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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Dan Henderson entered 2012 targeting a title fight in the UFC's Light Heavyweight division, but instead he didn't fight at all. A knee injury suffered this summer took him out of that planned title fight, and now, as he prepares for a bout with Lyoto Machida at UFC 157, the window for him competing for that title is beginning to close.
At 42-years-old, Henderson is well aware that his time in the sport is limited, and he told Brazilian outlet Tatame.com that he's likely walking away from the sport after 2014. A win over Machida in February could get him a title shot later in 2013, but even if he gets that fight, he's not expecting many more bouts after that.
"I have to fight a couple more years," Henderson said. "I have at least two more fights ahead of me next year, so I guess that would make at least two more fights after that."
It's not all about the Championship for Henderson, though, as he made it clear he's simply trying to keep winning fights at this stage, and if he retires without the belt or without a title fight, then that's just what happens.
"My goal is not the UFC belt, [I want to] keep winning to go my way," he said. "The belt is a motivation, it is something I want because I think I can win, but not all."
Penick's Analysis: It's good for Henderson to have a clear idea of when he'd like to walk away, and it's reasonable to believe he'll be at the end of his run by the end of 2014. It's not often that athletes contend at a high level into their mid-40s, and in MMA only Randy Couture truly did. For Henderson, he's got a chance to get to another (possibly short) title run if he can beat Machida and upset Jon Jones in 2013, but beyond that he's eventually going to slow down. It's just nature and a part of getting older, so while there may only be two years left from Henderson, he won't be leaving before his time is over. He's accomplished just about all there is to accomplish in the sport, and he enters the final stretch of his career in a good spot.
[Dan Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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