In just under one week, middleweight champion Michael Bisping will rematch Dan Henderson on home soil at UFC 204. 'The Count' was brutally knocked out by Hendo at the historic UFC 100 pay-per-view in 2009, but things have changed since then.
Bisping, 37, snatched the 185-pound belt from Luke Rockhold earlier this year and also beat MMA legend Anderson Silva at UFC London in February. Henderson, a soon-to-be three-time UFC title challenger, conquered the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship in 2011 but was never able to capture UFC gold.
Bisping, who is expected to touch down in Manchester later today, is as confident as ever heading into UFC 204 but is certainly not looking past his old rival.
"Dan's just tough," Bisping said during a media scrum on Monday. "He's as tough as they come and he'll come forward and he'll swing. He's got nothing to lose in this fight; that makes him very dangerous. Kinda like my fight with Rockhold. I had nothing to lose in that, nothing. So I just went out there and swung."
Henderson recently turned 46 and is currently listed as the oldest fighter on the UFC roster, but that didn't stop the wily veteran from KO'ing Hector Lombard at UFC 199. Henderson hinted at retirement in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan but admitted that a rematch with Bisping lured him back into the Octagon.
UFC 204, which features Bisping vs. Henderson in the main event, takes place on October 8 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.