Dan Henderson

Report Last Updated - 4/02
Birthdate - ?/?/71
5'11" 193 lbs. - ???, OR
Team - Team Quest
Style - Wrestling

Career Highlights
- Fights Frank Shamrock at The Contenders show
- Defeats Allan Goes and Carlos Newton to win the Middleweight tournament
- Beats Gilbert Yvel, Rodrigo Noguiera, and Renato Babalu at RINGS King of Kings Final 2000 show
- Scores an amazing knockout victory against Renzo Gracie at Pride 13
- Defeats Akira Shoji by decision at Pride 14

Striking - Dan Henderson trains with the Team Quest, so he is always crosstraining. Henderson is a natural boxer, whose unorthodox style and big bomb make him very dangerous. He is also working knees in close and his strange, but strong right can really daze a lesser striker.

Wrestling - Henderson is another top notch wrestler coming into the MMA game. The former Olympian trains, so he is not just another takedown artist. Henderson will use his standup wrestling skills to set up strikes and will "Ground & Pound" as well. His strong suit is the front headlock, which if he does not turn into guillotines, but uses it to maintain the offensive position. He also likes to use slams to stun opponents, but if countered, he is the more weakened.

Hooking - Henderson's crosstraining has included Jiu-Jitsu training and he loves guillotines. He tends not to tap into it very much because it is such a defensive style. He does have the know-how though and can use it when it's appropriote. Henderson is usually content to just pound away and doesn't like to gamble a good mount with a hit-or-miss submission attempt, which is common of wrestlers.

Strengthes - An awesome well-rounded fighter, who has shown wrestlers can become more than a ground n' pounder. He is more of a wrestler/boxer, who uses knees and who can submit people if the opportunity presents itself. Henderson is a lot like his stablemates in Team Quest, but has this natural boxing skill that they just don't. He's about at his peak, but in MMA you never know.

Weaknesses - Like his teammates, Henderson's flaws are far and few between. One could make a case that he is not a very good finisher as the majority of his fights have gone to decisions. While not a boring fighter, Henderson is about winning with his wrestling and boxing and if that doesn't entertain the fans that's too bad. He may not live up to his "Hollywood" handle all the time, but who ever does?

Outlook - Just entering his 30s, one might say Dan Henderson is at the zenith of his career. He is often overlooked because he is not the flashiest, meanest or best drawing Middleweight around, though he is certainly one of the best. Henderson, like most of his teammates, has not found a single organization that will get behind him and push him to the top. Pride seems to not want to give him the chances he deserves, but they will have to eventutally.