UFC 173 is set to kick off live from Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday with Renan Barao and T.J. Dillashaw facing off for the UFC bantamweight title, but that isn't the only compelling fight on a fairly loaded card. Daniel Cormier will take on Dan Henderson, with his eyes on a future showdown with Jon Jones, while Robbie Lawler is always looking to put on a show; this time he'll face Jake Ellenberger. Live stream the main card by clicking this link; the prelims can be found free here, while the early preliminary bouts will air free on UFC Fight Pass.
Of all the names and fights on this card, Cormier's fight may draw the most eyeballs. He has yet to lose a round in the UFC, and while Henderson, at 43 years of age is fighting just two months after a war with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, his history indicates Cormier should be prepared to battle.
Hendo doesn't shy away from the questions raised by his last two fights, in which he was knocked out brutally, and nearly knocked out again, respectively. "There has been a few fights where that has happened to me," Henderson told ESPN.com. "Obviously, not quite as bad as the Vitor fight but real similar, where I got rocked and had to recover and ended up winning the fight. It wasn't anything new.
"Having it happen back-to-back in big settings where everybody is watching, I think that's why people are talking about it. Am I as quick as I used to be? Probably not. But I don't know. It's hard for me to tell. I don't feel old."
Cormier himself said that Henderson's fighter's spirit is a gift and a curse. "To give Dan a compliment but also to almost insult him at the same time, he's so knuckleheaded that he doesn't know when he's out of a fight. When you talk about Dan Henderson's chin, it's legendary.
"But back in the day he never fell down. He would take those shots and he wouldn't fall. Now he's getting dropped a lot. It's the wear and tear of a really long career."
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