Dan Henderson Gets Back to Winning Ways

Dan Henderson returned to winning ways with a points win over Rousimar Palhares at UFC 88: Breakthrough. Scores for ‘Hendo’ were 30-27 twice, and 29-28.

Henderson towered over the shorter Palhares, and after some tense moments, Palhares shot for the takedown, getting rocked with a right hand for his trouble. Repeated attempts by the Brazilian were treated just as rudely, with Henderson making sure to get at least one punch in as he exited his sprawl. Palhares was no shrinking violet though, and as he absorbed Henderson’s bombs, he fired back with some of his own, along with some wild kicks that kept ‘Hendo’ honest. With under a minute left, Palhares finally got his takedown, but he didn’t have enough time to get anything done before the bell sounded.

The pace picked up in round two, and Palhares drew first blood with a thunderous takedown that rattled the Octagon. Palhares immediately tried for a heel hook, but Henderson escaped, drawing a roar from the crowd. After a brief standup exchange, Henderson and Palhares hit the mat again, with Henderson looking to ground and pound while Palhares searched for a submission. A standup by referee Herb Dean came at the 4:06 mark, but there was little in the way of scoring in the final minute of the frame.

The final round was a tactical one, with Henderson’s more conventional striking winning the day over Palhares’ unorthodox attack and failed takedown attempts. A late submission attempt from Palhares kept it interesting, but on this night, Henderson would not be denied.

Middleweight contender Nate Marquardt made an impressive statement in his bout with Martin Kampmann, stopping ‘The Hitman’ via strikes in just 88 seconds, handing the Denmark native his first UFC loss in the process.

The action was furious from the opening bell, and when Kampmann landed a hard right hand early, it looked like it might be a long night for Marquardt. But the resilient contender from Colorado responded with a right kick to the head that jarred his foe, and it was evident that it was about to become a short night for Kampmann.

A furious and varied barrage of strikes followed, and Kampmann was just not able to clear his head. Eventually, he sunk to the canvas, and referee Mario Yamasaki halted the bout at the 1:22 mark.

Ultimate Fighter alumnus Matt Brown may have made more fans in defeat than victory, as his gutsy effort against Dong Hyun Kim won over the Atlanta fans that booed his three round split decision loss to the still unbeaten South Korea native.

“I don’t fight for the judges,” said Brown. “I fight for the fans and to finish. I loved fighting for Atlanta.”

Scores were 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Kim in the welterweight contest.

Kim assumed control immediately, locking Brown up from the back and locking in a rear naked choke. Brown escaped, but as the fight went to the ground, he was still in trouble. The Ohio resident fought free again and the two stood, giving Brown a second chance to get on track. With under a minute left, he got on it, scoring with a choke that Kim escaped, and by the end of the round, Kim was on Brown’s back again, where he remained until the bell.

Brown started the second off impressively, scoring with an array of strikes that put Kim on the defensive immediately. Kim tried to slow Brown’s momentum with a takedown, but ‘The Immortal’ fought it off and resumed his attack, taking Kim down and landing with punches from the top. After standing, Brown kept the pressure on, and Kim’s wild swings were met with crisp counterpunches, another takedown, and round ending ground and pound.

The early moments of the final round were tactical, and though Kim got a takedown of his foe, Brown got back up quickly, putting the fight back where he wanted it. The two locked up against the fence, and Brown scored with body shots effectively, forcing a takedown attempt by Kim. With under two minutes left, Kim got Brown to the mat, and his subsequent strikes cut his opponent under the left eye just before the bell ended the bout.