Dan Henderson was more ready for a fight than he had ever been in the weeks leading up to his 2012 title shot against Jon Jones at UFC 151.
But that fight, and the event altogether, would not come to fruition, after an MCL injury forced Henderson off the card and out of his light heavyweight title fight just three weeks before the scheduled bout.
Two years later, UFC 151’s lost main event may now come full circle, should Henderson beat Daniel Cormier at UFC 173 on May 24 in Las Vegas and earn a shot against Jones.
“That was the biggest reason I took this fight, in that the winner gets a title shot ,” Henderson, a former Strikeforce and Pride champion, told The Post. “It would be nice to finally make that [UFC 151] fight become a reality if I can beat Cormier.”
Henderson had just recently returned to the UFC during his marquee year of 2011 after winning the Strikeforce light heavyweight strap from Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante and being the first man to finish Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko with strikes.
Henderson was brought back to the UFC with a fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, which was voted fight of the year in 2011. It seemed like no one could stop Henderson at that point. The stage was set for a showdown with Jon Jones going into 2012.
“For UFC 151, I was more prepared for that fight than any other fight for a long time. I was ready to go against his style,” Henderson said. “Obviously, I regret getting hurt. [UFC 151] could have changed my career quite a bit.”
Henderson would go on to lose three straight fights after tearing his MCL and pulling out of the title fight against Jones at UFC 151. For most of 2012 and 2013, his shot at the belt and role as a contender seemed to be a thing of the past.
But in a March fight many saw as a possible swan song for “Hendo,” the 43-year-old knocked out Shogun in a rematch of their 2011 scrap, becoming the second man to ever finish the Brazilian with strikes, which immediately catapulted Henderson from gatekeeper back to contender status.
Now, Henderson knows his chances at UFC gold and redemption for UFC 151 hang in the balance against the former heavyweight Cormier.
“The last goal in my career is to get a UFC belt,” said Henderson, who won championship belts in Pride and Strikeforce. “I’m gonna get in Cormier’s face, and he gets after it just like me. Obviously, he has power that I need to respect. I’m sure he already respects mine.”
Still grappling for MMA regulation in NY
For the fifth consecutive year, the New York State Senate once again passed a bill to regulate UFC events and MMA in the Big Apple, by a vote of 43-17. It will now face the opposition of longtime UFC adversary Sheldon Silver, who is the State Assembly Speaker.
Silver has not brought the bill for consideration in the State Assembly after the Senate’s past four attempts to bring UFC to New York — and that is not expected to change before the legislature’s session ends in June.
New York is the only state devoid of MMA regulation and UFC events. New Jersey and Connecticut have regulated MMA, with New Jersey hosting a recent UFC event last month. Massachusetts has held two UFC events, after the commonwealth passed the necessary bills to regulate MMA in the state in 2009.
With two current UFC champions hailing from the Empire State — light heavyweight Jon Jones and middleweight Chris Weidman — an event at Madison Square Garden would be historic for the relatively young sport.
The lone UFC event that was held in New York took place in 1995 at UFC 7 in Buffalo.