Preview: UFC 204 ‘Bisping vs. Henderson 2′

Vengeance can be a powerful motivator.Michael Bisping will try to avenge the most embarrassing defeat of his career when he defends his Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown against Dan Henderson in the UFC 204 main event on Saturday at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Henderson executed a one-punch knockout on Bisping at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009. It remains one of the signature finishes in MMA history.In the light heavyweight co-headliner, Gegard Mousasi locks horns with Vitor Belfort. The remainder of the five-fight main draw features a light heavyweight clash pairing Ovince St. Preux with Jimi Manuwa, a heavyweight battle pitting Stefan Struve against Daniel Omielanczuk and a featherweight tilt matching Mirsad Bektic with Russell Doane. Let us take a closer look at UFC 204 “Bisping vs. Henderson 2,” with analysis and picks:UFC Middleweight Championship Michael Bisping (29-7) vs. Dan Henderson (32-14)THE MATCHUP: Henderson and Bisping have been on divergent paths since their historic first meeting at UFC 100. Henderson went on to have some of the best performances of his career after losing his Strikeforce debut to Jake Shields, but his famous durability began to wane after the banning of testosterone replacement therapy in MMA; and the speed and scrambling ability followed suit. Since the start of 2013, Henderson has won just three of nine fights, and every one of the victories came against a similarly declining opponent. Even so, his power remains terrifyingly apparent, as all three of those wins have come via knockout. So, too, was the win over Bisping seven years ago. Bisping, on the other hand, has made a number of improvements since UFC 100. He has lost five times but only to some of the best fighters in the division — physical powerhouses …

continue reading in source www.sherdog.com