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As 2017 dawned, Henry was content where he was. He had a two-fight winning streak, was doing well in South Africa, and as he explains, “I never put a lot of pressure on myself to get in the UFC. I was always just taking it one fight at a time.”
But fate would soon intervene. The UFC was coming to Glasgow in July 2017, and Henry, like any other Scottish fighter worth their salt, wanted to be on that card. So when he was approached with a short notice fight against the last (and only) man to beat him in EFC, Igeu Kabesa, Henry believed this was his ticket to the big show.
“I took a late replacement fight on three weeks’ notice,” he said. “I killed myself to make weight, I was actually supposed to get surgery on my elbow as well, and I knew that UFC Glasgow was happening in July. So I visualized that if I can go win my belt back in March against this kid that beat me once, that’s a big win. And I was already on a two-fight win streak with two KOs, so if I could get that belt back, then maybe the UFC might have me in Glasgow.”
He avenged the loss, submitting Kabesa in the first round. He got the surgery on his elbow and things were looking promising. Until they weren’t anymore.
“I was well on my way to Glasgow,” he said. “And then I just had the worst run of luck, injury wise, that I ever had in my life. I wrote the UFC off and I wrote Glasgow off as well, to be honest.”
First he popped a rib, then when that healed, he broke his foot in three places.
“I was devastated,” Henry said. “I ate loads of food and I was going to all these social events with my girl. I went to weddings and drank loads of beer.”
RINNNGGGGGGGGG.
The UFC was calling. Three weeks out from the Glasgow card, Henry was presented with a fight against Daniel Teymur. He said yes, but the post-acceptance reaction wasn’t what it usually is.
“Ah, s**t, this is gonna be murder,” he said. “It was a stressful thing.”
Back at lightweight for the night, given the short notice of the bout, Henry and Teymur went to war for three rounds. When it was over, Henry had unanimous decision win, a bonus check, and cheers from his countrymen that he won’t soon forget.
“I wasn’t gonna lose in front of my home crowd,” he said. “There was no way I was giving up. I think I was lucky, though, as well, because the other kid had just been married, so we were both sort of on a similar level weight and fitness wise. I just think I wanted it a bit more on the night. It all came together in the end.”
It did, and on March 17, Henry will get another semi-home game, as he travels to London to face Canadian newcomer Hakeem Nawodu in his return to featherweight. There aren’t a laundry list of injuries to deal with or anything to distract him from the task at hand, but even if there were, Henry has already proven to be made of sturdier stuff than most.
“It’s a fight or flight kind of thing,” he said. “People will either fly or they’ll stand and fight. I want to fight and I like testing myself. I’ve always been a bit scrappy. I grew up with three older brothers, so I’ve been fighting since I could stand, pretty much. (Laughs) It’s always been in me.”
So what do those three siblings have to say about their little brother, the UFC fighter these days?
“They say f**king nothing these days,” he smiles. “They do exactly as they’re told.”
