Temecula fighter shows grit along with flash

By: DAN HAYES - Staff Writer | Thursday, August 24, 2006 10:45 PM PDT ∞

Practicing in the ring at the Team Quest training Center in Murrieta, Dan Henderson at left fends off a kick by Shawn Tompkins during a training exercise Saturday.
STEVE THORNTON Staff Photographer
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MURRIETA ---- The nickname "Hollywood" indicates Temecula resident Dan Henderson is as flashy as they come.

He's got ample reasons to be showy: He holds the Pride Fighting Championships Welterweight World Championship belt and the Welterweight Grand Prix title, he's a two-time U.S. Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling and he's making a good living as one of the top mixed-martial artists in the world.

But Henderson hardly has a cavalier attitude, and it takes only a trip to his display case ---- or lack thereof ---- to understand he's anything but "Hollywood". Both title belts are folded up on a shelf behind some T-shirts in his office at the Team Quest gym he co-owns with fellow U.S. Olympian Heath Sims.

"He keeps them tucked away," said Sims. "That's a perfect place for a pair of title belts."

Aaron Crecy, another lifelong friend, chimes in: "Sometimes your friends change with success, but that wouldn't happen to Dan. We've stuck around him and he's the same guy."

Said Sims: "He's still goofy Dan."

Outside the ring, maybe.

But inside the Pride Fight Championship's ropes, Henderson (20-4) is as focused and lethal as anyone in the world of mixed-martial arts ---- he's just not as well known as his Ultimate Fighting Championship counterparts.

This weekend, however, Henderson will have a chance to display those skills to an American audience as he takes on Kazuo Misaki in the second round of the Pride FC Bushido Survival 2006 tournament in Nagoya, Japan. The event will be televised via tape delay at 7 p.m. Sunday on Fox Sports Net.

And even though he already bested Misaki with a unanimous decision on April 2, Henderson isn't taking his opponent lightly.

He has spent the past few months training in the company of some of the industry's hardest hitters, including Matt Lindland (a former Olympic wrestler), Bas Rutten (former UFC heavyweight champ) and Jason Miller (an experienced combatant with a 16-4 record).

The preparation has led Henderson to declare himself in the best shape he has been in as a mixed-martial artist, but he hasn't yet reached the equivalent of his days as an Olympian. Henderson, a native of Apple Valley, was on the U.S. squad in Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996).

"I'd kind of slowed on my training the last couple of years," Henderson said. "But I've stepped it back up, and I'm working toward that (shape) now. I know (Misaki) is a tough guy. I know the fight could probably go the distance. (Last time) I was disappointed even though I won because I came close to a knockout a couple of times."

Henderson started as a wrestler, but he's hardly a ground-and-pound combatant. He describes himself as a striker and has years of experience in kick boxing and other fighting forms that have made him a more complete package.

"Nowadays you have to be well-rounded," Henderson said. "It definitely helps to have that competitive background in wrestling, but I usually prefer to stand up and punch because its the best chance to finish off my opponent."

Said Sims, who was a Greco-Roman wrestler on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team: "Dan is the most well-rounded fighter out there. He's such a good striker that sometimes people forget that he was such a good wrestler. He's done his preparation and knows what to expect."

Henderson says he's prepared to deal with is the crowds of 70,000-plus that attend Pride events. But it wasn't always this big ---- not for the fans, and not for Henderson, who first thought of mixed-martial arts as a hobby.

Nine years after his first professional fight, Henderson is able to support his wife Alison, 7-year-old daughter Sierra and 5-year-old son Reese through his career.

"I'm very fortunate," Henderson said. "When I started, I was doing this to get a little money to keep wrestling. Now it's my livelihood. It's what pays for my house and cars and puts food on the table for my family."

And long after his career comes to an end, Henderson hopes that mixed-martial arts continues to provide for the family through his and Sims' gym.

After years of talking about it, Sims and Henderson finally opened their doors four months ago and offer wrestling, kids kickboxing, submission wrestling and other forms of mixed-martial arts.

"It's great we're doing something we're passionate about," Sims said. "We have so much knowledge. It's definitely a dream."

Said Henderson: "It's been a long time. But we're getting it rolling now."

Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at (760) 739-6643 or dhayes@nctimes.com.