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Predict the outcome of the UFC 161 main event between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson. Who wins and how?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I'll be honest; I have zero idea who's going to win this fight. I mean, either Henderson's going to land the big bomb and get a KO, or he won't and it goes to decision. I have a high level of fear that this fight is going to be worse than Henderson vs. Machida. I've never had less interest in a UFC main event, PPV or not.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Rashad still doesn't have the intensity and flash and confidence he did when he entered the UFC, Hendo is going to stop him in the second round with the H-Bomb after avoiding 23 half assed takedown attempts. Rashad saying he's going to take Hendo down 50 times is absurd, when's the last time he landed a takedown on a good wrestler? Hendo baby!
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Evans has lost some of his drive if I am reading his last few fights correctly. He should have easily beaten Nogueira at UFC 156. His loss to Jon Jones in April 2012 was not only a career defining moment, but a personal one as well. He needs to decide if he still wants to fight because he is such a big name the UFC will not keep him around if he is not fighting the best fighters in the world. I am picking Henderson by knock out in this one.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I've been waffling back and forth on this. Rashad looked so, so bad in his last fight that I think Henderson has the edge. I think this will be a relatively lifeless three round decision win for Henderson. There's always the potential for fireworks with the H-Bomb, but I think Rashad will do everything he can to avoid it. I don't think he pulls a Kalib Starnes and straight runs away, but I think he pulls a Machida and keeps backing up the whole time. I hope I'm wrong, though, but I'm not expecting much here.
C.J. TUTTLE, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I feel obligated to say this, I love Dan Henderson and I want nothing more than for him to fight Jon Jones before he retires. But I see a Rashad Evans coming off the worst performance of his career and dealing with all the talk about "him not having the fire anymore" as ready to prove a point. I believe both will come out looking to impress, due to their recent losses and the fact that 161 wasn't supposed to be that good. I will predict a stoppage by the referee in round two due to strikes in favor of "Suga" Rashad Evans.
CAMERON LYMAN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
This bout saddens me. Evans was a shell of his former self against Lil Nog and Hendo looked frustrated that his biggest weapon was useless against Machida. If I make my prediction based on their last fights: Hendo stalks Evans around the cage while Evans paws at him. This continues for three rounds. Evans wins by decision.
[Dan Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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