Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson are going to wage a rematch.
Though the UFC has made no official announcement, the two middleweights verbally agreed to the contest, according to recent reports from Brazilian website Combate and broadcaster Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting (h/t Hunter Homistek of MMA Fighting).
The two sides are reportedly targeting April 16 and UFC on Fox 19 for the fight.
If the match does come to pass, it will be as the two graying champions—combined age: 82—continue slides into mediocrity—or worse—that were already underway at their first meeting back in February 2013. (Machida won by a lackluster split decision.)
A rematch in 2016 could help determine whether either fighter has enough left to be considered relevant outside the novelty circuit. Since their first meeting, the two men are a combined 5-9 in the UFC, with neither appearing able to gather much in the way of competitive momentum.
Tweeted fan Gavin Brash, "Dan Henderson vs Lyoto Machida is a rematch absolutely nobody, not even in their cruellest idea of Hell, wants to see again."
The Machida and Henderson resumes are well known to fight fans. Karate prodigy Machida (22-7) is a former UFC light heavyweight champion. While Olympic wrestler Henderson (31-14) has never worn UFC gold, he can claim multiple middleweight and light heavyweight belts in venerated promotions like Pride and Strikeforce and is the UFC 17 tournament champion.
This fan also weighed in: "Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida are coming off KO losses their first meeting was extremely close I like that they're rematching at 185lbs!!"
The latter data point in particular helps illustrate Henderson's longevity. At 45 years old (eight years older than 37-year-old Machida), Henderson first competed in pro MMA in 1997. Though his staying power is admirable, Henderson is far slower and less dynamic than he was in his prime and has lost three of his last four. Henderson's saving grace is probably his powerful right hand, which knocked out Tim Boetsch in 28 seconds last June and accounts for Henderson's only victory in his past four contests.
Machida and his famously elusive style have lost a step as well. Never what you'd call a high-output fighter even in the best of times, Machida now has stretches during which he has trouble mounting any offense at all.
Granted, Machida's level of competition has been notably higher than Henderson's. Although like Henderson, he is 1-3 in his last four contests. Those defeats came against current champ Luke Rockhold, immediate past champ Chris Weidman and elite contender Yoel Romero.
Machida is currently ranked No. 4 on the UFC's official middleweight rankings, while Henderson sits at No. 11. However, those rankings might speak more to the division's thinness than anything else.
With this in mind, Machida will likely be installed as an early favorite over Henderson if the bout is signed and announced as reported.
Henderson's living-legend status and formidable right hand have continuously earned him plum positions on UFC cards. But a bad or flat performance against Machida might finally burst that bubble and would certainly ignite yet another round of calls for Henderson's retirement.
A win over Machida, though, would give Henderson's career much-needed life, even if it wouldn't establish him as immediately relevant to the upper echelon of the division.
A Machida win, particularly if earned in impressive fashion, could give the Brazilian a substantial boost and might even see him vaulted back into title talk.
The contest will ultimately provide a new piece of evidence for both fighters' cases. The cases themselves, though, could vary widely.
