(Editor’s note: Henderson won a grueling five-round battle via decision.)

To borrow a phrase from his former teammate Randy Couture, “Not bad for an ‘old’ man.”

Yet while wins in six of his last seven fights against top level foes speak for themselves, Henderson isn’t about to say that he feels 25 on the inside. In fact, when asked if there are things he can’t do now that he used to, he chuckles.

“There are a lot of things. Give me a week and I’ll give you a list of what I used to be able to do. But the key is experience, knowing that I can relax in a lot of places where I used to not relax. I could keep going back then, but now I go when I need to go, and I put my energy and strength in the right places.”

It’s worked for him, yet Henderson is not a cagey gameplanner like Couture was when he was beating top level foes into his 40’s. “Hendo” is still a free swinger and a deadly finisher if he lands his right hand. That hasn’t changed, and while it proved a detriment to him at times when he didn’t use the wrestling skills that got him to two Olympics, eventually he settled into a style where that right hand finds a home more often than not. It certainly did in the last fight of his previous UFC stint against Michael Bisping in 2009, and it worked wonders for him in Strikeforce, where he followed up a decision loss to Jake Shields in 2010 with KOs of Babalu Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante, and Emelianenko. So is it safe to say that he accomplished all he wanted to in Strikeforce before returning to the Octagon?

“With the exception of the one loss,” he said. “I didn’t expect to lose, but that happens. I had a bad fight and I’m the one that has to learn from that and move on. I’m not dwelling on it at all, Jake did a good job and did what he needed to do, but regardless, I didn’t perform the way I knew I could, so the only thing I didn’t accomplish when I was there was a good performance in every fight.”

But after the win over Emelianenko, at heavyweight no less, it was almost inevitable that the biggest fights left for the 14-year pro were going to be in the UFC. So Henderson was welcomed back into the fold, even though he didn’t know that was going to be the case when he left the UFC after the Bisping fight.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Henderson. “When I left the UFC and went to Strikeforce, I didn’t know what was in the future. It was always a possibility; I knew the UFC wasn’t going anywhere and I know I didn’t leave on bad terms at all, so it was a matter of how things worked out at Strikeforce. And (UFC President) Dana (White) missed me so much he had to go buy Strikeforce.”

Henderson laughs after deadpanning that last line, but in all seriousness, for the 41-year old, who is the first and only man to hold PRIDE titles in different divisions simultaneously, and who has done so much in the sport, a UFC title is the only thing missing on his resume, and he’s ready to make a final run at getting it.

“I do this for the challenge as well, and not saying there’s not tough guys to challenge me in Strikeforce, but the bigger fights and better matchups for me right now are in the UFC, so I think I will be retiring in the UFC, and not somewhere else,” he said. “I’m not retiring soon, but I won’t be going anywhere and I’ll be fighting the remainder of my fights in the UFC I’m sure.”

Does he think about a legacy that includes the aforementioned wins and titles, along with victories overCarlos Newton, Minotauro Nogueira, Renzo Gracie, Murilo Bustamante, Kazuo Misaki, Vitor Belfort,Wanderlei Silva, and Rich Franklin?

“I don’t really give too much thought to that,” he said. “I know I’ve accomplished quite a bit in the sport, but in my mind, I’m not gonna be satisfied with what I’ve done when I have bigger goals that I want to accomplish. Once I accomplish those goals, maybe I’ll retire and be satisfied with that.”

Probably not, as Henderson seems like the type to instantly formulate new goals as soon as he’s done with the first batch.

“I’ve been doing it a long time and it’s tough to stay motivated throughout that many years of fighting, 14 years now, and the challenges with the different opponents is what kept me motivated.”

On Saturday, it will be a fight fan’s dream fight when he takes on Rua, like Henderson a former PRIDE star now slugging it out in the Octagon. Henderson admits that he “really didn’t give too much thought” to a matchup with the Brazilian Muay Thai master while the two fought in Japan, but now that the fight is a reality, he’s preparing for the same ferocious force that tore up the ring a few years back.

“He (Rua) has still got that youth to him, and obviously the rules are a little bit different now than they were in PRIDE, but he’s dangerous and he’s well-rounded, so I think he’s definitely as dangerous as he used to be,” he said. “He’s got a lot more experience and he’s better than he used to be as well.”

As for Henderson?

“I’m better.”

That’s the answer you have to expect from a man who has been at the top of this game for nearly 15 years now. And when Saturday comes, expect him to be ready for five rounds, just like always.

“My gameplan is to win every round, pick my shots, control him the whole fight, and beat him everywhere we’re at.”

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Dan-Henderson-Like-He-Never-Left

Photo by Bob Barton/ STRIKEFORCE

The NFL owner’s meetings begin on Sunday in Orlando and one of the things on the table is a proposal to alter the overtime rules for the playoffs. The new format would state that a team would win the game with a touchdown scored, but the opponent would get a possession if they only gave up a field goal. In the event that both teams made field goals, the sudden-death rule would then apply.

Got that? It’s a bit confusing but makes total sense. (Remember that this does not apply to regular season overtime games.) A high-powered offense such as the Vikings never had an opportunity to see the field and had to watch the game – and their championship dreams – kicked away.

24 of the 32 owners need to vote ‘yes’ for this to pass and you have to figure that most of the contending teams would be willing to have a second chance for a win if they give up a field goal following four quarters of playoff battle. But then again, some of the older owners may not be apt to go for such a drastic change in the game they love. Traditionalists tend to hold their ground, even when it is a detriment to the progress of the sport. A likely scenario is that the vote gets close this year and passes in 2011.

In the 2009 playoffs, two games were decided in overtime: the aforementioned Saints win and the Arizona Cardinals defeating the Green Bay Packers, 51-45, in the NFC Divisional Round on a defensive touchdown.

Since the overtime rule was adopted by the NFL during the regular season in 1974, there have been 445 games, with 312 of them being decided by a field goal (70.1%).

Photo by Bill Menzel

The following article will appear in the November 2008 issue of New York Sportscene magazine.

Heading into the 2009 Mr. Olympia contest, the two names being thrown around were Jay Cutler, the two-time defending champion, and an up and coming Dennis Wolf. Three other names heard often were of the men who were to miss the show due to injury: Victor Martinez (the 2007 runner-up), Branch Warren and Kai Green.

Dexter Jackson kind of stayed under the radar, which was quite all right by him. While Cutler and Wolf trained all year for the show, Jackson was piling up first place trophies at the Arnold Classic, Australian Pro and New Zealand Grand Prix. When asked two days prior to the Olympia if dieting down and all of that preparation and travel would be a detriment to him, Jackson replied, “You just have to know how to pace yourself. It’s not going to affect me in any way. I’ll still be 110 percent on that stage.”

And he certainly was. The rumors were flying on the Internet message boards and in the Orleans Hotel (the Las Vegas venue where the Mr. O show was held) that Jackson was ahead of Cutler in points following the pre-judging. The next 24 hours was one theory after the next.

The finals began with the immortal Weider brothers, Joe and Ben, taking the stage and receiving a much-deserved ovation. The sport of bodybuilding would not be what it is without these two men.

The individual routines were only a warm-up for the pose down, which was a microcosm of the pre-contest banter. Cutler, Wolf and rookie Phil Heath – the eventual third place winner – stole the show as Jackson made himself conspicuous in his own way. As the top six were called out, the names started to fall. A chorus of boos followed Wolf’s name in the fourth slot and when it was just two standing side by side, it was all Jackson.

The critics that have been knocking the blocky look of the last few Mr. Olympia winners have been silenced. Jackson, 38, is a well-proportioned bodybuilder with an aesthetic look, as opposed to the thick-waisted Cutler and eight-time champion Ronnie Coleman before him.

Some blame the judges, others the industry itself. Regardless of how the huge and freaky look became championship qualities, Jackson has seemed to turn back the clock to at least the Lee Haney era. Also winner of eight Sandow trophies, Haney ruled the stage from 1984 until he retired as champion in 1991, weighing 244 pounds at a height of 5’11”. Jackson stands at 5’6” with a contest weight of 233 pounds. In comparison, the 5’9” Cutler weighs in at 265 pounds for a competition.

Jackson has not made his plans public and if he does walk away on top, the man known as ‘the Blade’ has accomplished more than just becoming the twelfth Mr. Olympia in history. His legacy may be that he brought back symmetry to a sport that has strayed from its origination.

The photos of the top contenders have been making the rounds on the Internet, some legitimate, others not. While this makes the anticipation for the Mr. Olympia contest even more frenzied, it also puts either confidence or doubt in the minds of the fans. What their favorite bodybuilder actually looks like may not be ascertained until September 27 at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas.

One of the names that has been repeated often as a wild card has been Dennis Wolf. The young German has even been called the ‘next Arnold.’ If that isn’t enough pressure to put on anyone, the photos of him three weeks out of the contest prove that he is headed in the right direction.

The biggest complaint heard in the ‘No Bull’ forum on Muscular Development’s website was that Wolf needed a tan! If that is the worst of it, then Wolf is doing exactly what he should be. He looks huge and shredded. A championship-worthy physique.

Perhaps training a full year for the Mr. O contest will be the winning formula for Wolf. Dexter Jackson, another one of the favorites, has had a full schedule of practically competing year round in 2008, previously winning the Arnold Classic, Grand Prix Australia and New Zealand Pro. That is a lot of frequent flyer miles, workout and diet modifications. Will it be a detriment to “The Blade?” Only time will tell. Depending on which one of the two finish higher, it may dictate either or both of their competitions in 2009.

Winning four shows in one calendar year may be too much to expect from anyone, even a great bodybuilder like Jackson. If he does not win this month, in retrospect he should have sat out the far trips and concentrated on going for the Sandow. While winning any bodybuilding contest is quite an accomplishment, every pro in the world has his eyes on becoming Mr. Olympia. It is the pinnacle of the sport. Wolf’s approach seems to be working well so far, while Jackson may have peaked much earlier in the year.

Jay Cutler cannot be concerned which competitor has guessed correctly. Being a two-time reigning Mr. Olympia, he has beaten the best in the world and proven it wasn’t a fluke by doing it again. The champ needs to be knocked out to lose his title, and the field is set with a number of contenders who can do so, especially Wolf and Jackson.