'UFC Tonight' hosts Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian push for Dan Henderson to retire

Dan Henderson

Should Dan Henderson retire? It’s a debate many have had over the past several years as the oldest active fighter on the UFC roster has fallen into a slump with six losses in his past eight bouts.

After more than 16 years of pro competition without a knockout loss, the 45-year-old Henderson (31-14 MMA, 8-8 UFC) has been stopped by strikes in three of his past six fights, the most recent a first-round knockout defeat at the hands – and feet – of Vitor Belfort at UFC Fight Night 77 earlier this month.

The legendary former Strikeforce and two-division PRIDE champion has built a special resume since his June 1997 pro debut, but with a record 15 knockdowns suffered in UFC/Strikeforce/PRIDE/WEC competition, it may be time for Henderson to call it quits, at least according to “UFC Tonight” host Kenny Florian.

“I don’t think there’s any shame in losing to a guy like Vitor Belfort, but Dan Henderson has to start thinking about retiring at this point because he’s taken a lot of damage, especially if you look at the last several fights he’s had in the UFC,” Florian said on Wednesday’s edition of the FOX Sports 1 program. “He’s been fighting some tough guys, and yes he’s had some wins and won by knockout, but I would like to see him transition. Maybe get a job with the UFC or something.”

Henderson’s credentials are hall of fame worthy. His long list of notable wins includes Mauricio Rua, Fedor Emelianenko, Michael Bisping, Wanderlei Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, to name a few.

Since he rejoined the UFC roster in November 2011, though, “Hendo” has fallen on hard times. He dropped competitive split decisions to ex-UFC champs Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans in 2013, but in his past four losses, he’s been stopped by current UFC champ Daniel Cormier, Gegard Mousasi and Belfort (on two separate occasions).

Cormier’s victory over Henderson took place at UFC 173 in May 2014 and was among the most lopsided of the bunch. “DC” used his size and strength advantage to toss Henderson around the octagon before finishing the job with a third-round submission.

Although Henderson has since moved down to the middleweight division, the consistent results have still not arrived. His 28-second knockout of Tim Boetsch at UFC Fight Night 68 in June provided hope, but the most recent bout with Belfort showed the end may be near.

Despite the fact Henderson is said to have one fight remaining on his current UFC contract, Cormier doesn’t want to see his former foe take any more damage. He also encouraged Henderson to walk away from competition after 45 pro contests.

“In Dan’s mind he was going to actually take his time before he attacked Vitor, but then Vitor actually threw the head kick,” Cormier said. “It wasn’t set off any punches or anything. The chin, the reflexes – it might be time for him to hang it up.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 77, check out the UFC Events section of the site.