Dan Henderson:
2007 MMA Fighter of the Year
Dan Henderson:
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Born in 1970 and introduced to wrestling at age 5, Henderson grappled in high school and placed twice in California state competitions. He wrestled at Arizona State University and entered the 1993 NCAA Championships. He also represented the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Olympics in 1992 and 1996. Henderson is a versatile athlete who relies on his Greco-Roman ability and boxing skills to weather the uncertainties of MMA. He has heavy hands that can deliver a knockout when the situation requires it. He’s gone the distance 14 times and lost only three of those. In all those bouts, he’s never been KO’d. That record speaks volumes about his heart and endurance, two attributes required for success in today’s highly competitive field. Henderson’s list of vanquished opponents includes Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Murilo Bustamante, Renzo Gracie and Kazuo Misaki. In February 2007, he remedied a December 2000 decision loss to Wanderlei Silva in spectacular fashion at PRIDE 33, knocking the “Axe-Murderer” flat on his back and out cold. As a member of Oregon’s Team Quest, he shares training time and strategies with veterans like Randy Couture, Matt Lindland and Thierry Sokoudjou. He owns his own gym in Murrieta, California, which serves as the Southern Californian branch of Team Quest. At the time of this writing, he holds championship belts in two weight classes, a feat unmatched by any other MMA athlete. Throughout his career, Henderson has been impressively consistent. He’s a feared opponent with a reputation for possessing enough explosive power to knock out anyone. Not immune to the call of the entertainment world, he recently made a brief appearance on King of Queens. Afterward, fans of the fighter and the sitcom noted that his role, which mentioned his missing front teeth, demonstrated something rare in the fight world: the ability to laugh at oneself. We’re proud to announce that Dan Henderson has been inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as 2007 MMA Fighter of the Year. (This profile originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of Black Belt.) |
