RealGM

Dan Henderson’s career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship has ground to a close in a contract stalemate, and the former two-division PRIDE champion appears on the verge of signing a deal with the rival Strikeforce promotion.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

Damn.

That's a pretty big loss to the UFC, but no doubt they can recover...

If SF does get this deal done then that would be potentially be huge for them

Future MW matches maybe with Hendo and Shields? or of course at LHW Mousasi and Hendo (great fight potentially).

Shocked that the UFC would let this happen if it's true.

I said a while ago I would not be shocked in the least if Dan ended up leaving the UFC, or at least got to the stage where he had a proper offer on the table from another organisation.

It does seem that its coming down to cash (yet again) according to Dana White, but I imagine for Henderson its also going to factor in the way they have treated his "next" fights (pencilled for Franklin 2, then Vitor getting in ahead of him after he was told to take Nate etc...)

He's past the point in his contract where the UFC could match any offer...

So now it's pretty much his decision alone if he chooses to leave.

It makes a bit of sense since SF is based out of Cali and so is Dan's training camp (Team Quest I believe).

I thought I read somewhere that Hendo can't sign with another organization until 2010, which would mean the UFC could match any Strikeforce offer.

I do not know the particulars here, but this is a mistake for Hendo if true. He may get slightly more money in Strikeforce, but there are very few interesting matches for him there. Pretty much every guy who took a little more money to leave the UFC have regretted it in retrospect. The only interesting fight for Hendo in Strikeforce in Mousasi, after that, nothing.

He has been screwed over pretty good by Dana though regarding a title shot. The guy is 39 years old, give him a shot against Silva for god-sakes! I'd be pissed too if I was 39 and I have a to fight 2-3 fighters before a title shot especially when a guy more undeserving than get one first.

I'd much rather see Hendo fight in the UFC(he's my favorite fighter as well), than SF, but I'd still watch him fight so it doesnt matter to me hahah

Latrell wrote:He has been screwed over pretty good by Dana though regarding a title shot. The guy is 39 years old, give him a shot against Silva for god-sakes! I'd be pissed too if I was 39 and I have a to fight 2-3 fighters before a title shot especially when a guy more undeserving than get one first.

I completely disagree with this. Dana has done fine by Hendo. Hell, Hendo had 2 title shots in the UFC before he ever won a fight (Rampage and Silva). No one ever seems to talk about that when complaining that Belfort is getting a title shot after one win.

The fact of the matter is that a Belfort vs. Silva fight is the best fight that can be made right now, because we have already seen both Marquart and Hendo dominated by Silva. If Hendo wants a title shot so bad, he can go out and beat Marquart.

I love Hendo and would hate to see him leave the UFC, but all this talk about who DESERVES a title shot is bunk. It is about making the most intriguing fight, and that fight is Belfort. Hendo grinded out a controversial decision win against Franklin, Belfort ran right through him. So, why exactly does Hendo deserve the shot over Marquart or Belfort?

I dont think it would be a very bright idea for Hendo to sign with SF either. Aside from Mousasi (dont get me wrong that would be awesome) there arent really alot of super fights out there for him. There are loads of fights for him in the UFC even if he has to wait to get a crack at Silva. I think in the end he and the UFC still end up coming to terms, he is probably just entertaining a SF offer. Dana cant be to laid back about it though.

I hope it doesn't happen, I love Hendo. But he's been treated like **** the last little bit. Give him a title shot.

I agree they can recover but Henderson is big in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. Hopefully they can come to some sort of an agreement.

This is what the UFC gets for the ASilva vs Belfort fiasco.

jTF2 wrote:This is what the UFC gets for the ASilva vs Belfort fiasco.

Not really a Fiasco. Dan got shots he arguably didnt deserve. And he got the snot beaten out of him by Silva. He can wait. And if he cant, he can go crush cans in SF.

SpReEfOrAlL wrote:

jTF2 wrote:This is what the UFC gets for the ASilva vs Belfort fiasco.

Not really a Fiasco. Dan got shots he arguably didnt deserve. And he got the snot beaten out of him by Silva. He can wait. And if he cant, he can go crush cans in SF.

Finally, a voice of reason. Hendo got 2 title shots before he even won a fight. He also needed 3 rounds and judges who put way too much emphasis on takedowns to beat Rich Franklin, who Belfort rolled over in a couple minutes. I love Henderson, but he the only Silva fight I want to see at 185 pounds is against Belfort.

To be fair... rumors were circulating that Michael Bisping was suppose to be next in line to fight A. Silva should he have gotten by Henderson...

Then along comes Belfort who no doubt beat Franklin more convincingly than Hendo, but previous to the Franklin fight was stuck in mediocrity for 2 years, and his last really meaningful/interesting fight was a loss to Hendo.

Also, I have no idea why your saying he got 2 undeserving title shots? Maybe the 1 against Silva originally was rushed, but the one against Rampage was the "unification" fight for the Pride and UFC titles.

So to summarize....
a) Hendo beat the same guy Vitor did before Vitor (like what 9 months earlier?), but doesn't get the shot
b) Beats the guy (Bisping) that was rumored to get the next shot (if he won) but doesn't get it
c) Beat the guy (Belfort) who is rumored to fight Silva now

I can see how he feels cheated.

1. Belfort had not been stuck in mediocrity prior to the Franklin fight. In fact, he has not lost since 2006 (ironically to Hendo in Pride) and had wicked KOs of Terry Martin and Matt Lindland. Both were considered top 10 to 20 MWs at the time.

2. The UFC puts on the fights people want to see, not the most deserving challenger. Hell, the most deserving guy at 185 is probably Yushin Okami. The fact of the matter is we have seen both Marquart and Hendo get overwhelmed by Silva. If anyone understands this point, it is Hendo. He did, afterall, have 2 title fights in the UFC before ever winning a fight after Pride went down. So, why was it ok for Hendo and now suddenly not ok for Belfort?

To address your points

1. Fighting Matt Lindland and Terry Martin doesn't sound like mediocrity to you? Most argue against Fedor for fighting cans, not seeking the best competition, etc. and place Lindland in that category. And if Martin's a top 10 MW from beating up guys no one's ever heard of, then congrats to him

2. I thought I addressed this in my previous post.... And about Okami, he was I believe in line for a shot, but then injuries set him back. I understand it's a business and entertainment, and the dude has just never been able to be marketed in the right way... yet. But who really wanted Silva to fight Cote or Leites? You might be a huge Belfort fan and want to see him fight Silva, but that doesn't mean Henderson isn't more than deserving of the shot himself.