#3 Dan Henderson announces his retirement (or so he thought!)
Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson (32-15) is a former Pride FC Welterweight (183-pound in Pride FC) and Middleweight (205-pound in Pride FC) Champion, Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight (LHW/205-pound) Champion and the UFC 17 Middleweight (MW/185-pound) tournament winner.
He also holds the distinction of being an Olympic wrestler and also the first MMA fighter to hold major MMA world titles in two different weight-classes at the same time. Yes, Hendo did it way before Conor McGregor!
Hector ‘Showweather’ Lombard (34-6-1-2) is a bodybuilder, Olympic Judoka and was the first ever Bellator MW Champion. Hendo and Lombard both being grapplers at heart, also boasted insane one-punch KO power.
On June 4th, 2016, at UFC 199, Hendo faced Lombard in what was advertised as his farewell-match win or lose. Both fighters engaged in a back-and-forth slugfest that saw them knocking each other down on multiple occasions throughout the first round.
In round 2 Hendo tagged the southpaw Lombard with a right roundhouse head kick that Lombard ate after which he hung on to Hendo’s leg. Hendo used a rare reverse-elbow to ding Lombard’s temple, successfully knocking him out with a few added ground strikes.
In front of his hometown crowd in Inglewood, California, Hendo gave an emotional farewell speech and revealed the fact that his entire family including his children had attended a fight of his for the first time in his lengthy career. Hendo also thanked the MMA fans for the support they have shown him over the years.
He then proceeded to pose for photographs with his family and team inside the Octagon.
Now, what makes this moment even more special is that Hendo unknowingly earned the last title-shot of his MMA career at UFC 199, since the main event that followed Hendo’s farewell fight saw Michael Bisping shock the world by knocking out Luke Rockhold for the UFC MW title.
Hendo would go on to fight Bisping at UFC 204, losing a close decision to ‘The Count’. Nevertheless, Hendo’s post-fight interview after his KO win over Lombard and his second-last Octagon appearance that took place in California is, without a doubt, one of the most touching moments in the history of our wonderful sport.
