UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is expecting Dan Henderson to “cheat” in their rumoured rematch.
According to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Bisping will face the veteran on October 8 in a repeat of their UFC 100 showdown, when Henderson knocked out the Englishman. On his Sirius XM radio show (h/t Yahoo Sports) the man from Manchester spoke about the skullduggery his opponent might indulge in.
“I think he's gonna cheat because he's gonna think, ‘Screw it. If I get suspended, so what, I'm retiring anyway’,” said Bisping.
While the champion said on the show the fight was set to happen in Manchester at UFC 204, there has yet to be official confirmation from the UFC this bout will take place.
Bisping won the title in surprise circumstances, knocking out former champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in the first round; the 37-year-old took the fight on late notice, too, after Chris Weidman pulled out of the main event with an injury.
Having avenged a loss to Rockhold earlier in his career, Bisping is adamant he’ll right another wrong when he steps into the Octagon with 45-year-old Henderson. He is still unhappy with how the American conducted himself in their last outing, too:
I plan on putting a beating on Henderson that people will never forget in a long, long time. [Henderson] knocked me out at UFC 100, and when I was unconscious, flew through the air and delivered a forearm smash that could have left me severely brain damaged. I owe that guy, big time. …
He's still very, very dangerous. He's a tough opponent, but make no mistake, I'm going to smash him to bits. The guy [will] never even think about walking into an Octagon ever again.
Lightning does not strike twice. It struck once the first time; it will not strike twice.
Henderson proved he still has plenty to offer on the same bill that Bisping clinched the title. The Californian was an emphatic winner against Hector Lombard, stopping him in the second round of their bout. Now he seems set for a chance to win UFC gold for the first time in his storied career.
The history between the two naturally makes for an intriguing contest. However, according to the UFC’s official fighter rankings, Henderson is the 13th best middleweight in the company. Therefore, perhaps it’s little surprise that Jacare Souza, ranked third, is frustrated at being overlooked, per MMA Junkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu:
The middleweight division is one of the most exciting in the UFC at the moment, having been shook up spectacularly by Bisping dethroning Rockhold. So perhaps it’s no great surprise that a bout like this one, seven years after the duo first met, is set to be fast-tracked for October.
Bisping clearly doesn’t have the highest opinion of Henderson after the way their previous bout ended, and having worked so hard to become champion, he will be determined to produce a solid defence of the strap.
Nevertheless, if this is the American’s last hurrah, expect him to do everything possible to walk away with the title.
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