There are few UFC fighters who retire with no regrets – even those with a list of accomplishments as long as that of Dan Henderson.
The 46-year-old, currently in his third spell with the promotion after making his debut all the way back in 1998, is due to take on Michael Bisping for the middleweight belt at UFC 204 next month.
A two-weight PRIDE champion in between UFC stints, Hendo has gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort and Fedor Emilianenko during a career spanning the best part of two decades.
But he still has a ‘one that got away’ – namely a bout with erstwhile P4P boss Jon Jones.
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“I trained to fight him, got ready to fight him, got hurt and I didn’t get a chance to test myself against him,” Henderson is quoted as saying by MMAFighting.
Henderson was due to take on ‘Bones’ at UFC 151, only to be ruled out with a torn medial knee ligament – leading to the outright cancellation of the event.
“That would have been a fun moment to see how I do against Jon Jones,” Henderson continued.
“He’s since then done even better. He’s screwed up a little, too, but he’s still arguably the best pound for pound guy out there.”
Jones is currently awaiting the results of a hearing into his failed drug test in the lead-up to UFC 200, where he had been due to face Daniel Cormier in a light heavyweight unification bout.
Henderson’s headline fight with reigning middleweight champion Bisping, at the Manchester Arena, will take place on October 8.
