Knocked out for the first time last Saturday (09), at UFC Fight Night 32, Dan Henderson denied any possibility of retirement after his third consecutive defeat. At the event held in Goiânia (GO), the 43-year-old veteran could not resist the urge to Vitor belfort and succumbed after just over a minute of fighting.
Although the fight marked the quickest defeat of his long career, Hendo stated, in an interview with the American channel Fox Sports, that he was well prepared physically, and minimized any possibility of hanging up his gloves.
“I'm definitely not finished. I got caught, but I was prepared for this fight. That happens, I think,” said the American. “After 16 years of fighting, this was going to happen one time or another.”
Henderson claimed he was still defending himself after the Brazilian's high kick, but avoided blaming referee Dan Miragliotta for the interruption. “I got caught by a good upper, but I thought I was still aware of what was happening. I know he gave me a high kick, and I was definitely dizzy, but I wish the fight would continue for a little longer. However, the referee is there to protect us, so I can't complain too much.”
Despite the negative sequence of results, Henderson believes he has shown in his last fights that he is still capable of competing at a high level.
“In this fight I was knocked out, but in the last two [against Lyoto Machida e Rashad evans] I could have easily won, but that didn't happen. So, I lacked a bit of luck in the last three fights,” he commented. “But I feel good in my body and I feel like I’m ready to continue. Honestly, I haven't felt this good in a while. It was just a bad night,” he added.
The fight against Belfort marked the end of Henderson's current contract with the UFC.
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