Dan Henderson Announces Official Retirement
Longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Dan Henderson came up just short of the only major accolade that had eluded him in the sport when he lost a hard-fought unanimous decision to middleweight champ Michael Bisping in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., October 8, 2016) UFC 204 from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
As expected, the 46-year-old Henderson stayed true to his word and retired after the loss that saw him batter and bloody Bisping despite being greatly out-landed in terms of volume striking. Always the classy gentleman, ‘Hendo’ went out on his sword with words of appreciation even for fans who booed him just moments prior in Great Britain:
“Yeah. I guess fortunate for you guys, unfortunate for those who didn’t count us out the last time. That’s the last time you’ll see me fight live. So I appreciate all the support through the years. Worldwide, you know, I gave my heart and soul to this sport, and fans like you, even though you booed me at the beginning of the night, made it worthwhile to keep competing year after year.
“”You know, I just absolutely love this sport, and I want to say thank you to the fans for making this fight happen and thank you to Michael Bisping for giving me this opportunity. My last fight for the belt, you know, I came up a little short, but not bad for an old man, huh? I wish they judge the fight on how you look after the fight.”
And with that, one of the most storied careers in the sport of MMA came to a close to thunderous cheers of ‘Hendo’ from the Manchester fans.
Henderson may have never earned the UFC title, but he undoubtedly put a mark on the sport by becoming the first and only two-weight Pride champion, and more importantly, entertaining fight fans the world over with his thunderous knockout-focused style.
We at LowKick MMA wish you nothing but the best in your retirement, Dan Henderson.
