With UFC Contract Negotiations Stalled Out, Could Dan Henderson Be Heading for the Door?

(The Henderson vs. Belfort fight from PRIDE 32 that the UFC has conveniently forgotten about.)

As strange as it seems now, there was a time when the Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping fight at UFC 100 was thought to be a #1 middleweight contender’s match. Then, Nate Marquardt blasted Demian Maia, Vitor Belfort ran over Rich Franklin, and suddenly things began to get complicated, both in terms of the UFC’s middleweight title picture and Hendo’s short-term career plans. It’s obvious now that the UFC wants Vitor to be the next challenger for Anderson Silva’s belt (despite the fact the Belfort has never competed in the UFC at 185 pounds), with the next title shot going to the winner of Dan vs. Nate. Unfortunately, Henderson isn’t currently signed to the UFC. A new report on Sherdog informs us that Dan has been a free agent since last month, and his latest round of contract negotiations with the UFC last week didn’t produce a signed contract:
“It didn’t go quite as I hoped. Let’s put it that way,” Henderson told Sherdog.com Wednesday. “It could have been a lot better. Obviously I feel my value has gone up enough to warrant what I’ve asked for. I don’t think I’m being greedy by any means. There’s a lot of numbers being thrown around out there and I feel I should be paid what I ask for. They feel like, I guess, I’m not worth that though.”

Uh-oh. The phrase “lack of respect” wasn’t used, but this could easily turn into another Couture/Ortiz/Rampage situation, where one of the UFC’s big stars storms out due to what he perceives as unfair treatement. For the record, Henderson’s last performance earned him a base salary of $100,000, a win bonus of $150,000, and a Knockout of the Night bonus of $100,000. Not a bad total haul, but you can see why he might want his guaranteed money to be more in line with the promotion’s other stars. (On the same card, Georges St. Pierre made $200,000 to show, and Brock Lesnar made $400,000.) And of course, the Belfort situation is a kick in the nuts:
“Yeah, I’m not real thrilled about that. And I like Vitor. He’s a good guy and he’s been around for a long time, but I just don’t understand why he gets to jump to the front of the line, especially when I beat him.” Henderson said he brought up his 2006 unanimous decision victory over Belfort at Pride 32 in Las Vegas at last week’s meeting, but he was met with puzzled faces. “I think it’s something that might have slipped their minds, that (that fight) happened,” said Henderson. “I’m not exactly sure. You’ll have to ask them on that, but to me, that’s what it seemed like.”

At this point, Henderson says he hasn’t begun talks with any competing organizations, out of respect for the UFC. However…
“Basically anywhere’s a possibility…Since I’ve had a history with Japan, I guess that would be one place I’d talk to. Strikeforce, for sure, would be the next big U.S. promotion.”

Sure, he could go to DREAM or Strikeforce and immediately become their middleweight champion. But there’s only one place that Henderson can have his rematch with Anderson Silva, and that’s within the eight walls of the Octagon. Will personal pride be enough to keep Hendo in the UFC? Or will Strikeforce pull up quick to retrieve it?

Tags: Anderson Silva,Dan Henderson,MMA,UFC,Vitor Belfort

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