consistent fight-ending power into each of his fights, and he has been notoriously tricky to put away for nearly a decade. With a list of victims that includes several big-name wins over former champions of various organizations, Henderson has punched his way into the discussion. Though it looks like the sun has set on his days at 205 pounds, Henderson has already done enough to earn a nomination as the G.O.A.T.

CASE AGAINST: Henderson has accomplished a lot; to that, there is no argument. However, the reality of the sport is that the most important metric for greatness is a UFC championship. It is one thing for someone like Silva to have never won a UFC title, since he spent the majority of his career in an equally legitimate organization, but Henderson had a shot and failed; and he never succeeded more than lingering around the upper-middle class of the division afterward. Ultimately, his best moments at light heavyweight came and went in solitary bursts of greatness, not in a solid, consistent spree as is expected to earn the title of G.O.A.T. The proof is in the pudding, and “Hendo” has one of the worst records on this list, his win-loss ratio at an unforgivable imbalance to be considered the best of the best. With his last fight and his next fight taking place at middleweight, it looks like Henderson has capitulated the throne, and at 44 years of age, that is likely the right choice.

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