Dan Henderson: “I’m almost ready to retire”
Dan Henderson will fight the final bout of his current UFC contract when he squares off with former Bellator champ Hector Lombard at UFC 199 on June 4 in Los Angeles.
The 45-year-old mixed martial arts legend recently spoke to MMAJunkie Radio where he admitted that he is about ready to hang up the gloves. His words:
“I’m definitely capable of keeping on and still competing at a high level, but I’m almost ready to retire, and depending on how things play out after this fight with negotiations, yeah, it could be my last,” Henderson said. “Or maybe I’ll still fight. I don’t know yet. I’m at that point where I’m about ready, but definitely, I know in my heart I’m still capable of doing it and if I do decide to keep going on I’ll make sure I do it well.”
“Hendo” was supposed to rematch Lyoto Machida at last month’s UFC on FOX event, but “The Dragon” was forced to withdraw from that fight after he admitted to using a banned substance. Henderson does not mind the change of opponent, as he believes fans will be more entertained by his fight with Lombard:
“Instead of fighting a guy that runs all the time I got a guy that runs at you the whole time – at least for the first few minutes,” Henderson said. “It’s a totally different style, just a completely different fighter I’m training for. It is what it is I think it’s – the fight with Hector Lombard is definitely something the fans will enjoy more than watching Machida run around the whole time.”
UFC 199 takes place June 4 in Los Angeles. Henderson and Lombard will throw down on the pay-per-view event’s main card.
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