UFC on Fox 14 Notebook: Risky Business

---

Gegard Mousasi understands the inherent risks involved in facing the man with MMA’s most fabled right hand.

The onetime Dream and Strikeforce champion will collide with former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Dan Henderson in the UFC on Fox 14 co-main event on Saturday at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. Mousasi has no plans to join the list of previous H-bomb victims, which includes Mauricio Rua, Michael Bisping and Fedor Emelianenko.

Henderson will enter the cage at two-inch reach and one-inch height disadvantages, and “The Dreamcatcher” has designs on exploiting them.

“If I punch him first, he won’t be punching me,” Mousasi told Sherdog.com in a pre-fight interview, “so that’s the game plan. I think he matches up very well for me, for my style, especially I think with the distance. On the ground, I feel like I can match up very well also. I don’t feel like I can lose this fight.”

Related » UFC on Fox 14 Preview

In the twilight of one the greatest careers in MMA history, Henderson has lost four of his past five bouts. The 44-year-old Team Quest founder last appeared at UFC 173 in May, when he was thoroughly dominated and then choked unconscious by Daniel Cormier. The showdown with Mousasi will serve as his first appearance at 185 pounds in nearly five years.

“In my opinion, he’s slowed down a little bit, but he’s come down from a weight class and he’s been out for [almost] a year, I believe, so maybe he’s hungry again,” Mousasi said. “You never know which Dan is going to come in. I’m just prepared for a good fight. I know Dan’s a nice guy, and he’s a legend, of course. He’s a big, well-known name. Other than that, it’s just another fight. I look forward to fighting him.”

Accomplished in his own right and undeniably talented, Mousasi has been labeled an enigma by some. The 29-year-old has gone 2-2 since arriving in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in April 2013, pairing wins over Ilir Latifi and Mark Munoz with losses to Lyoto Machida and Ronaldo Souza. Mousasi views a decisive victory over Henderson as an essential piece in his future plans.

“I’m going to put the pressure on him and be aggressive,” he said. “Whether I get the finish or not, I don’t care. I just need a dominant performance.”

CRUNCH TIME

The road to the top of the light heavyweight division does not get any easier for Phil Davis.

A little less than three months after he routed Glover Teixeira at UFC 179, “Mr. Wonderful” will get back to business in a pivotal battle with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader. Davis has no illusions about the challenge before him. Bader will step into the Octagon on the strength of back-to-back-to-back victories over Anthony Perosh, Rafael Cavalcante and Ovince St. Preux.

“He brings everything to the table,” Davis said. “He’s a good, solid guy. He’s a good athlete. He’s strong. He’s a good grappler. He’s got good knockout power. He does a lot of things right.”

Widely regarded as one of the world’s top fighters at 205 pounds, Davis could soon find himself in position to vie for the title, provided he piles up quality wins and gets a few breaks to go his way. For now, Bader remains his sole focus.

“It all depends on what happens in the rest of the division,” Davis said. “That’s really it. The rest of the division will decide where this win will take me. It’s a must-win [fight], I can tell you that.”

THIS & THAT

UFC on Fox 14 “Gustafsson vs. Johnson” will be the 306th event the Ultimate Fighting Championship has staged in its history ... Alexander Gustafsson has fought in eight different countries: England, Canada, Sweden, United States, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Poland and Finland ... Blackzilians export Anthony Johnson was born in Dublin, Ga., a small town of less than 17,000 people located roughly 125 miles southeast of Atlanta ... “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 semifinalist Akira Corassani has never lost a decision as a professional, posting a perfect 7-0 record in bouts that reach the judges ... The three men who have defeated Nicholas Musoke -- Kelvin Gastelum, Cathal Pendred and Danny Mitchell -- hold a cumulative record of 41-8-1 ... Over his last four outings, Kenny Robertson has out-landed his opponents 318-85 in the total strikes department, according to FightMetric figures ... Finnish newcomer Makwan Amirkhani has executed eight submissions: two by brabo choke, two by rear-naked choke, two by heel hook and one each by guillotine choke and triangle choke ... All 21 of Ukrainian light heavyweight Nikita Krylov’s fights -- 17 wins and four losses -- have resulted in a stoppage, 20 of them inside one round ... Anthony Christodoulou is a two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu national champion in Greece ... Paul Redmond has secured three of his past five wins via toe hold-induced tapout ... Russian heavyweight Konstantin Erokhin owns 25-, 32-, 42-, 43- and 97-second finishes during his current eight-fight winning streak ... Neil Seery has held titles in the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and Extreme Brawl organizations.

INSIDE THE VENUE

The Tele2 Arena, which can seat up to 45,000, opened in July 2013 at a cost of more than $300 million and has played host to Justin Timberlake, Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones.