UFC 100 Preview: The Main Card

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

The Breakdown: Now that another season of “The Ultimate Fighter” has wrapped, fans the world over will get their much-deserved dessert in the form of a middleweight bout starring Bisping, the English sensation, and Henderson, the American cauliflower ear poster child. The style clash depends in large part on how Bisping’s busy, punch-and-judy striking matches up against Henderson’s bruising, power punching game. While Henderson has the wrestling advantage, he typically relies on that edge only when he feels he has no chance on the feet, and that certainly is not the case against Bisping. Blessed with cinder blocks for hands and a chin to match, Henderson is more than willing to take two to give one; that equation does not favor Bisping and his feathery fists.

The X Factor: There’s virtually no chance Bisping can win a firefight with Henderson, but his accuracy and footwork make him a tough target -- as Chris Leben learned at UFC 89. Considering that Henderson’s punches thrown-to- punches landed ratio is something like five million-to-one, Bisping can ride his horse to a decision as long as that one in five million does not find a home on his chin. It will take nothing short of flawless execution; that’s a given against Henderson.

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The Bottom Line: Even if Bisping can frustrate his foe on the feet, it will not take long for Henderson to switch gears and turn this into a ground-and-pound marathon the Brit is ill-equipped to stop. It’s a lose-lose situation for Bisping that will end with a loss for England’s favorite mixed martial artist. The bright side for Bisping fans? If he reacts to this loss the same way he did his first, they may soon get to see him make his long-awaited bantamweight debut.