MMA News

Tag: dan henderson

  • Jake Paul, Strickland, Henderson Slam Olympians Over US-ICE ‘Heartbreak’

    Jake Paul, Strickland, Henderson Slam Olympians Over US-ICE ‘Heartbreak’

    Jake Paul, Sean Strickland and UFC legend Dan Henderson unleashed sharp criticism against Olympic skiers Chris Lillis and Hunter Hess for voicing conflicted feelings about representing the United States.

    The backlash erupted on February 6, 2026, ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, after Lillis expressed being ‘heartbroken’ over actions by Donald Trump’s ICE agents, while Hess admitted mixed emotions due to the political climate.

    Fighters Condemn Team USA Skiers

    Jake Paul

    Jake Paul (8-1 boxing record) led the charge on Twitter/X, dismissing the skiers’ complaints with blunt patriotism. Told told the skiers to ‘shut the f— up’ and leave the country if unwilling to represent it proudly.

    Sean Strickland

    Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA record, former UFC middleweight champion) amplified the sentiment, targeting Hess directly. Sean Strickland called Hess a ‘b—-‘ and echoed calls to get out.

    Dan Henderson

    Dan Henderson (30-15 MMA record, Olympic wrestler and two-division UFC title challenger) took a more measured but firm stance. “For me, the United States gave me opportunities you can’t get in most countries across the world,” Henderson posted on Twitter/X. He contrasted his pride in representing the USA at the Olympics and in the UFC with the skiers’ stance, suggesting they spend time with the military to gain perspective.

  • (Archives) Henderson: Fedor May Be All Used Up After Bellator 214 (2019)

    Three years ago, heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko had just lost to Ryan Bader via TKO in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Final. Despite having won two of his last three fights coming into that bout, a former foe of Fedor, Dan Henderson, considered the possibility that the then 42-year-old Emelanenko was, as he put it, “used up.”

    The following article was published on this day three years ago and it is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Three Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 29, 2019, 1:45 PM]

    Headline: Dan Henderson Believes Fedor May Be All Used up After Bellator 214 Loss

    Author: Andrew Ravens

    MMA Legend Dan Henderson has sounded off the state of Fedor Emelianenko’s career after suffering his most recent loss.

    This past Saturday night in the headliner of Bellator 214 at The Forum in Inglewood, California on the Paramount Network, Ryan Bader finished Fedor Emelianenko to win the vacant Bellator heavyweight title.

    Emelianenko is a historic figure in the history of the MMA game and no doubt an MMA Legend. In the eyes of Henderson, he praised Bader for a job well done but also thinks that Fedor’s chin is suspect and could be all used up.

    “Damn good job from Bader, for sure. Fedor’s had kind of a suspect chin,” Henderson told Fight Hub TV (H/T to MMAMania). “He’s still super dangerous. I figured [Bader] would win but not quite in that manner. It seems like [Fedor] could be all used up, unfortunately, I would love to see him out there more, but.”

    The MMA legend finished former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the main event of the Bellator 198 event at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois via strikes in the first round in a Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal bout. His next fight saw him beat Chael Sonnen on at Bellator 208 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York by first-round TKO.