Everyone agreed that the 43-year-old Dan Henderson should return to 185 pounds, where he had some of the most successful spans of his career.
That is, except for “Hendo” himself.
After MMA Fighting initially broke the news on Tuesday that the former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion was going to leave the light heavyweight days behind him, it seemed reasonable enough.
As a matter of fact, many pundits felt it was the only option after the heavy-handed former Olympic wrestler after going 2-4 since his return to the Octagon in November 2011.
While he hasn’t lost to any slouches (Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort and Daniel Cormier), Henderson has certainly looked like age is catching up to him, with noticeably worse cardio and speed in the cage.
He also had fighters, fans and analysts alike scratching their heads when he weighed in at 199 pounds for his light heavyweight contest with Cormier at UFC 173 last month.
After getting thoroughly dominated for the entirety of the bout, Henderson was rendered unconscious with a rear-naked choked with just over a minute remaining in the third and final frame.
Starting his professional MMA career off with nine straight wins at middleweight, Henderson is actually just 3-3 in his past six bouts at 185 pounds and turns 44 at the end of the summer.