Issue 101
May 2013
The last-ever Strikeforce welterweight champion reveals his reggae soundtrack and his affinity with The Walking Dead character Rick Grimes to FO’s Aundre Jacobs.
MUSIC
What type of music do you enjoy listening to?
“I mostly listen to everything, but lately I’ve been listening to a lot of reggae and some more relaxing- type music. I love to sit down and listen to relaxing music and do nothing (laughs).”
What type of reggae are you into?
“There are some good bands here in the US, one of them is called Tribal Seeds and they’re a pretty good band who I enjoy listening
to. I mostly listen to those guys, but if I’m honest, whatever reggae is on is good enough for me.”
We can’t imagine Dan Henderson enjoying reggae too much in the gym.
“(Laughs) No, I can’t put it on when we train. We do have a teenager who puts on Elvis Presley sometimes at the gym so the music at Team Quest does change a little bit.”
Well, at least it changes from Red Rider and Toby Keith now and then. Has your music taste changed over the years?
“It has changed a lot. I used to listen to a
lot of hip-hop when I was younger, and a little bit of rock. Then when I was on the way to work I heard some reggae and really liked it. I might go to classical one day, who knows?”
You might even start listening to country music too.
“Yeah... I don’t think so (laughs). Some things are OK, but I can’t say that country music is my cup of tea.”
You have one walkout song for the rest of your career, what is it?
“There’s an Australian band called Pendulum and they have a song called Tarantula, I heard the song for the first time when I was in Thailand and I’ve been using it for almost all my fights now.”
What song would you say is your guilty pleasure?
“My son is two years old and he listens to a lot of kids songs and I don’t know what they’re called, but someo fo them are really catchy! (laughs) I end up singing them in my head all day.”
CARS
What was the first car you ever purchased and how much did it cost?
“I had a car when I was younger, when I was about 16 years old. I’m not sure what it cost me. I don’t even remember what it was called (laughs).”
What car do you own now?
“I drive a Chrysler PT Cruiser because I needed space for my son. It’s bigger than my previous car which only had two seats.”
That’s a great choice for a family car, but if you could drive any car at all right now, what would it be?
“It would have to be the Audi R8. I love sports cars and right now that’s definitely the sports car that turns heads.”
If you could pimp out the Audi R8, or your Chrysler for that matter, with any gadget in the world, what would it be?
“I would love a PC inside my car because then you can do whatever you want in it. I could listen to songs, play movies for my son, get directions and so on. That would be nice.”
SHUFFLE
Hit shuffle and tell us about the first five songs. No cheating!
Temper Trap, Sweet Disposition
“I like those kind of relaxing songs and this is one of them. It really puts you in the mood to chill out.”
The Postal Service, Such Great Heights
“This is a great song too. I’d never heard of them before, but when I heard this song I loved it.”
Tribal Seeds, The Harvest
“This is a reggae song, and to be honest, I have pretty much all of their songs. I don’t usually buy entire albums, but I did for this band.”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)
“This song is great for pumping you up before training, so that’s when I
listen to it. It’s from the film Project X and is a really good song.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Can’t Stop
“You have to love the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They’ve always been a great band and have always brought out great songs.”
STYLE
We know you’ve admitted that you resemble Rick from
The Walking Dead so maybe you’re into sheriff hats?
“Honestly, I don’t really wear hats, they’re not my thing. The only time I really wear a hat is when it’s for a fight and I’m wearing it for my sponsors, Clinch Gear. Otherwise, I tend not to wear them.”
You’re usually seen strutting about in flip-flops, is that your thing?
“I actually like to walk barefoot if I’m honest. I’m a big fan of the five-finger shoes, so I usually wear those, or flip-flops, if I can’t walk around barefooted.”
Do you go for the whole SoCal look then, flip-flops, shorts and T-shirt 24/7?
“Definitely. I’m a big ‘shorts and T-shirt’ kind of guy. I’m all about feeling relaxed. It’s very rarely you see me wearing jeans and a nice shirt; I like to wear my shorts, a T-shirt and some sandals in everyday life. California style (laughs).”
You clearly like your skin ink also. What tattoos have you got and why?
“On my forearm I have the name of my school written in kanji, and on my right arm I have three stars which represent myself and my two little brothers. Then on my back I have two sentences, ‘Follow my dream,’ and the other one is in French and says, ‘My father, my family, my strength.’”
TV
What TV shows have you been watching recently and what are your favorites?
“I’m really into Breaking Bad at the minute. I didn’t really like Walt after the last season and I’m not really happy with the way he’s gone, but Jesse has really grown on me. I like his friends too, the ones that help him sell drugs, they’re really funny. One of my teammates works in a bar and Hank always comes to that bar in Temecula, so I’m planning on going to the bar and possibly meeting Hank from the show (laughs).”
It finishes this year, so how do you think the show is going to end?
“I really don’t know. I’m already frustrated that I’ve had to wait nearly a year for the rest of the show to come out – it sucks. I think it’s going to be a complete mess at the end, people dying all over the place.”
If you could be in any TV show past or present, what would the program be?
“I’d like to be a stuntman for Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead. I suppose it would work because I look like him, plus it would be a pretty cool job.”
Besides from MMA, what other sports are you interested in
Are there any TV shows you like that fans may not expect?
“I actually really enjoy watching Desperate Housewives (laughs). My wife loves the show and she watches it all the time, so I sat down with her and watched it and it wasn’t too bad. I quite enjoyed it.”
FLICKS
What movies are you into?
“I’m really into films based on real-life events, either from way into the past or more into present day. There is always something changing in the story and it always makes you wonder whether or not it really happened.”
If there was a movie made about your life, who would play you and why?
“The guy who plays Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead. A lot of people tell me that I look like him. Personally, I love the show so I would love it if he was a part of my movie (laughs).”
If you could punch any actor in the face, who would it be and why?
“I’d love to punch Sylvester Stallone after the last Rocky movie. He’s a legend, but I really don’t think he should’ve done that movie (laughs). It was so far after Rocky and they shouldn’t have done his comeback like that, especially when he was an older boxer. I don’t think it was at the same level as all the great Rocky films that came out before it.”
The last movie you watched?
“Project X. It was slightly funny.”
What was the last film you cried at?
“From what I remember it was a film called Death Sentence. It had Kevin Bacon in it and it’s about him and this gang that kills his family. The end of the movie was strong and made me really sad, it made me think about my own son.”
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