At 44 years old, Dan Henderson proved to everyone that he still has what it takes in the UFC. And he did it in shocking style.
Pitted against a dangerous adversary in Tim ‘The Barbarian’ Boetsch, Henderson stunned Boetsch as well as the people on hand when he made short work of his foe. To be precise, it took Henderson just 28 seconds to dispose of Boetsch in the main event of the UFC Fight Night 68 held in New Orleans Saturday.
When the match began, Boetsch was the first on the offensive. However, the move seemed to be the wrong one as Henderson used his patented overhand right that left the Barbarian in a wobbly state.
Henderson followed it up with a knee and a right uppercut that eventually sent Boetsch reeling and collapsing along the cage. Hando continued his punishment on his foe, connecting on several brutal hammerfists.
Seeing Boetsch was defenseless and no longer in any condition to take additional pounding, referee “Big” John Mc Carthy had no other recourse but to stop the fight. When the smoke cleared, Henderson won in just 28 seconds, tying a record for most first round finishes on a single card.
It was the 24th win for the 44-year-old mixed martial arts fighter which also snaps his two-fight losing skid. Henderson has not exactly been having the proper luck lately, seeing that he had lost five of his last six bouts.
With the losing skid, many were questioning how far Henderson would go. Though the impressive victory should leave detractors quiet (at least for now), his age is still a concern.
The match would have been a perfect send-off for Henderson but from the looks of it, retirement is farthest from his mind right now.
"It would, but I guess I'll have to do that in the next couple fights also," Henderson said at the post-fight press conference.
After registering his 24th win places him second to Wanderlei Silva. Silva has 27 wins to his credit and judging by the way Henderson put it via that interview, he may technically be looking to dislodge Silva and target four more wins before officially calling it quits.
Like in January leading to his Saturday triumph, critics are having doubts on whether Henderson would be able to achieve the feat. Age is one factor that has left many in doubt. Henderson turns 45 this coming August and while he did show that he still has that patented punching power, the 4-win goal seems like a tall order for the future Hall of Famer to achieve.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
