Henderson Leaving UFC?

King TE · 10-19-2009, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMAWeekly.com

- HENDERSON STILL OPEN TO UFC, BUT READY TO GO

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Dan Henderson hasn’t closed any doors yet with the UFC, but he’s ready to move on if necessary.

Henderson, 39, fought the last fight of his latest contract at UFC 100, knocking out fellow “The Ultimate Fighter” coach Michael Bisping in the second round.

A Friday report from Yahoo! Sports said that UFC president Dana White has been unable to come to terms on a new contract with Henderson, all but confirming an exit for the former two-division Pride champion.

Henderson on Friday laughed at news he’s been shown the door by the UFC.

“I’m still hoping to come to terms with the UFC, until I heard this,” he said. “And I will be exploring other options for sure, but I definitely need to make sure I get paid.”

Henderson acknowledged a stalemate with the promotion since he became a free agent in early August. In late September, he met with White and UFC co-owner and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta in Las Vegas, but remained at a distance on the numbers needed to secure his future services.

Henderson, however, said he hasn’t made a final decision to leave the UFC and is still open to negotiations. His agent had talked with the promotion as recently as this week.

The former Olympic wrestler made his Octagon debut at UFC 17 and fought overseas for much of his career before returning at UFC 75 after the promotion’s parent company, Zuffa LLC, purchased Pride in February 2007. He went 3-2 in his recent stint.

Henderson denied claims that he has been shopping his services to rival promotion Strikeforce, though he had an informal coffee meeting with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker last weekend.

“I’ve never even seen an offer from them,” he said.

Next week, Henderson plans to hunt in New Mexico and Utah and assess the situation when he returns. He remains firm on his terms for a deal with the UFC.

“UFC’s got a business to run and I’m not doing charity work with this,” he said. “I don’t believe that I’m asking for too much money, and I know for a fact that I’m taking less money than other fighters.”

On Nov. 7, Henderson will corner Team Quest teammate Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Strikeforce’s CBS debut. Aaron Crecy, Henderson’s business partner, said the show would give them a chance to scout out the promotion, and it was possible that a deal might be reached down the line.

Still, both asserted that nothing was set in stone, and Henderson wasn’t worried about the situation.

“I’m sure that I’ll find a job somewhere,” he said.

Dana better pay the man.

Bigpapa42 · 10-19-2009, 01:56 AM

They are not going pay Hendo what he is reportedly asking for. Hendo is one of my favorite's, but he's not quite enough of a draw to force them to break their pay scale.

James Deuce · 10-19-2009, 02:00 AM

First, if he doesn't think the UFC are giving him his deserved money, does he think Strikeforce will? I highly doubt they will pay him what the UFC wont.

Secondly, as much as I love Henderson. He most likely isn't worth what he is asking for. He struggled against Rich, beat Bisping, which I wouldn't call a very noteworthy achievement for a fighter of his stature. What happens if he gets the pay he wants, but doesn't beat Silva, or even lose a number one contender fight? The UFC are stuck paying someone a boat load of money who just lost a championship/number one contender fight, and is now on the bottom of the food chain. Lets also not forget he's 39 years old. He's still good at the age, but I'd have a hard time paying anyone over 35 a lot of money. I read somewhere that he made over 200 grand at 100, with all the bonuses and stuff. I just don't think he's worth much more than that. Maybe if he won the title, I'd think about it, but not at the moment. He also isn't a HUGE draw like some others are. I wouldn't buy a PPV if he was headlining it with someone else who is below him in the chain.

Dmac · 10-19-2009, 12:19 PM

Deuce definitely hit the nail on the head really when he bought up the Silva point.

If the UFC paid Dan what he wants, which for a fighter of his age is ridiculous anyway, he is very likely going to end up fighting Silva again. Lets be honest, Silva made Dan his bitch the first time and that wasn't long after he beat Vitor and an on his game Wandi.

I honestly don't know why Dan is asking for this kind of money when he clearly doesn't need it. He owns Clinch Gear for fuck sake and has been fighting for a long time now, he must be loaded already. At his age I would simply be happy fighting in the UFC without worrying about money.

King TE · 10-19-2009, 04:49 PM

People with money always want more money, it's how things go. I won't be surprised with either outcome but in the end, I'm sure Hendo will still be fighting in the UFC. If not, then Strikeforce gets another big name to not market properly.

Dmac · 10-19-2009, 04:52 PM

Well it's been mentioned, the question of if the UFC wont pay what he's asking for, then why would Strikefarce? Quite a valid question tbh.

Am I the only one that sees him retiring if he doesn't get what he wants with the UFC?

James Deuce · 10-19-2009, 05:52 PM

Assuming he wants to still really fight, I think he will settle. He almost has to if he doesn't want to go to Strikeforce. I don't think he could come off a massive KO and just retire after it...I don't know the guy or anything, but I don't think it's in him.

Bigpapa42 · 10-19-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmac
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Well it's been mentioned, the question of if the UFC wont pay what he's asking for, then why would Strikefarce? Quite a valid question tbh.

Am I the only one that sees him retiring if he doesn't get what he wants with the UFC?

I don't know that SF would. They tend to be pretty smart financially, compared to the likes of Elite XC or Affliction. So I don't know that they would see an aging fighter as a great investment. But its not unbelievable that they would take that chance.

Unless Henderson was to beat Silva, he's going to remain at the same level with the UFC - a big name fighter who is not quite elite in terms of drawing power. The kind of fighter you can build a lower-level PPV around, but not a major one. Its a tough situation to deal with - Hendo is 39, which makes a long-term deal with a lot of guaranteed bonus a risk. Its obvious why Hendo wants that and why the UFC is hesitant. But the UFC has built him into a recognizable name, using him as a TUF coach and such. Now they might not really get to capitalize on that. I believe the UFC hoped Bisping would beat Hendo, allowing Bisping to get that marquee win to push him to a showdown with Silva, while they could resign Hendo coming off a loss and likely at a lesser amount.

But it would be a different situation for StrikeForce. Henderson would be a marquee signing and one of their biggest names. He immediately becomes their biggest name at MW, and a possible fight with Mousasi at LHW becomes a near super-fight.

I don't know that Coker would pay out to land Henderson, but I would not be shocked if he was willing to pay well over what the UFC is willing to. I think Hendo has more value to Strikeforce than he does to the UFC, to be honest.

James Deuce · 10-19-2009, 06:12 PM

I don't think Henderson really wants to be in Strikeforce. I mean, the guy has so much history, which makes him a pretty big name. Who is in Strike that would do anything for his career beside Mousasi? I can't think of anyone really. The only fight that I could think of that he would really want, is Fedor. He would move up in a heartbeat to fight Fedor, as would most LHWs. I just think he wouldn't want to go to the "TNA"- I use that lightly, of the MMA world.

Bigpapa42 · 10-19-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Deuce
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I don't think Henderson really wants to be in Strikeforce. I mean, the guy has so much history, which makes him a pretty big name. Who is in Strike that would do anything for his career beside Mousasi? I can't think of anyone really. The only fight that I could think of that he would really want, is Fedor. He would move up in a heartbeat to fight Fedor, as would most LHWs. I just think he wouldn't want to go to the "TNA"- I use that lightly, of the MMA world.

Its tough to guess where Henderson's motivations lay. Also tough to know his perception of Strikeforce. Some people - fighters and insiders, not so much fans - regard SF as a minor league, whereas view it as having a legit chance to eventually challenge the dominance of the UFC.

In my opinion, Strikeforce offers Henderson more potential "good" fights at Middleweight. You have Frank Shamrock, Robbie Lawler, Cung Le, even Nick Diaz and Jake Shields. The UFC has an obvious advantage of potential fights for Hendo at LHW, where Strikeforce can currently only offer Mousasi.

Don't forget that Japan would likely still be a money option for Henderson, where he still have name value.

Henderson Leaving UFC?

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