Why Dan Henderson Will Be Owned by Jon "Bones" Jones

Last evening, while perusing the Internet, taking in the aftermath of UFC 139, Bellator 58, Fedor Emelianenko vs. Jeff Monson and Julio Cesar Chavez's butt-whupping of Peter Manfredo on HBO, one article of tremendous interest caught my eye. It was written by my B/R colleague, Tim McTiernan. The article is an attention-grabber:

“UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson is the Man to Beat Jon Jones”

I had to stop to read that one. Twice!

What's amazing is not that McTiernan really believes what he wrote. What's amazing is that so many of YOU believe that, too. I've read your blogs, posts and reactions.

Hey, Dan Henderson is a combat sports icon. He is a two-time Team USA Olympian. He is colorful, personable, charming and charismatic. He is a world-class combat artist, with accomplishments that are staggering. When he walks in a room, even veteran fighters and champions look admiringly at him. With little doubt, Dan Henderson is a future UFC Hall of Famer.

Henderson has had a helluva calendar year. In December 2010, he TKO'd tough Renato Sobral in the opening round. In March 2011, he stopped Rafael Cavalcante in the third round to win the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. Soon after, he vacated the title to move to heavyweight and face Fedor Emelianenko. Last July 30, he battered Emelianenko, stopping the Russian legend 4:12 into the opening round. Then came his “Fight of the Year” victory against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

But Dan Henderson beating Jon Jones? UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones? That Jon “Bones” Jones? I hope McTiernan didn't mean that Jon “Bones” Jones. You're not really buying into that, are you?

 

 

Above all, I really hope Dan Henderson doesn't buy into that.

 

OK, let's not put the proverbial cart before the horse. A guy by the name of Lyoto Machida stands in the way of a Jon Jones-Dan Henderson fight. On Dec. 10, the former 205-pound kingpin faces Jones at UFC 140 in Toronto, Canada. Let's presume Jones gets past Machida. Following that, Rashad Evans will tell you he's next in line to face Jones, but he may have to get in line behind Henderson. Sorry, Rashad. It just makes more business sense, kind of like Nick Diaz jumping in front of a waiting Carlos Condit for Georges St-Pierre's 170-pound title belt.

In his article, McTiernan wrote, “Henderson put everything he has on display, from his power to his wrestling, to his incredible heart, chin and determination.”

McTiernan was talking about Henderson's performance against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in their epic battle last Saturday night at UFC 139. In that regard, McTiernan is absolutely correct. Against Rua, it was indeed Henderson's heart, chin and determination that pulled out the victory for him.

Against Jones, however, it is those attributes which will get him slaughtered.

Just because you saw Henderson do certain things in the Octagon against Rua, don't confuse Rua with Jones. Don't ever confuse Rua with Jones. Henderson was able to hit the immobile Rua. Do you really think those same punches will hit the speedy, elusive Jones? In case you're not sure of the answer, it's “No, they won't.” That powerful right hand of Henderson—which has flattened the likes of Michael Bisping, Wanderlei Silva and Fedor Emelianenko—will come up completely empty against Jones.

 

 

Oh, and who was that hitting Henderson on Saturday night? Repeatedly. And flush. OK, sure. It was “Shogun” Rua. Is Jones faster than Rua? Is Jones more accurate with his punches? Does Jones have a much longer reach than Rua? Yes, yes and yes. And even though some question Jones' punching power, I think it's even safe to say Jones is a harder puncher than Rua. Those four-ounce UFC gloves are going be crashing into Henderson's face as much as the champion wants them to crash into Henderson's leather-bent face.

 

Then there's the wrestling. And the groundwork. And the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And the Muay Thai. Henderson had no clue what to do with Rua when he had him on the ground. He let a heel hook get away from him. What did Jones to do Rua when he had him on the ground back in March at UFC 128? I'll remind you: He carved him up the way you carve up your Thanksgiving turkey.

Oh, there's also the knees, kicks and elbows. Do you honestly think Henderson is going to be able to grab onto Jones and knee him? Elbow him? From the outside, do you really think Hendo will be landing some fancy kicks? I said “really.” In return, those knees, kicks and elbows will be flying at Henderson.

We like Hendo, so we'll try not to imagine what that will look like. Remember Brandon Vera's nose, crushed by a Jon Jones' elbow? The thought of Hendo's already mashed nose turning into filleted proboscis is quite grotesque.

Then there's the stamina problem you saw on Saturday. Henderson was gassed as early as the second round. He was just lucky that Rua was just as gassed. A gassed, gasping, panting, wheezing, huffing, puffing, blowing, oxygen-depleted 41-year-old Dan Henderson against the 24-year-old phenom champ is truly a scary thought. He is much too nice of a professional—and now too old and way too slow—to be subjected to the absolute and thorough beating he will take at the hands of the brilliant titleholder.

Dan Henderson fought—and won—in what may have been the UFC's greatest fight ever at UFC 139. Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is a fight your grandchildren are going to be talking about.

But let's not kid ourselves.

A title challenge against Jon “Bones” Jones is a fight Dan Henderson just can't win.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/950087-dan-henderson-will-be-owned-by-jon-bones-jones

San Antonio Spurs Arizona Cardinals

5 Snubbed Philadelphia Eagles Who Belong in the Hall of Fame

Vince Young tossed three picks, and yet he still found a way to lead to the Eagles to an improbable 17-10 win against the New York Giants Sunday night.

He routinely went to Riley Cooper as if they were showing everyone their best impersonation of Norm Van Brocklin and Tommy McDonald.

And when Jason Babin forced Eli Manning to cough the ball up, he might as well have been Reggie White in the eyes of the Philly faithful.

While the current Eagles put up the best effort of the season, no one is going to put them in Hall of Fame like Van Brocklin, McDonald and White.

Come to think of it, the Eagles don't have many players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

According the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, the Eagles have 18 players enshrined.

The caveat is, unlike baseball, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does not attach a player to a specific team when he is voted into the Hall.

The website lists players such as Mike Ditka (1967-1968), James Lofton (1993), Art Monk (1995) and Richard Dent (1997) as Eagles.

It's safe to say no one is really buying it.

So why haven't the Eagles gotten any love from the Hall of Fame?

Well, for one, the franchise has been historically bad. Players that don't win Super Bowls don't get as much attention. Do you think Joe Namath is in the Hall of Fame if he doesn't win Super Bowl III?

The other factor is the players simply haven't been that good over the years. Sure, there have been a handful of really good players. But great players?

They certainly are hard to come by, but I'm willing to make a case for five players who should be in the Hall of Fame.

It's a hard sell, but I'm going to try and make a case for each of these players to get a spot in Canton.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/948782-5-snubbed-philadelphia-eagles-who-belong-in-the-hall-of-fame

Seattle Seahawks Green Bay Packers

Djokovic, Nadal, Federer win awards

Roger Federer has scooped two honors at the ATP World Tour Awards at the end of his first season without a Grand Slam since 2002.

Federer was voted the fans' favorite for the ninth straight year and won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, voted for by players, for a seventh time in eight years.

Novak Djokovic receives the No. 1 award for ending the season as the top-ranked player, while Rafael Nadal will be given the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his charity work with the Rafa Nadal Foundation.

Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the United States was voted the most improved player of the year by ATP players, who also chose Milos Raonic of Canada as the newcomer of the year.

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/djokovic_nadal_federer_win_awards/8200807

Cincinnati Bengals Indiana Pacers

Hornaday to Denette Motorsports in 2012

During media availability at Phoenix International Raceway, Harvick mentioned that former KHI crew chief Rick Ren, who now works at Kyle Busch Motorsports, had asked Hornaday about his interest in driving for KBM. Hornaday said while he appreciates the gesture, he has other options. This happening after Busch was parked at Texas Motor Speedway for crashing Hornaday under caution during the CWTS race.
To put rumors to rest, it was announced Friday at Homestead Miami Speedway that Camping World Truck series driver Ron Hornaday will drive for Joe Denette Motorsports for the 2012 season. Hornaday, a four-time champion of the series, will drive the No. 9 Chevrolet truck full-time. Denette has confirmed that it is a one year deal, with an option for a second year.
Hornaday currently drives the No. 33 truck, but found himself without a ride when Kevin Harvick Inc. announced they would be closing their doors at season?s end. Hornaday has four victories for the 2011 season and 51 total ca...

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/hornaday_to_denette_motorsports_in_2012/8190685

Minnesota Vikings Golden State Warriors

Top 10 Playoff Plays From the Bulls in the 90's

	Top 10 Playoff Plays From the Bulls in the 90's Take a look at some of the best plays from the Chicago Bulls during their dominant playoff runs of the 1990's.	From: NBA Views: 62169 737 ratings
	Time: 03:05	More in Sports

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrB20BZ454Y&feature=youtube_gdata

New Jersey Nets Tennessee Titans

Vickers, Kahne bring different skills

The talent that Kasey Kahne exhibited on the way to Sunday's victory at Phoenix International Raceway is just one of the reasons why he will be driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.

And the actions displayed by his Red Bull Racing teammate are precisely why Brian Vickers no longer drives for Hendrick Motorsports and has proved again that he's not ready for prime time.

Vickers currently has no Sprint Cup ride for next year. His contract is ending with Red Bull Racing and that operation's future is up in the air. That didn't stop Vickers, who vowed to exact revenge on Matt Kenseth after the drivers tangled at Martinsville Speedway, from putting his career in jeopardy. On Lap 177 in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix Sunday, Vickers plowed into the back of Kenseth's car and sent the No. 17 Ford into the wall on the backstretch.

Kenseth started on the pole Sunday but had slipped back on a restart from fifth to 12th as his brakes were wearing thin. Still, after initial contact by the No. 83 Toyota, Vickers just kept plowing the No. 17 Ford forward rather than lifting off the throttle.

Regardless of Vickers' contrition following the race, his words rang hollow due to previous altercations. Nothing Vickers can say will convince me that what occurred between him and Kenseth was not payback plain and simple.

"Well yeah, obviously it is retaliation for retaliation," Kenseth said after the wreck. "I was out of brakes and I was up on everybody and I saw him coming and I lifted at least 10 car lengths before where I would normally lift and he drove in there at 165 miles per hour and just cleaned us out."

In the "boys have at it" era, NASCAR regarded Vickers' actions as "a racing incident." Vickers had a similar "incident" with Tony Stewart at Sonoma in June when he punted the two-time champ into the tires 23 laps before the finish. Sure, Stewart had it coming. He was relentless with Vickers some 50 laps earlier. Not only did he get into the back of Vickers, he leaned on him until the No. 83 Toyota went around.

Payback is part of racing, but after Vickers retaliated against Kenseth in the closing laps of Martinsville, it should have been over. Yes, Vickers is auditioning. Yes, he's up on the chip. But at Martinsville, Vickers wrecked Regan Smith and Juan Pablo Montoya long before he reached Kenseth's bumper.

Kenseth, a former Sprint Cup champion, not only took issue with Vickers, he questioned the officiating considering that Vickers' previous threats obviously proved that he had contemplated his revenge prior to the execution.

"If NASCAR is going to start parking people for being mad 25 seconds after you wreck and wrecking somebody then you would park somebody for that," Kenseth said. "You have someone that has been running around telling everybody for four or five weeks that as soon as he got a chance at a fast race track he was going to make it hurt and wipe us out and they do nothing about it.

"It was so premeditated it just surprises me that they didn't do anything. I am disappointed but I expected it. We aren't racing street stocks at a quarter-mile track so they need to figure out how to get the drivers to settle their difference in a different way and talk about it or figure it out or do something instead of using your car as a battering ram somewhere this fast."

Kenseth, who has a solid reputation and is well respected among his peers, said he wished Martinsville had never escalated to the level it did. In hindsight, Kenseth now realizes it would have been better to let Vickers go "because you realize who he is and what he is."

Kenseth said he had absolutely no intention to return the favor at Phoenix because the ramifications could be far too dangerous.

"I would never sit down there and wait for somebody and take a cheap shot like that," Kenseth added. "You can hurt someone like that and that isn't sportsmanlike and that isn't something I would do."

But Vickers is earning a reputation for violence -- and stupidity. He has just two career Cup wins in 254 starts. The first came from hooking his teammate Jimmie Johnson into Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was leading the 2006 fall race at Talladega Superspeedway. Vickers' second victory was won from the pole in a fuel-mileage contest at the August 2009 Michigan race, then he squeezed into his only Chase by a mere eight points over Kyle Busch.

In the five years that Red Bull supported Vickers, all the 28-year-old could muster was one win and one Chase berth. Yes, Vickers lived "the Red Bull lifestyle" during his tenure with the energy drink company but his performance was far from competitive.

Kahne, in identical equipment, scored his first win for Red Bull in just his 40th start with the organization. In the last nine races, only Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart have scored more points (356) than Kahne (331).

"I wouldn't say there's anyone building better cars at this time," Kahne said following his win. "The Red Bull guys are doing an awesome job and they haven't given up.

"It's tough to hear . . . it's closing down in eight days. Over the last three months, you have one of the top-five cars in NASCAR shutting down and it's crazy."

Perhaps if the team had contracted an A-lister like Kahne earlier in its existence the Austrian-based sponsor would not have become so disenchanted with the program. And 150 people wouldn't have to be wondering if they were going to have a job next Monday.

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/vickers_kahne_bring_different_skills/8090218

Boston Celtics Denver Broncos

Titans' Johnson could run wild in Atlanta

The Atlanta Falcons are a "dome" team and the Tennessee Titans play in an outdoor stadium, but there might not be a player in the NFL more suited to playing indoors than Titans running back Chris Johnson, one the league's fastest players and best open-field runners.

"I know for sure it won't be cold outside or whatever," Johnson said on Wednesday of this week's match-up and venue, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Dome. "I don't have to worry about rain. Playing in a dome, you always have a fast surface."

Johnson, the former 2,000-yard rusher who is on pace for by far the least productive season in his four as a pro, is coming off his best game of the year. In a 30-3 win at Carolina last week, he rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries and also totaled 44 receiving yards on four receptions. It marked only the second 100-yard game of the 2011 campaign for Johnson, who began training camp as a holdout, a lengthy process that ended shortly before the start of the season with the Titans awarding him a 53.5-million contract.

The question now is whether Johnson finally is back on track or whether the performance represented an aberration. The meeting in Atlanta is pivotal for both teams, which enter with identical 5-4 records and playoff aspirations.

Johnson said after last week's game that he and head coach Mike Munchak talked about putting a new psychological perspective on the season one that could benefit Johnson and create problems for opponents like Atlanta.

"Me and coach Munchak said these next eight games, it's a new season," Johnson said. "So we're in a new season right now and, basically, just trying to make this new season the best part of this whole season."

The Falcons are relatively a middle-of-the-pack team defensively, but their rushing defense is tied for the third in the league, allowing 90.3 yards per game. Like Tennessee, their philosophy is to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith, a former defensive coordinator, gave reporters a lesson this week in "leverage" a concept that he said is critical to preventing Johnson from breaking one of his trademark long touchdown runs. The last outside defender the "force" defender -- must keep Johnson on his inside shoulder, Smith said, and every other player must keep Johnson on his outside shoulder. The other rule, Smith said, is never to follow your own man in pursuit of the ballcarrier.

Notoriously tight-lipped middle linebacker Curtis Lofton said he didn't notice anything different about the way Johnson hits the holes this year a criticism of him during his struggles.

"I mean, I'm not a running back," Lofton said. "I just know how to stop 'em."

For his part, Munchak shed a bit more light on the situation, although he said the Titans never quite put their finger on exactly what the problem was.

"We tried a lot of things," Munchak said. "It wasn't just, obviously, all him. He's a part of us not having success. Some of it was the teams we've played against, the defenses we faced. Some of it was us getting behind in some of those games and him only getting 10, 12 carries.

"So there's a lot of factors built in there. Things weren't blocked as well. He wasn't hitting (the hole) quite the same from not having training camp. So there's a lot of intangibles like that and some bad luck. When things don't quite fall your way, there's some of that going on, too."

To expand a little on what Munchak said, the Titans so far have faced rushing defenses ranked as follows in the NFL: No. 2 (Cincinnati), 3 (Baltimore, which is tied with Atlanta), 5 (Houston), 7 (Pittsburgh), 14 (Jacksonville) and 15 (Denver). That's a daunting task for any offense.

During Johnson's struggles, Munchak had talked about continually feeding him the ball in the hope of breaking him out of his slump, a chance the Titans didn't always have. Johnson had only 26 yards on 10 carries at halftime, but the Titans led 17-0 and had plenty of opportunity to let him run in the second.

"I think it helped us as a whole," said Titans tight end Jared Cook, a graduate of metro Atlanta's North Gwinnett High. "In the second half this year we've been struggling to get things going. I think that answered a lot of problems in what we need to do. We can't have a lull in the third quarter. Strike iron fast.

"Like coach Munchak said, get CJ the ball. Get on our blockers, get downfield so that we can come up with some second half points early."

The Titans now hope that they have something to build on and that their struggles are behind them.

"He's definitely has always been a big part of what we do and the first part of his season was kind of hard, dealing with a lot of questions why that wasn't better why he wasn't doing better than he was," Munchak said. "I think last week was a good start in the right direction. We were able to gave him a lot of touches with the ball I think when you get a back like him, just like (Atlanta's Michael) Turner, if they'll get 20 to 25 touches with the ball, they'll do good things and he did.

"Again, for us to win our division and have success, he needs to be a big part of it, so last week is what we hope to continue the rest of this season."

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/titans_johnson_could_run_wild_in_atlanta/8192041

Utah Jazz Tampa Bay Buccaneers