UFC 204: Bisping vs. Henderson Early Full Card Preview and Prediction

Much like UFC 203, the UFC found a hot hand wearing a gold belt and decided to make something of it. The hot hand at UFC 204 is Michael Bisping, and the something is the UFC's first pay-per-view card in England. 

The full card reads as follows:

• Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
• Vitor Belfort vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Ovince Saint Preux vs. Jimi Manuwa
• Leonardo Santos vs. Adriano Martins 
• Iuri Alcantara vs. Brad Pickett 
• Damian Stasiak vs. Davey Grant 
• Leon Edwards vs. Albert Tumenov 
• Ian Entwistle vs. Rob Font 
• Mirsad Bektic vs. Arnold Allen

The October 8 card is incomplete, with some matches yet to be officially announced and one of the more interesting matchups on the card, Stefan Struve vs. Ruslan Magomedov, scrapped. 

Still, there is plenty to look forward to here, so why not make it a close look? Welcome to the UFC 204 full card preview!

The Undercard

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Mirsad Bektic vs. Arnold Allen: A battle between prospects! Allen will be the hometown favorite, but Bektic will be the betting favorite, and rightly so. He is the better all-around fighter, and while Allen is no slouch, this should be another win for the Bosnian American.

Brad Pickett vs. Iuri Alcantara: Pickett (37) and Alcantara (36) were both good at one point. Now, however, they are old in the youthful bantamweight division. This should be a fun one (Pickett is rarely in a boring bout), but there is a strong chance that one, or both, fighters could retire after UFC 204.

Rob Font vs. Ian Entwistle: Font is one of the most interesting prospects at 135 pounds, but he needs to get back on track after a tough loss to John Lineker at UFC 198. Entwistle, who is 1-2 in the Octagon, is being brought in to do the job for him. This won't be an easy one, given Entwistle's strong grappling credentials, but this fight was made with a specific outcome in mind.

Davey Grant vs. Damian Stasiak: Grant was one of the most promising fighters on The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 (not that he had much competition), but injuries have defined his UFC career to this point. He has the chance to score a feel-good win in front of his hometown, but he'll have to face the Polish journeyman Stasiak in what will likely be an intense grappling match.

Leon Edwards vs. Albert Tumenov: Tumenov could be a UFC champion one day. Edwards? Not so much. Tumenov will likely put a hurting on Edwards.

Leonardo Santos vs. Adriano Martins: Santos and Martins are strange commodities. They've both looked good in their short UFC careers thus far...but they're also old for the division at 36 and 34, respectively. It's tough to guess how much longer they'll be around, but in the short term? They should combine for a fan-friendly bout at UFC 204.

Ovince Saint Preux vs. Jimi Manuwa

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Division: Light Heavyweight
Records: Ovince Saint Preux (19-8), Jimi Manuwa (15-2)

Ovince Saint Preux and Jimi Manuwa have a lot in common. They're both light heavyweights, obviously. They entered the UFC around the same time (2013 and 2012, respectively). They both mounted impressive winning streaks to begin their UFC careers (with OSP going 4-0 with three stoppages and Manuwa winning his first three bouts via injury TKO). They both own some really deceptive knockout power...

Oh, and they're both 1-2 in their last three. They consistently struggle with Top 10 caliber competition. They struggle to make up the difference between their legitimate athleticism and their technical skills. And above all else, they both desperately need a win at UFC 204.

On the whole, they're similarly talented fighters with some subtle differences to their overall games. Manuwa is the greater threat in the stand-up, with serious knockout power in his kicks, punches, elbows and knees. OSP is the better grappler with more explosive scrambles and a better arsenal of submissions.

This one is tough to pick, but this writer's gut says that Manuwa is likely going to eat a loss in front of his hometown fans.

Prediction: Ovince Saint Preux defeats Jimi Manuwa by unanimous decision.

Vitor Belfort vs. Gegard Mousasi

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Division: Middleweight
Records: Vitor Belfort (25-12), Gegard Mousasi (25-12)

Three years ago, Vitor Belfort was a hulk of a man. Muscles were packed on top of muscles that were built on a foundation of copious amounts of synthetic testosterone. He looked, and fought, like an unstoppable monster...until the UFC banned TRT.

The Belfort who eventually fought Chris Weidman for the middleweight belt wasn't the same man who had mauled the competition while being sheltered in Brazil. He was slower, softer and just generally weaker. That didn't improve with time either, as he endured one of the most lopsided beatdowns in recent UFC history at the hands of Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in May. 

At 39 years old and with 20 years of fights to his name, there's no question that he's approaching the end of his time in the competition end of the sport. The question is how long he can delay the inevitable and whether he can get one last cash-in fight against a big name.

The UFC doesn't seem to be doing him any favors in either of those fields, though.

Gegard Mousasi isn't a familiar name to casual MMA fans, but the former indie darling has been solid since joining the UFC, posting a 6-3 record against consistently strong competition. He sits at No. 6 in the Bleacher Report MMA rankings and could climb higher, given his well-rounded skills and the nature of his losses.

He's something of an on-paper nightmare matchup for Belfort, and the action in the cage is likely to reflect that. While the Brazilian vet may be able to muster up a well-timed spinning kick, Mousasi is likely to be too spry and strong for him to handle.

Prediction: Gegard Mousasi defeats Vitor Belfort by TKO in Round 3.

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson 2

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Division: Middleweight
Records: Michael Bisping (29-7), Dan Henderson (32-14)

Competitively, promotionally and logically, it's hard to justify the middleweight title fight between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson. There are many reasons why this fight shouldn't happen, and for the sake of brevity, it's worth touching on them in bullet points:

• Henderson is 46 years old.
• He is 4-6 in his current UFC run (four losses via stoppage).
• He suffered multiple scary knockout losses, including nearly being beaten halfway blind by Gegard Mousasi.
• He as openly planning to retire following his UFC 199 fight with Hector Lombard.
• He was actually angling for an administrative job with the UFC ahead of UFC 199, according to MMAjunkie.
• He plans to retire after UFC 204, win or lose, which would destroy the credibility of the title if he leaves it on his mantel forever, according to the Talking Brawls Podcast via SevereMMA.com.
• He has a weak claim to a title shot over Yoel Romero (who is riding a seven-fight winning streak) and former UFC champ Luke Rockhold (who submitted Bisping in 2014).

The reason for making this fight, though, is how amazing a story it is.

Bisping spent 10 long years as one of the better fighters in his division, but he was never quite championship material. While he hovered along the periphery of the title picture for most of that time, any attempt to break into top contender status ended with either a vicious knockout or a disappointing decision. 

Bisping has seven losses in his UFC career to seven different foes, and understandably that fact has many skeptical about his staying power as champion.

That puts Bisping on a bona fide revenge tour right now, and the best way to kick it off would be avenging the ugliest loss of his career. Henderson (as seen above) clobbered the Brit at UFC 100; the fight launched Henderson as an elite contender in North America and provided ammunition for the many fans and fighters who Bisping had angered over the years.

While he has mellowed with age, the devastating nature of the finish and the years of taunts that followed have stuck with him, making it the fight he most wants erase. 

Henderson is no bit player in that story, though. Often labeled by UFC commentators as "MMA royalty," the man once known as "Decision Dan" has become one of the most enduring names in MMA history courtesy of his Olympic-caliber wrestling base and atomic right hand. He made his UFC debut 18 years ago at UFC 17 and has earned a number of accolades in the years since including the 1999 Rings King of Kings tournament championship, the Strikeforce light heavyweight title and the Pride FC middleweight and welterweight titles.

The one prize that has eluded him has been the UFC title, and taking it in his final match would be a special ending to a special career.

Can he do it? That's a tough call. Hendo still has a lethal right hand, but the odds are stacked against him. Bisping is the better all-around fighter at this point, and the most likely outcome is a technical striking match that ends with a decision in favor of the champ.

Never say never, though...

Prediction: Michael Bisping defeats Dan Henderson by unanimous decision.