"You had to be more technical" - MMA legend Dan Henderson explains the difference between fighting in the UFC octagon and the ring in Pride

Dan Henderson recently opened up about his experience fighting in the UFC and Pride, explaining if competing in an octagon is different from competing in a ring.

The MMA legend achieved great success throughout his career and was the former two-division champion in the Japan-based promotion. During his appearance on Jaxxon Podcast, the 53-year-old told former foe Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson that he needed to have a more tactical approach when competing in the ring as opposed to the octagon:

"You can cut somebody off and corner 'em easier in the ring...You're using the cage to get up and when you're on top controlling the guy it's easier. I feel like you got to be more technical to finish a fight in a ring than in a cage because you can't use the ring too much to trap somebody." [10:51 - 11:13]

'When Jackson asked which ruleset he preferred as he won two championships in Pride under their ruleset, 'Hendo' said that both have their own pros and cons but would be in favor of the UFC's ruleset if they made a few additions, saying:

"I like most of the rules. You know, I felt like the rules here [UFC], they could easily add knees to the head on the ground. And not soccer kicks or head stomps, but Pride didn't have elbows, which I liked also." [11:17 - 11:38]

Henderson had success in both the ring and octagon, so his explanation allows fans to gain more insight into how fighters approach the two.

Check out the full video:

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Dan Henderson reflects on knocking out Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce

Dan Henderson recently reflected on his knockout win over former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko when they headlined a Strikeforce event in 2011.

The event marked 'Hendo's final bout with the promotion before returning to the UFC and ended up providing a memorable moment for fans on his way out. During the appearance, the former two-division Pride champion said that he didn't expect to knock out Emelianenko in the first round as he anticipated a much longer fight:

"I was expecting to kind of go two-three rounds at least before I'd maybe be able to wear him out. I was gonna get him in the clinch and try and wear him out a lot." [37:57 - 38:07]