Michael Bisping: I think Dan Henderson is going to cheat at UFC 204
After weeks of speculation, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson will see their aspirations come to fruition, as they will face off at UFC 204 in the middleweight champion’s backyard of Manchester, England on Oct. 8.
The fight is layered with multiple narratives including Bisping’s first title defense after knocking out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 and, win or lose, this will be Dan Henderson’s final fight in the Octagon. Of course, this is also a rematch of their UFC 100 affair when Henderson knocked Bisping out cold in one of the most memorable knockouts in UFC history.
Things are quite different from their first meeting when Henderson was almost a 3-to-1 favorite. Their rematch will likely find Bisping as both the champion and a significant favorite.
“I think Dan will be like +300 or so,” speculates “Vegas Dave” Oancea, who has built a reputation for betting over a million dollars on UFC fights. “I think Bisping is a much better fight now than he was in their first meeting and Father Time has been catching up to Dan. Dan can always put your lights out, but Bisping should be able to point out a decision.”
Knowing that Bisping is facing a Henderson who is currently ranked No. 13 in the division, “The Count” figures that his opponent has nothing to lose and may try to win by any means necessary.
“Dan Henderson, I challenge you to announce to me at the press conference that you will not take any performance-enhancing drugs,” Bisping said on his SiriusXM Rush radio show The Countdown with Michael Bisping. “I think he’s gonna cheat. I think he’s gonna go out there and have some sneaky PEDs because he’s gonna think, ‘Well screw it. If I get suspended, so what? I’m retiring anyway.’”
Henderson has gone on record to say that whether he comes out of the fight with Bisping as champion or not, he will hang up the gloves for good. For that very reason, Bisping believes that his opponent won’t be concerned with any ramifications for taking banned PEDs before the fight.
“I think he’s gonna juice because if he gets popped, he’s just gonna get suspended,” Bisping said. “That is no consequence to him and people will remember that he retired as champion even though it would be a No Contest. If he was to get the win, he could still retire saying, ‘I just beat the world champion.‘”
Of course, if Henderson were found to be using PEDs by USADA before the fight, their matchup would be scrapped. Regardless of the stakes, Bisping believes that Henderson may take his chances to gain an advantage.
“The problem with that is if he was to go out there and do that, with USADA – and I’m gonna make sure this guy is thoroughly tested –if he was to test positive, then the fight would be off,” he said. “So that is the only deterrent I think. Because he’s gonna earn a lot of money for this fight and if he wants to collect on that paycheck, he’s got to make it to the octagon.”
When Henderson savagely knocked out Bisping at UFC 100, the UFC was in a different time. Testosterone Replacement Therapy was allowed and Henderson participated in it. Bisping has been quite outspoken about PED use in the UFC and says that Henderson’s TRT therapy played a significant role in the outcome of their fight.
Now that things have changed, Bisping figures he will have the advantage heading into their fight. He’s been on quite the roll as of late with victories over Anderson Silva and Luke Rockhold in 2016. A victory over a sure-shot hall of famer in Henderson will all but secure “Fighter of the Year” honors for the Brit.
