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Dan Henderson v. Rousimar Palhares UFC 88 Predictions & Betting Odds

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Jimmy Boyd has already made his Liddell/Evans predictions and Franklin/Hamill predictions. Now, he continues his UFC 88 fight previews by taking a closer look at the Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares main card bout. This fight pits one of the UFC’s most well-known fighters against one of its most up and coming. Will we see experience or youth prevail at UFC 88? Jimmy Boyd goes inside the matchup and delivers his Henderson/Palhares predictions.

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Dan Henderson: -200 to win at BetUS Sportsbook

Dan “Hollywood” Henderson or “Dangerous Dan” or Hendo – just the amount of nicknames alone shows you that this guy has been around for a while, will try to get back on track in this September 6th fight after losing his two previous matchups with Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva respectively. Hendo was supposed to be the guy to knock, the seemingly invincible UFC middleweight champ, Anderson Silva off track, and he appeared to be well on his way to doing so with a dominant performance in the first round. However, Silva caught Hendo in the second period with a rear naked choke. That marked the first time the former Pride FC dual champion had tapped out since 2005. And now Dan Henderson will stay in the middleweight division to take on Brazilian Top Team fighter Rousimar Palhares. In the past we have seen the UFC give top fighters breezers to get back on their feet, but that doesn’t appear to be the case hear and the odds reflect it.

Rousimar Palhares: +160 to win at BetUS Sportsbook

Rousimar Palhares is coming off a win against Ivan Salverry at UFC 84 and will have the benefit of having nothing to lose on his side. Hendo should feel much more pressure as he faces defeat for a third straight time. If Palheres can pull off the upset, it would be the first time in Dan Henderson’s career that he has lost three straight. Many experts also feel that the 185-pound class is not Henderson’s best division. Perhaps his last two fights point that out. He made it a little over a period against Anderson Silva in a 185-pound fight but lasted 25 minutes with Quinton Jackson in a 205-pound matchup. Palhares is known for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu submissions just like Silva and this is the kind of fight which could really put him on the map.

Prediction: Take Henderson

This is a big fight for both fighters for different reasons. While Henderson may have slight disadvantages not fighting in his preferred weight class and going up against another submission specialist, the fact remains that Palhares has never seen a fighter with Henderson’s chops. Hendo is not about to go down for a third straight time to a relatively unknown fighter. The pressure will be on, but I like Hollywood to rise to the challenge. He’ll learn from his match with Silva and tighten his submission defense. I actually like Hendo’s Wrestling background to play to his favor here. Once he gets Palhares down, I don’t see him letting him up until Palhares taps out.

Dan Henderson v. Rousimar Palhares Odds at BetUS
Henderson -200
Palhares: +160

Henderson/Palhares Odds at Bookmaker
Henderson -185
Palhares +155

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