Henderson to fight at UFC 79?

The Phantom

Dan Henderson, who most recently lost a unanimous decision to UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson in September, may return to the octagon Dec. 29 at UFC 79.

The news come from Bubba The Love Sponge, who recently spoke to Henderson in Las Vegas. The Sirius Satellite Radio host mentioned the encounter during today’s episode of his show, and the news also appeared on the show’s official website, BTLS.com. (MMAjunkie.com is a content-partner site of BTLS.com.)

According to Bubba, Henderson wouldn’t name his possible opponent but did mention that he may be dropping to 185 pounds for the fight. That’s actually news itself. In a post-UFC 77 press conference earlier this month, UFC President Dana White said he wants Henderson to drop to middleweight but that the fighter seemed opposed to the idea.

Henderson has one fight remaining on his current contract, which was acquired when the UFC’s owners purchased PRIDE earlier this year (though not all of the fighters’ contracts were transferable). Although Henderson recently stated he was unhappy with the UFC’s initial offer, he said he was optimistic a deal would be reached.

A new deal would likely need to be in place before the UFC would officially book Henderson for his next fight.

UFC 79 takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and features a main event between UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and former champ Matt Hughes.

-MMA Junkie