Michael Bisping not taking Dan Henderson for granted in UFC 204

When UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping looks at Dan Henderson, he sees an underdog challenger who can throw caution to the wind and swing for the fences when they step into the cage for the main event of UFC 204 on Saturday in Manchester, England.

Bisping knows firsthand just how valuable that attitude can be for Henderson.

It’s a similar position to the one Bisping found himself in when he challenged Luke Rockhold for the belt at UFC 199 in June and knocked him out in the first round.

“He’s tough as they come, and he’ll come forward and he’ll swing,” Bisping said after a training session in Los Angeles last month. “He’s got nothing to lose in this fight, and that makes him very, very dangerous. Kind of like my fight against Rockhold. I had nothing to lose at all, so I went out there and swung. Fingers crossed I’d get the job done, and I did it.

“Dan Henderson can do the same. I’m assuming as soon as the fight starts, he’s going to rush me and hope one of those shots connects. If they do, we all know he has the power.”

The bout will headline a card that includes a middleweight contender bout between Gegard Mousasi and Vitor Belfort. The main card will air live at 7 p.m. on pay-per-view.

Four fights from the preliminary card will air live on Fox Sports 1 at 5 p.m., with the remaining fights streaming through the UFC’s online subscription platform, Fight Pass, at 4.

Bisping was knocked out by Henderson’s right hand at UFC 100 in 2009, an iconic finish that has been featured on nearly every highlight package produced by the organization in the past seven years.

It’s a major reason the fight was booked for Bisping’s first title defense. The Englishman, who now lives in Southern California, will return to his native country with a chance to not only avenge the loss but also solidify his grip on a belt he had chased for more than a decade before finally winning it.

“For a long time, I really wanted to be the champion. I’ve achieved that,” he said. “You want to be a defending champion, and now I get to do that in my hometown. You don’t want to be one and done. Nobody wants that, especially against a guy like Dan Henderson, who owns a victory over me already. I don’t want him to be the guy that beat me at UFC 100 and then took the belt off me. Of course it brings pressure. But fortunately, I thrive under pressure.”

That’s something Henderson probably won’t feel when he steps into the cage looking to cap his career with the UFC title that has eluded him for so long. The 46-year-old, a two-time Olympian in wrestling, made his debut at UFC 17 in 1998. He won the middleweight tournament title that night with two victories and has experienced great success in the sport, much of it in Pride and Strikeforce, but has never won a UFC belt.

He has announced he will retire after this fight regardless of the outcome. That’s part of why Bisping is prepared for an early flurry from Henderson.

“I’ve got to be careful,” Bisping said. “I’ve got to weather the storm, be patient, pick him apart and look to take him out as the fight progresses. I’m very, very confident, but that right hand is very powerful, and he also has good timing and experience.”

Bisping is well-aware of that right hand from the first meeting. He watched it after this fight was announced, but barely made it through a bout that lasted only 3:20 into the second round.

“It’s embarrassing when I watch that first fight,” he said. “I’m so skittish. I’m mentally and physically beaten in that fight. My wife was watching, and I said, ‘Jesus, turn this off.’ It didn’t resemble me at all. That’s not how I fight. I was disgusted and embarrassed. We all have a bad night at the office. It was a bad night at the office for me and a good one for Dan.”

Bisping’s last night at the office went much better.

The perennial contender finally became champion at age 37 by stunning Rockhold in Los Angeles.

He has enjoyed his time with the belt.

“I’ve got a little spot for it at my house,” Bisping said. “It sits there and looks good. It brings a smile to my face every once in awhile when I look at it. But really life hasn’t changed. If it had, that would be a cause for concern. I say it all the time, ‘The sun still goes up and still comes down.’ I still have three kids and a wife. It’s still business as usual. My kids still give me a hard time. Nothing has changed. It’s nice. It’s reassuring. It’s a nice compliment if I want to give myself a pat on the back occasionally and look up and say, ‘Yeah, you did good there.’

The biggest change for Bisping is the opportunities the title has provided. He cited the additional paydays and bargaining power as among the best perks of being champion.

He is taking full advantage by having his first title defense close to where he grew up. The arena sold out in just six minutes even though the main card will begin at 3 a.m. local time on Sunday morning.

It’s just one more factor placing the pressure on Bisping to follow up his knockout of Rockhold and solidify his hold on the belt.

He definitely has something to lose this time.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj