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Will Michael Bisping get his revenge on Dan Henderson all these years later?

Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping on his feet at UFC 100. (Getty)
Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping on his feet at UFC 100. (Getty)

TORRANCE, Calif. – It remains one of the most iconic moments in mixed martial arts history.

Michael Bisping, facing Dan Henderson in an Ultimate Fighter coaches’ matchup at UFC 100, circled straight into a monstrous knockout right hand. Henderson added another shot for good measure before the referee could intervene.

It was the perfect storm of a moment: A loudmouth viewed as getting his just desserts in front of what was for years the biggest show in UFC history.

That helps explain why Henderson’s knockout is among the UFC’s most remembered moments. And it also explained why Thursday, the 46-year-old Henderson stood in front of a throng of reporters, ready for an improbable rematch against an improbable champion.

Henderson himself doesn’t quite seem to believe that this bout, in which he’ll challenge Bisping for the UFC middleweight championship in the main event of UFC 204 on Oct. 8 in Manchester, England, is actually happening. But he fully understands why their first fight resonates to this day.

“I think he just came off as a guy that people wanted to see knocked out, beat up, his mouth shut,” Henderson said. “He talked a lot, there was a lot of arrogance and cockiness and sometimes people don’t like that.”

And that was enough to make this fight a no-brainer after the events of UFC 199 in June at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. First, Henderson knocked out Hector Lombard, then, with his family by his side, got what appeared to be a farewell sendoff from the fans in his Southern California backyard.

Before Hendo even had the chance to ride off into the sunset, Bisping finished the card with an astounding knockout of Luke Rockhold to win the championship. Bisping, who accepted the fight on two weeks’ notice, erased the tag of “best UFC fighter who never competed for a title” and instead of a Henderson retirement, a natural rematch came into focus.

“I think before that fight I had made it known it could possibly be my last fight, and the night of the fight I had that same mentality, that it might be the last fight,” Henderson said. “Even a week or so after, I’d see what my options were, see about maybe being employed by the UFC outside the Octagon and they let us know they were interested in putting this fight together because of the overwhelming asking from the fans for this fight.”

The decision to grant Henderson the shot hasn’t sat well with some MMA purists, given the line of contenders ahead of Henderson (32-14), including former UFC champions Rockhold and Chris Weidman, and former Strikeforce champ Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza.

But Bisping (29-7) isn’t sweating it. He wasn’t about to say no to a chance at redeeming the most embarrassing moment of his career, and he points out that a win over former Bellator champ Lombard isn’t exactly child’s play.

“I’ve always wanted a rematch with Henderson,” Bisping said. “All fighters want rematches against guys they’ve lost to, so there’s nothing new there. I think with him coming off the big knockout of Lombard, which was a fantastic win, on the same event, it makes sense, there’s a lot of fan demand for it.”

Michael Bisping (L) will defend his middleweight title against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 on Oct. 8. (Getty)
Michael Bisping (L) will defend his middleweight title against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 on Oct. 8. (Getty)

Of course, there can never be a Bisping matchup without some level of animosity. In Bisping’s case, he hasn’t let go of the fact that his loss to Henderson came while the fighter was using testosterone replacement therapy, a controversial practice that has since been banned.

Henderson, who has never failed a PED test in the course of both his amateur wrestling and MMA careers, not only bristles at such talk, but casts aspersions in Bisping’s direction.

“I was taking TRT when it was legal and really wasn’t taking much,” Henderson said. “That’s why I think it’s funny. I think his body has changed more since the first time we fought than mine has. He looks a lot bigger and a lot different now than he did than. I look the same except some grey hair here and there. It doesn’t matter to me what he thinks, it matters to me who I am inside. I’m completely content with who I am.”

Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with Bisping.

“Dan Henderson saying that shows what a moron he is,” Bisping said. “You take a look at Dan Henderson’s head and you can see there’s not much going on there. Captain Caveman, Fred Flintstone, whatever you want to call it he is a throwback to the Neanderthal man. Fact of the matter is, I didn’t cut any weight whatsoever for that fight. I walked in 185 pounds, skinny as hell. For him to throw out insinuations, shame on you, Dan Henderson.”

At the end of the day, though, Bisping knows not to let emotions get the better of him. After all, a lack of discipline was exactly what caused him to be on the wrong end of one of the sport’s most notorious knockouts, a moment so electrifying it can carry a pay-per-view events seven years later.

“I was disgusted with my performance,” Bisping said. “I was embarrassed. We all have bad nights at the office. It was a good night for Dan, it was a terrible night for me. What can I say?”

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