Dan Henderson beat Rafael Feijao on Saturday night in Columbus to win the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title. Fighting his third bout since leaving the UFC after a knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, Hendo put his incredible punching power on display, flattening Feijao with a devastating right hand a minute into the third round.
Though MMA has legends like Randy Couture who was still fighting at age 47, it’s mostly a younger man’s sport. That’s what makes Henderson’s knockout of Feijao so impressive — he hasn’t lost an ounce of punching power at age 40.
The same overhand right termed the “H-bomb” that made Feijao hit the canvas is the same one Henderson used to floor Bisping earning him Knockout of the Night. It’s also the same right hand that made Babalu Sobral’s head bobble on the ground in their December fight, and it proves that even though he may be susceptible to punches and takedowns himself, Henderson has a chance at a knockout in any fight.
The question is where he goes from here.
The competition in Strikeforce’s light heavyweight division is limited, with Gegard Mousasi or King Mo Lawal his likely competition. The other possibility is one being pushed by Mike Chiapetta at MMA Fighting, and it’s to have Hendo and Fedor meet. Fedor has always been undersized as a heavyweight, but he may be too big for Henderson. It certainly is an easy sell to the public, but it may not fly with Dan. Truth be told, I’d be down with any of the those three potential fights. Check out Henderson’s knockout of Feijao below:
Knockout courtesy of MMA Mania and Zombie Prophet.
