Dan Henderson to StrikeForce: Signed, Sealed, and Delivered?

November 5, 7:19 PMSan Jose MMA ExaminerPhil Lanides

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Where will Henderson Land?

Photo courtesy of MMAJunkie

According to a credible report from Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, free agent Dan “Hendo” Henderson (25-7) looks to be likely bound for StrikeForce after all. The only man two hold two major MMA titles in two different weight classes simultaneously (in PRIDE), Henderson has been negotiating with both the UFC and StrikeForce. UFC President Dana White has publicly stated the Henderson asked for money that would make him the highest-paid fighter in the promotion. “Hendo” has denied this, and has stated that he would like to come back to the UFC.

Iole states that a source close to the situation claims that Henderson has signed the dotted StrikeForce line, but when questioned about it, StrikeForce CEO had this to say: “Honestly, I got a call from Dan’s management a couple of days ago telling me Dan had turned down the UFC’s offer. I guess the UFC made an offer and put a deadline on it. They turned it down and were calling to talk to me, but I told him I have this huge fight [Fedor Emelianenko-Brett Rogers] and there’s a tremendous amount going on and I couldn’t really deal with it at this point.”

Enter Dana White: “I guarantee you 1,000 percent that Dan Henderson is signed by Strikeforce.”

Henderson is headed to the “StrikeForce: Fedor vs. Rogers” event this weekend, as he will be cornering his fighter, Sokodjou. He is considered one of the best fighters of all time, facing top competition his entire career. Coming off a brutal KO win over Michael Bisping at UFC 100, he was being considered for another shot at UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson before the contract impasse. Instead, it appears that he will be in line to challenge either the winner of Jake Shields-“Mayhem” Miller for the newly-minted StrikeForce Middleweight belt, or he may become the first challenger for StrikeForce Light Heavyweight strap-holder Gegard Mousasi. Either way, he has headlined numerous pay-per-views, and would give StrikeForce a major shot of credibility.

Surprisingly, it sounds like Dan will not become an enemy of Dana, as has happened in the cases of previous UFC deserters. “Dan and I have been friends and we will continue to be friends, but it just didn’t work out and he went to Strikeforce,” stated White. For his part, though denying any report that states that Henderson is signed, sealed, and delivered, Coker would love to have him be part of the fold. “Everyone who watches MMA knows the kind of fighter Dan Henderson is,” Coker said. “He’s a tough, aggressive, fun guy to watch. Who wouldn’t want a guy like that? Of course we do, and that’s why we’ve spoken with [Henderson and his management].”

For the full report, please visit Kevin Iole's article at http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AuNK3CcEosgHcZ22mg75d349Eo14?slug=ki-henderson110509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns