Dan Henderson, the most recent victim of the good phase he is going through Vitor belfort, believes that the Brazilian will not go through Chris Weidman in the middleweight belt dispute, which still has no official date or location for it to take place.
Belfort is expected to compete again for the under-84 kg category title after brutalizing his opponents in his last three fights, against Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Henderson himself. However, “Hendo” believes that Weidman has the necessary characteristics to stop the Brazilian's momentum.
Furthermore, the fight is expected to take place in the United States, which opens up the possibility that Belfort will not be authorized to use hormone replacement therapy (better known as TRT).
“Vitor is capable of beating anyone in the opening minutes of the fight. He is strong and hits hard. But I don't think that will happen with Weidman, especially if the fight is in the United States,” said Henderson, in an interview with the North American website MMA Fighting.
However, Henderson, also a TRT supporter, avoided criticizing Belfort. “I'm not going to make accusations about a subject I don't know about, but his body has changed a lot since he last fought in the United States. And that has a reason,” he continued.
Henderson praised Weidman's style after his second win against Anderson Silva. “I didn't see many of his fights before his first fight with Anderson, but I saw that he is tough and has a good style to defeat him. He has good hands, is not afraid to switch and is a good wrestler, fully capable of putting Anderson on his back,” he commented.
However, the veteran, who was already defeated by Anderson in 2008, hopes that his former rival can turn things around after the serious leg injury suffered at UFC 168. “I would hate to see someone retiring like that, especially someone who has done as much for the sport as he did. I’m a fan of his and I love watching him fight,” he said.
Still in negotiations with the UFC, Henderson leaves open the possibility of rematches with Brazilians
The defeat suffered by Belfort marked the last fight of Dan Henderson under UFC contract. Still in negotiations to renew the agreement and return to the octagon, the American hopes to be able to fight in April and have rematches with two Brazilians whom he has already defeated: Wanderlei Silva e Mauritius Shogun.
“There are several fights that would still be good for me, such as possible rematches with Shogun and Wanderlei. I would consider a rematch with Shogun if that’s what the fans want to see,” he explained. Henderson beat Shogun in 2011, in a fight that is considered one of the most exciting in MMA history. With Wanderlei, the score is tied. The Brazilian got the better of PRIDE 12, in 2000, but was defeated in the rematch, in 2007, losing the Japanese event title.
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