Yardbarker: Dan Henderson

UFC 88 Predictions

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:13:33 -0500

Evans fights are always boring. He'll dance around so much , Liddell will have a hard time hitting him. Let's hope Liddell sneaks one in. Liddell TKO round 2..........

HOTTEST VIDEO - Get ready for UFC 88!

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:39:33 -0500

It is never too early to get psyched for UFC 88 by watching the official video preview!

Jason Lambert prepares for 185 & UFC holds a media day (Blog and Pics)

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:13:37 -0500

Been busy the last couple days.. I headed down to Carlsbad on Wednesday to shoot Jason Lambert as he readies for his new opponent, Jason MacDonald. Jason Day, Lambert's original opponent had to back out of the fight due to an injury sustained in training. Yesterday I came back to Hollywood to shoot the UFC Media Day with Dan Henderson and Karo Parisyan. Other fighters there included Jason Lambert, Dominick Cruz, Dan Hardy, Krzysztof Sozynski, and Eddie Bravo. Click the link to see the pictures and read the blog!

The trials and tribulations of an MMA Photographer...

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:26:05 -0500

A blog and pictoral of my weekend shooting 3 fights, and Dan Henderson's Team Quest BBQ..

Is UFC 88 the end for Dan Henderson?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:30:56 -0500

Dan Henderson is in unfamiliar territory right now. Hendo is coming off of back-to-back losses for only the second time in his career. He will turn 38 on Sunday and will return to the Octagon in September against Rousimar Palhares. Although his last two losses are against two of the best fighters in the world, will UFC 88 be Dan Henderson's last hurrah or the start of his accent back to the top of the sport?

American Olympic Wrestler Plans on Training in MMA

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:13:00 -0500

An American Olympic wrestler plans on training with Dan Henderson's Team Quest. Rear Naked News has the latest.

UFC 88 Fight Card Leaked

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:36:29 -0500

The UFC has lined up some good matches for the September 6th event. Chuck Liddell will face Rashad Evans in a match to see who will get the first shot at newly crowned Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin. Check out Rear Naked News for the rest of the card.

Rampage Jackson's Next Step: Bankruptcy?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:39:50 -0500

1. Overview : In less than two weeks, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has gone from the top of the world to inside a jail cell and out. As such, Rampage has : A. Lost his UFC light heavyweight title. B. Lost his freedom and possibly his driver's license. However, compared to what may happen next, A and B are nothing. Because if he doesn't watch out, Rampage has a good chance at : C. Losing his money. 2. The Brain Infection : Rampage is clearly letting the fame and bling get to his head. Two years ago, he was fighting in the World Fighting Alliance, which has since been bought out by the UFC. Then, in UFC 71, Rampage knocked out Chuck Liddell to become UFC light heavyweight champion, and proved his mettle once again by successfully defending his title against Dan Henderson in UFC 75. His consecutive wins against two of the world's greatest fighters sent him to the top of the world. Rampage's colorful personality and exciting fighting style always gave him a marketability. Now he had the big wins in the Octagon to prove it. As part of the fastest growing competitive sports organization in the league, Rampage's growth potential was nearly unlimited. However, it is only when you stay grounded and focused that you continue your success. 3. Don't be fooled : Losing his title against Forrest Griffin in UFC 86 didn't start Rampage's fall from grace. In fact, it was just a byproduct of something that was evident long before. When he was not underestimating his upcoming opponent, he was flaunting his "wealth" : ( On the surface, Jackson might come off as a spoiled star. Consider the $20,000 he spent on his Adronicus Mastiff puppy. Or the $110,000 Audi R8, complete with signature "Rampage rims," parked in the driveway of his rented log cabin. ) Rampage claimed he was "still the same guy," except three things : ( "I just dress differently, got more money and drive different cars." ) When he wasn't spending lavishly, he conjured illusions of grandeur, comparing his status to Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. : ( "I'm hoping for '$30-million-Oscar-De-La-Hoya cheese,'" he said. "I think if MMA was at the same level as boxing, why not be one of those $30-million fighters? If I was boxing right now, and I was a champion the way I fight, I'd be making that money. I think I'd be one of the De La Hoyas or [Floyd] Mayweathers." ) 4. The Remedy : What Rampage Jackson needs right now is a class in money management and a wise advisor in professionalism. Players in the NBA and MLB, guys who make money that make Rampage look like a homeless man, go broke due to their poor financial skills. Even NFL players, the lowest paid amongst major leaguers, make more money than Rampage. As the saying goes, infantrymen win battles; logistics win wars. If Rampage loses his title, then he can get it back by adjusting his training regimen. If Rampage loses his driver's license and has to spend some time in prison, he can get his freedom back with good behavior. However, once he throws all his money away on stuff that don't matter, he will wither away his entire support base (food, trainers, equipment, access) that made his stardom possible. You don't have to have the most money to be champion; but you do have to allocate the dough to the right places. You will definitely not become champion if you are starving. You will not be physically ready nor will you have the psychological and emotional morale necessary to become an elite fighter. 5. Our Best Wishes : Here's to hoping that Rampage heeds the lesson. We don't want him to become like the Raging Bull Jake LaMotta, all fat and slobby, doing his standup comedy routine in some seedy club somewhere.

Griffin-Jackson Rematch?

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:37:02 -0500

I'm not even sure what fight i would want to see next

The Anatomy of Forrest Griffin's upset victory over Rampage Jackson

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:11:32 -0500

Overview : Forrest Griffin displayed in his UFC 86 fight against Rampage Jackson that by fighting with a superior, disciplined battle plan designed to weaken his component's core and utilize his own strengths, an underdog can defeat a heavy favorite. Basically, Forrest Griffin masterfully executed his game plan of the following components to overcome Rampage Jackson via unanimous decision : 1. Leg kicks to shake Rampage's foundation : Every man's base are his legs, and even if you're a beast like Rampage, if you don't have your legs, your chances of winning are reduced dramatically. From the opening bell, Forrest Griffin went after Jackson's legs. Although, he had been knocked down by Jackson in the first round, Griffin's persistent leg-kicking had Rampage wobbly by the end of the round. In Round 2, Griffin unleashed his leg kicks full force, and his pain infliction on Rampage enabled him to take Rampage Jackson. He went for the standing guillotine choke, but when that didn't work, he went on top of Rampage, gained full mount and gave Rampage a steady dose of short range elbows, and almost submitted him. 2. A disciplined boxing game : The leg kicks allowed Forrest Griffin to take Rampage Jackson out of his game plan, but it was the boxing that allowed Griffin to give Rampage a steady dose of the leg kicks. Griffin continually pressed the action with his constant movement and one-twos. The combination of the pain in his legs and the chaos created by the constant movement and left-rights messed with Rampage's head and totally took Rampage out of the fight psychologically. Rampage Jackson ended up displaying very little of his action style that he displayed in knocking out Chuck Liddell and beating Dan Henderson. Instead of zigzagging, Rampage moved mostly back and forth, and occasionally moved side to side. He was unable to sustain any kind of rhythm, and he displayed none of his range-traversing fluidity. 3. Paying attention to the details of groundfighting : What sealed the deal for Forrest Griffin were the little details that he paid attention to in his grappling. Whenever he was taken down by Rampage, he clung to Rampage like a suction cup, so that Rampage could not pound him senseless. Also, in Round 4, when a failed triangle choke attempt from underneath could have turned him into another Ricardo Arona, he unbuckled Jackson's hold just in time so that he wouldn't be powerbombed full force. Summary : It is obvious from the way that Forrest Griffin fought that he thoroughly prepared himself to fight Rampage Jackson : Forrest shook Rampage's whole foundation with his painful leg kicks ; even though he knew he couldn't knock out Rampage with his hands, he never stopped moving his feet or throwing his one-twos. In turn, his hands set up more leg kicks, and more pain for Rampage. Forrest did take some hard hits from Rampage, but he didn't take so many that he would lose the fight. Even when Rampage took Griffin to the ground via knockdowns or takedowns, he did whatever he could to neutralize Rampage's strength and position advantage by sticking to Rampage like glue. Coming into the fight, Forrest Griffin had to fight the fight of his life to beat Rampage Jackson, who is as hot as any fighter in the UFC. Most people, myself included, didn't think Forrest would fight that fight, as chances of someone fighting that well aren't really high. But Forrest Griffin, just like he outgamed Shogun Rua, outdid Rampage Jackson, and is now the proud UFC light heavyweight champion!

Previewing UFC 86: Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage Jackson

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:49:18 -0500

Forrest Griffin and Rampage Jackson are set to face off on Saturday night for the UFC Light-heavyweight title, but there is one thing that stands out about this match-up: unlike most fights lately, there isn't very much trash talk going on between the two men. This fight doesn't need it. Griffin and Jackson are two of the most popular fighters in the UFC and two of the most straight-forward fighters you will find. Unlike most fighters, Griffin is willing to concede is faults and where he is still lacking as a fighter. Jackson is pure entertainment and may cut the best interviews in all of MMA.

The fight that should have been made for UFC 88

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:19:17 -0500

UFC 88 is set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 6th. and so far it's shaping up to be a great night of fights. There are several big names on the card and the show will have a main event of Chuck Liddell taking on Rashad Evans. There is one fight that isn't on the card but should be. Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin are both on the card but should be squaring off against each other.

MMA Quote of the Day- Quinton Jackson Comments on Forrest Griffin's Punching Power

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:54:55 -0500

In a new interview at UFC.com Rampage gives his thoughts on Forrest Griffin's punching power(or lack there of).

"I think the time off was well-needed," he said. "I tore some ligaments in my hand (in the Henderson fight), I had three hard training camps in a row, plus the fight with Dan Henderson was really tough. I think my body needed that break and it showed in my training camp now. I came in feeling really good, and my body was well-rested – I just wish I hadn't got so heavy. I don't think about ring-rust, but if there is such a thing, Forrest will be the best guy to come back against because he's got good skills, but he's not a guy that's gonna knock you out when you lag. I don't think Forrest could knock out anybody. The last time I had a long layoff, I came back against Matt Lindland and he's the worst guy to come back against after a nine month layoff and I did pretty well against him."

I think Quinton knows that Forrest knocking him out is the most highly unlikely outcome of this fight and I would have to agree.

All apologies to The Axe Murderer

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:53:21 -0500

Before his bout with Keith Jardine in May, I wrote that regardless of the outcome of the fight that Wanderlei Silva should drop down in weight from light-heavyweight to middleweight to best utilize his talents and capitalize on possibly becoming a champion in the UFC. Not only do I need to take back that statement, I need to send my deepest apologies to Wanderlei in hopes that he doesn't beat me down like he did to Jardine.

Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares at UFC 88

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:01:20 -0500

Dangerous Dan Henderson is making his return to the octagon after being choke out by Anderson Silva to take on Rousimar Palhares. Rousimar is no joke and pulled out one of the slickest armbars we have seen in MMA against Ivan Salavary at UFC 84. Dan Henderson has lost two fights in a row in the Octagon so it is a must win for him.