DAN HENDERSON | The American Athlete and MMA Legend (Ep. 536)

In this episode, we welcome Dan Henderson to the show. He is a retired MMA fighter who previously fought in the UFC, Pride, and Strikeforce. He was the first fighter in MMA history to be a 2-division champion of a major MMA promotion when he simultaneously held the Pride Middleweight (205 lb) and Welterweight (183 lb) titles. He also was the last Light Heavyweight champion for Strikeforce. He has wins over the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua, Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Big Nog, Renzo Gracie, Carlos Newton, and others. He was also a 2-time Olympian, representing the United States as a member of the Greco-Roman wrestling team in 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta). His fight against MMA legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139 (2011) was inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. He also just released a memoir entitled Hendo: The American Athlete. In this interview, we discuss what it was like growing up with a tough and athletic father, why he decided to wrestle, when he and his coaches realized he had what it took to become an Olympian, why he started fighting MMA while still chasing his Olympic dream, what it was like fighting in the early days of MMA where you typically had to fight multiple times in one night, when he decided to pursue MMA full time at the age of 30, his legendary fights against Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, and Shogun Rua, his legendary knockout of Michael Bisping, his thoughts on God and Jesus, the one fight of his he would leave for humanity, and much more. Let’s get into it… 

Episode notes and links HERE.

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