Iceman vs. Hendo

[G10]

Sup Sherbros!

A fantasy matchup I've always been intrigued with is Chuck Liddell vs. Dan Henderson. It's amazing that both guys were active for so long in the same weight-class, but they never fought each other. They both also share a lot of the same opponents!

So, simple question: who would've won if they fought while both guys were still in near-peak form? Personally, I give the nod to Hendo, but I see a strong argument for Chuck. What say you, Sherbros?

 

[Idonotbelieveit]

Hendo cracks him

 

[G10]

Hendo cracks him

First, thanks for actually replying to this!

Second, I agree, but I'll play Devil's advocate for fun.

Peak form Chuck was an insanely durable fighter, and he was most successful when fighting against wrestlers. Although Hendo does have the famous H-bomb, the rest of his striking arsenal is fairly limited. I think Randy Couture is a more sophisticated striker than Hendo, and Chuck was able to avoid him and pick his shots for the KO. Plus, Hendo is much smaller than Randy, so I'm not sure he could've clinched him up and muscled him around so easily.

 

[DoctorDeelon]

Prime for prime? I think Chuck catches him with a counter and puts him away at some point.

 

[G10]

Prime for prime? I think Chuck catches him with a counter and puts him away at some point.

That's certainly possible. Prime Chuck had some crazy power in both hands. The thing is, Prime Hendo is possibly the most durable fighter who ever lived. He went almost his entire career before his first KO, and it had to come from TRT Vitor. For me, that's what makes his fantasy matchup so compelling; it would've been unstoppable force vs. immovable object.

 

[Safton]

Close to 50/50 for me. I could actually see it going to a close Decision or Doctor/Corner Stoppage for either guy just because they're so durable. In that case -- short of Hendo catching Chuck with an H-Bomb (possibly on a clinch break or after faking a TD), which is totally possible -- I would favor Chucky to edge Dan out in the long game via a slightly more sophisticated striking arsenal.

Good match-up.

 

[MrKontakos]

Prime vs Prime this probably would have been a contender for greatest MMA match in history. I see Chuck edging it since Hendo's TD's were never much to write home about and he'd be the smaller and shorter guy here. Would be a hell of a fight.