Henderson Reaches Agreement with Strikeforce
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Former UFC middleweight Dan Henderson signed a four-fight, 16-month deal with Strikeforce on Saturday.
Aaron Crecy, the fighter’s business partner and manager, confirmed that the deal has been inked but would not divulge any further specifics of the agreement. Henderson had been in negotiations with both the UFC and Strikeforce since his UFC contract expired this fall.
“Dan chose to sign with Strikeforce after careful consideration," Crecy told Sherdog.com via e-mail on Monday. "He approached the process with an open mind, and over the course of the past couple months became increasingly impressed with the Strikeforce organization. It was not a decision that Dan took lightly."
Henderson could debut for Strikeforce as early as April on a tentatively planned CBS event, Sherdog.com has learned, and might face the promotion’s middleweight champion, Jake Shields, right out of the gate. Henderson, who also fights at light heavyweight, is being eyed for matchups against Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and the world’s No. 1 heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, said a source with knowledge of the deal.
“Dan has always been motivated by the challenge of competing above his natural weight class, and he would certainly be honored to square off with Fedor at some point," said Crecy.
Henderson, who is Sherdog.com’s No. 3 ranked middleweight, and the UFC had stalemated on a new five-fight agreement since late July, following the two-time Olympic wrestler’s second-round knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100. (Henderson earned $350,000 for the win, which included a $100,000 performance bonus from the promotion.)
Henderson was first announced to rematch Rich Franklin at UFC 103 last September in Dallas, though he was later replaced by Vitor Belfort as the 39-year-old California native’s renegotiations continued.
During a July 31 teleconference call, UFC President Dana White said Henderson was “next in line” to challenge middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva in a rematch of their March 2008 bout at UFC 82. However, the bout would never come to fruition. Henderson met face-to-face with UFC owners Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta at the end of September in Las Vegas, but could not hash out a new contract.
In November, Strikeforce joined the negotiation table after Henderson’s two-month non-compete period had expired with the UFC. Unlike other standard UFC contracts, Henderson’s did not include a matching period in which the UFC could review and match outside offers, said the source.
Jordan Feagan, Henderson’s lawyer, continued to converse with both promotions as late as Friday, according to the source. The source said that Henderson was even offered a bout on Friday to face top-ranked middleweight Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas, a matchup the promotion had previously tried to lock up for November’s UFC 105 in Manchester, England. A bout between Marquardt and Henderson’s former teammate, Chael Sonnen, had already been reported independently for that date, though not officially announced yet by the promotion.
Henderson won the UFC’s under 200-Pound tournament at UFC 17 in 1998, before joining the ranks of RINGS and Pride Fighting Championships in Japan. The only fighter ever to hold two division titles for Pride simultaneously, Henderson owns victories over standouts Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante, and Rich Franklin.
During his second stint with the UFC from 2007-2009, Henderson co-headlined four of the five events that he appeared in.
Crecy said Henderson was “very pleased” with the terms of his new contract and that money was not the fighter’s sole objective in his decision to move to the newer promotion.
“Dan likes to be a maverick, and I think part of the attraction to Strikeforce was to be a part of something that broadens the growth of the sport within the U.S. and globally,” said Crecy. “The fact that Strikeforce offers a network television platform in CBS as well as a premium cable partner in Showtime was particularly appealing to him. It delivers an incredible opportunity for Dan to perform live before an audience of millions of present and future MMA fans. Also, (Strikeforce CEO) Scott Coker treated Dan with a great deal of respect and integrity throughout the negotiations, and that certainly affected his decision. Dan is very excited to be a part of the Strikeforce family."
Aaron Crecy, the fighter’s business partner and manager, confirmed that the deal has been inked but would not divulge any further specifics of the agreement. Henderson had been in negotiations with both the UFC and Strikeforce since his UFC contract expired this fall.
“Dan chose to sign with Strikeforce after careful consideration," Crecy told Sherdog.com via e-mail on Monday. "He approached the process with an open mind, and over the course of the past couple months became increasingly impressed with the Strikeforce organization. It was not a decision that Dan took lightly."
Henderson could debut for Strikeforce as early as April on a tentatively planned CBS event, Sherdog.com has learned, and might face the promotion’s middleweight champion, Jake Shields, right out of the gate. Henderson, who also fights at light heavyweight, is being eyed for matchups against Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and the world’s No. 1 heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, said a source with knowledge of the deal.
“Dan has always been motivated by the challenge of competing above his natural weight class, and he would certainly be honored to square off with Fedor at some point," said Crecy.
Henderson, who is Sherdog.com’s No. 3 ranked middleweight, and the UFC had stalemated on a new five-fight agreement since late July, following the two-time Olympic wrestler’s second-round knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100. (Henderson earned $350,000 for the win, which included a $100,000 performance bonus from the promotion.)
Henderson was first announced to rematch Rich Franklin at UFC 103 last September in Dallas, though he was later replaced by Vitor Belfort as the 39-year-old California native’s renegotiations continued.
During a July 31 teleconference call, UFC President Dana White said Henderson was “next in line” to challenge middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva in a rematch of their March 2008 bout at UFC 82. However, the bout would never come to fruition. Henderson met face-to-face with UFC owners Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta at the end of September in Las Vegas, but could not hash out a new contract.
In November, Strikeforce joined the negotiation table after Henderson’s two-month non-compete period had expired with the UFC. Unlike other standard UFC contracts, Henderson’s did not include a matching period in which the UFC could review and match outside offers, said the source.
Jordan Feagan, Henderson’s lawyer, continued to converse with both promotions as late as Friday, according to the source. The source said that Henderson was even offered a bout on Friday to face top-ranked middleweight Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas, a matchup the promotion had previously tried to lock up for November’s UFC 105 in Manchester, England. A bout between Marquardt and Henderson’s former teammate, Chael Sonnen, had already been reported independently for that date, though not officially announced yet by the promotion.
Henderson won the UFC’s under 200-Pound tournament at UFC 17 in 1998, before joining the ranks of RINGS and Pride Fighting Championships in Japan. The only fighter ever to hold two division titles for Pride simultaneously, Henderson owns victories over standouts Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante, and Rich Franklin.
During his second stint with the UFC from 2007-2009, Henderson co-headlined four of the five events that he appeared in.
Crecy said Henderson was “very pleased” with the terms of his new contract and that money was not the fighter’s sole objective in his decision to move to the newer promotion.
“Dan likes to be a maverick, and I think part of the attraction to Strikeforce was to be a part of something that broadens the growth of the sport within the U.S. and globally,” said Crecy. “The fact that Strikeforce offers a network television platform in CBS as well as a premium cable partner in Showtime was particularly appealing to him. It delivers an incredible opportunity for Dan to perform live before an audience of millions of present and future MMA fans. Also, (Strikeforce CEO) Scott Coker treated Dan with a great deal of respect and integrity throughout the negotiations, and that certainly affected his decision. Dan is very excited to be a part of the Strikeforce family."
Exclusive: Why Henderson Chose Strikeforce
Former UFC middleweight Dan Henderson spoke with Sherdog.com just minutes after the announcement that he’d jumped promotions and signed a four-fight, 16-month deal with rival organization Strikeforce. Henderson, who had co-headlined four of his last five appearances in the UFC, negotiated with both promotions until last Friday.
Sherdog.com: Why did you pick Strikeforce over the UFC?
Henderson: The decision was based on a number of things. It wasn’t just a financial thing. It was the fact that I felt I wasn’t getting the fight that I wanted in the UFC. That was a big part of that -- that I wasn’t and that it got yanked away from me. I think I stepped up for the UFC a number of times and had earned that right again for a title fight. And the fact that publicity-wise, CBS offers quite a bit more than a pay-per-view and Spike TV.
Sherdog.com: In September, you sat down with UFC owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White in Las Vegas and confronted them about being passed over for the next middleweight title bout against Silva. How did they respond?
Henderson: The fight got pulled from me and was offered to Vitor (Belfort). I met with them after Vitor fought Rich Franklin. I told them that it does irritate me. I said, ‘Why does Vitor get to jump the line when there’s me and (Nate) Marquardt here who can both fight for a title shot and Vitor’s never fought for the UFC at 185? He jumps the line, especially since I beat him.’ They acted surprised that I’d even fought him. They weren’t up on those details at the time. It jogged their memory, but either way, to put someone in there that I dominated not that long ago…
Sherdog.com: You’re the first top-ranked UFC fighter to leave that promotion and join Strikeforce’s ranks. What do you think this says about the current climate of the sport?
Henderson: Obviously, I was fighting in Pride for a long time and I’ve never been one to really jump ship. Had I felt a little bit more, I don’t know… I was planning on finishing my career in the UFC. When I signed with the UFC, that’s what I was planning on doing. I think that whatever transpired or how they handled me just didn’t work out at present. Especially for me at this point in my career, it was definitely Strikeforce. I don’t know what that says about the climate of the UFC. I think that they need to really respect the fighters a little bit more.
Sherdog.com: At one point during renegotiations Dana White stated that you were trying to become the highest paid fighter in the UFC --
Henderson: I don’t know what anyone else makes, but didn’t he make a comment after that a couple of weeks later that I was upset about what Tito (Ortiz) makes? I have no idea what Tito makes. So, if I’m trying to be the highest paid fighter, why would I be upset about what Tito makes? These are his own comments contradicting themselves. Either way, I don’t know what Tito makes and I didn’t really know where I was on the totem pole over there, but I felt like I wasn’t getting fair market value for myself.
Sherdog.com: How did the UFC’s banning of your clothing brand, Clinch Gear, from their events affect renegotiations?
Henderson: Well, at least I’ll be able to have Clinch Gear on in the cage when I fight for Strikeforce. The banning didn’t really affect anything though. When the UFC called and said that we could no longer sponsor (other fighters), that we were banned from the UFC, I wasn’t mad at all. It was more funny to me than anything that they would do that. Dana has stated to me that it was nothing personal and that there were no hard feelings at all. If there were no hard feelings, why would they ban a clothing line? We already had a deal; we were paying for the right to sponsor guys just like every other sponsor was. For them to come back and say just because Dan hasn’t re-signed a deal yet, we’re banned.
Sherdog.com: Does that play into your comment earlier that they need to respect fighters more?
Henderson: Absolutely. Things like that aren’t necessary and for them to do that in the middle of negotiations doesn’t make me feel respected. It’s more of a strong-arm tactic and a lot of people turn the other way when that happens. To me, it was just funny. I didn’t take it personally, but it just seemed a little contradictory to the ‘no hard feelings’ thing.
Sherdog.com: How did the Strikeforce negotiations play out in comparison to the UFC renegotiations? You were talking to both promotions at the same time.
Henderson:Yeah, I was to a point. I wasn’t going back and forth to them saying, ‘Hey, so and so is paying me this. Pay me more.’ I didn’t want to do that at all. I don’t think that’s the right way to do things, so basically I was just looking at the offers. I have to be honest, Strikeforce was a little slow in getting back to me on certain things, only because Scott Coker got sick for a couple of weeks and was a little hard to get a hold of. He didn’t want to pass the negotiations over to anyone else. Other than that, everything went great and Scott Coker was very respectful and excited the whole time. I was sincere with negotiating with them obviously because I signed, but I wasn’t just using them to get the UFC to pay me more. Dana was pretty cool throughout negotiations with the UFC. He was OK to deal with. We were pretty much just at a standstill. I thought I was worth more and they didn’t. It was nothing personal really.
Sherdog.com: The critics of this move might say you’re leaving the elite of the sport to go fight lesser competition. How would you respond to that?
Henderson: It’s questionable. Where is (Gegard) Mousasi ranked in there? He might be the guy to beat Anderson Silva up. And obviously Fedor (Emelianenko) is unscathed and has proven that he is probably the top heavyweight in the world. Jake Shields has never fought in the UFC. I think that Strikeforce has a lot of great matchups for me. I’m in this sport not just for the money, but I love the challenge of it. Those three guys are great challenges for me and Strikeforce has quite a few guys that are really top at 185 and above. Their roster is growing rapidly with top guys, not just lower-level guys.
Sherdog.com: Why do you think every fighter wants to fight Fedor Emelianenko?
Henderson: I don’t know. To me, he’s not the reason I signed with Strikeforce just to fight him -- although that is interesting and appealing to me to be able to challenge myself against him. I don’t know who else wants to fight him, but I do know the fans like to see him fight. He’s very effective and likes to finish guys and does a very good job. I think him and I would make an interesting matchup.
Sherdog.com: Do you think you can beat Emelianenko?
Henderson: I think I can beat anyone on any given day. It’s just a matter of making sure that everything is right with that day.
Sherdog.com: How do you look back on your UFC career?
Henderson: I always enjoyed watching the UFC and had good experiences fighting there, so I have nothing bad to say about them. I just think that for me, at this point in my career, maybe it just wasn’t a good matchup for them and me. We were at a sticking point on certain things and maybe they think I don’t have too many years left, so why would they put a lot of stock in me. Who knows?
Sherdog.com: What are your goals now, having signed on for four fights with Strikeforce?
Henderson: I’m planning on fighting more than four fights. I can tell you that. I couldn’t tell you what the future holds. It changes pretty quickly. Like I said, I thought I was going to end my career in the UFC and this came up and obviously I went in a different direction than I thought I was going to. I couldn’t comment on the future and who knows what’s going to happen with Strikeforce? I think that they have great opportunities and have the potential to bring a lot of new fans to the sport and I’m pretty much at the forefront of that. That’s appealing to me.
Former UFC middleweight Dan Henderson spoke with Sherdog.com just minutes after the announcement that he’d jumped promotions and signed a four-fight, 16-month deal with rival organization Strikeforce. Henderson, who had co-headlined four of his last five appearances in the UFC, negotiated with both promotions until last Friday.
Sherdog.com: Why did you pick Strikeforce over the UFC?
Henderson: The decision was based on a number of things. It wasn’t just a financial thing. It was the fact that I felt I wasn’t getting the fight that I wanted in the UFC. That was a big part of that -- that I wasn’t and that it got yanked away from me. I think I stepped up for the UFC a number of times and had earned that right again for a title fight. And the fact that publicity-wise, CBS offers quite a bit more than a pay-per-view and Spike TV.
Sherdog.com: In September, you sat down with UFC owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White in Las Vegas and confronted them about being passed over for the next middleweight title bout against Silva. How did they respond?
Henderson: The fight got pulled from me and was offered to Vitor (Belfort). I met with them after Vitor fought Rich Franklin. I told them that it does irritate me. I said, ‘Why does Vitor get to jump the line when there’s me and (Nate) Marquardt here who can both fight for a title shot and Vitor’s never fought for the UFC at 185? He jumps the line, especially since I beat him.’ They acted surprised that I’d even fought him. They weren’t up on those details at the time. It jogged their memory, but either way, to put someone in there that I dominated not that long ago…
Sherdog.com: You’re the first top-ranked UFC fighter to leave that promotion and join Strikeforce’s ranks. What do you think this says about the current climate of the sport?
Henderson: Obviously, I was fighting in Pride for a long time and I’ve never been one to really jump ship. Had I felt a little bit more, I don’t know… I was planning on finishing my career in the UFC. When I signed with the UFC, that’s what I was planning on doing. I think that whatever transpired or how they handled me just didn’t work out at present. Especially for me at this point in my career, it was definitely Strikeforce. I don’t know what that says about the climate of the UFC. I think that they need to really respect the fighters a little bit more.
Sherdog.com: At one point during renegotiations Dana White stated that you were trying to become the highest paid fighter in the UFC --
Henderson: I don’t know what anyone else makes, but didn’t he make a comment after that a couple of weeks later that I was upset about what Tito (Ortiz) makes? I have no idea what Tito makes. So, if I’m trying to be the highest paid fighter, why would I be upset about what Tito makes? These are his own comments contradicting themselves. Either way, I don’t know what Tito makes and I didn’t really know where I was on the totem pole over there, but I felt like I wasn’t getting fair market value for myself.
Sherdog.com: How did the UFC’s banning of your clothing brand, Clinch Gear, from their events affect renegotiations?
Henderson: Well, at least I’ll be able to have Clinch Gear on in the cage when I fight for Strikeforce. The banning didn’t really affect anything though. When the UFC called and said that we could no longer sponsor (other fighters), that we were banned from the UFC, I wasn’t mad at all. It was more funny to me than anything that they would do that. Dana has stated to me that it was nothing personal and that there were no hard feelings at all. If there were no hard feelings, why would they ban a clothing line? We already had a deal; we were paying for the right to sponsor guys just like every other sponsor was. For them to come back and say just because Dan hasn’t re-signed a deal yet, we’re banned.
Sherdog.com: Does that play into your comment earlier that they need to respect fighters more?
Henderson: Absolutely. Things like that aren’t necessary and for them to do that in the middle of negotiations doesn’t make me feel respected. It’s more of a strong-arm tactic and a lot of people turn the other way when that happens. To me, it was just funny. I didn’t take it personally, but it just seemed a little contradictory to the ‘no hard feelings’ thing.
Sherdog.com: How did the Strikeforce negotiations play out in comparison to the UFC renegotiations? You were talking to both promotions at the same time.
Henderson:Yeah, I was to a point. I wasn’t going back and forth to them saying, ‘Hey, so and so is paying me this. Pay me more.’ I didn’t want to do that at all. I don’t think that’s the right way to do things, so basically I was just looking at the offers. I have to be honest, Strikeforce was a little slow in getting back to me on certain things, only because Scott Coker got sick for a couple of weeks and was a little hard to get a hold of. He didn’t want to pass the negotiations over to anyone else. Other than that, everything went great and Scott Coker was very respectful and excited the whole time. I was sincere with negotiating with them obviously because I signed, but I wasn’t just using them to get the UFC to pay me more. Dana was pretty cool throughout negotiations with the UFC. He was OK to deal with. We were pretty much just at a standstill. I thought I was worth more and they didn’t. It was nothing personal really.
Sherdog.com: The critics of this move might say you’re leaving the elite of the sport to go fight lesser competition. How would you respond to that?
Henderson: It’s questionable. Where is (Gegard) Mousasi ranked in there? He might be the guy to beat Anderson Silva up. And obviously Fedor (Emelianenko) is unscathed and has proven that he is probably the top heavyweight in the world. Jake Shields has never fought in the UFC. I think that Strikeforce has a lot of great matchups for me. I’m in this sport not just for the money, but I love the challenge of it. Those three guys are great challenges for me and Strikeforce has quite a few guys that are really top at 185 and above. Their roster is growing rapidly with top guys, not just lower-level guys.
Sherdog.com: Why do you think every fighter wants to fight Fedor Emelianenko?
Henderson: I don’t know. To me, he’s not the reason I signed with Strikeforce just to fight him -- although that is interesting and appealing to me to be able to challenge myself against him. I don’t know who else wants to fight him, but I do know the fans like to see him fight. He’s very effective and likes to finish guys and does a very good job. I think him and I would make an interesting matchup.
Sherdog.com: Do you think you can beat Emelianenko?
Henderson: I think I can beat anyone on any given day. It’s just a matter of making sure that everything is right with that day.
Sherdog.com: How do you look back on your UFC career?
Henderson: I always enjoyed watching the UFC and had good experiences fighting there, so I have nothing bad to say about them. I just think that for me, at this point in my career, maybe it just wasn’t a good matchup for them and me. We were at a sticking point on certain things and maybe they think I don’t have too many years left, so why would they put a lot of stock in me. Who knows?
Sherdog.com: What are your goals now, having signed on for four fights with Strikeforce?
Henderson: I’m planning on fighting more than four fights. I can tell you that. I couldn’t tell you what the future holds. It changes pretty quickly. Like I said, I thought I was going to end my career in the UFC and this came up and obviously I went in a different direction than I thought I was going to. I couldn’t comment on the future and who knows what’s going to happen with Strikeforce? I think that they have great opportunities and have the potential to bring a lot of new fans to the sport and I’m pretty much at the forefront of that. That’s appealing to me.
Jake Shields open to Strikeforce title defense against Dan Henderson
Just hours after Strikeforce announced the signing of former UFC fighter Dan Henderson, one potential opponent said he's open to a matchup.
Henderson, who struck out on a potential second middleweight title shot against UFC champion Anderson Silva before signing a four-fight deal with Strikeforce, apparently won't face similar roadblocks at his new home.
Strikeforce's recently crowned middleweight champion, Jake Shields, stated he considers Henderson "a legend" and would "happily give him a shot at my belt."
Shields posted the comments on his personal Twitter account.
"Hendo (has) always been one of my [favorite] fighters," Shields wrote. "Huge signing for Strikeforce."
Henderson, a former two-belt holder for PRIDE Fighting Championships (until the UFC purchased and disbanded the promotion), bounced between the UFC's middleweight and light heavyweight divisions upon his return in 2007. He fell short in his title shots in both weight classes, and his run toward a second middleweight title fight fell short when negotiations with the UFC fell apart following his July knockout win over Michael Bisping.
Henderson instead signed with Strikeforce and is expected to be part of the organization's CBS cards. Strikeforce recently signed a deal with the U.S. network, and sources close to organization told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that CBS executives heavily pushed for the Henderson signing and plan to feature him prominently on its broadcasts.
Shields, in fact, defeated Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the title in the co-main event of Strikeforce's debut show on CBS.
Strikeforce hasn't set a timetable for Henderon's promotional debut, though both Shields and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi are considered likely options for the fighter.
Henderson (25-7), a collegiate wrestling standout who represented the U.S. Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996, has won three consecutive fights and has defeated a host of jiu-jitsu fighters in his 13-year career. Shields (24-4-1), meanwhile, has won 13 consecutive fights and hasn't tasted defeat in nearly five years while racking up wins over the likes of Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami.
Strikeforce currently has Showtime-televised events set for Dec. 19 and Jan. 30, though no date has been set for a probable second CBS event.
Just hours after Strikeforce announced the signing of former UFC fighter Dan Henderson, one potential opponent said he's open to a matchup.
Henderson, who struck out on a potential second middleweight title shot against UFC champion Anderson Silva before signing a four-fight deal with Strikeforce, apparently won't face similar roadblocks at his new home.
Strikeforce's recently crowned middleweight champion, Jake Shields, stated he considers Henderson "a legend" and would "happily give him a shot at my belt."
Shields posted the comments on his personal Twitter account.
"Hendo (has) always been one of my [favorite] fighters," Shields wrote. "Huge signing for Strikeforce."
Henderson, a former two-belt holder for PRIDE Fighting Championships (until the UFC purchased and disbanded the promotion), bounced between the UFC's middleweight and light heavyweight divisions upon his return in 2007. He fell short in his title shots in both weight classes, and his run toward a second middleweight title fight fell short when negotiations with the UFC fell apart following his July knockout win over Michael Bisping.
Henderson instead signed with Strikeforce and is expected to be part of the organization's CBS cards. Strikeforce recently signed a deal with the U.S. network, and sources close to organization told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that CBS executives heavily pushed for the Henderson signing and plan to feature him prominently on its broadcasts.
Shields, in fact, defeated Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the title in the co-main event of Strikeforce's debut show on CBS.
Strikeforce hasn't set a timetable for Henderon's promotional debut, though both Shields and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi are considered likely options for the fighter.
Henderson (25-7), a collegiate wrestling standout who represented the U.S. Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996, has won three consecutive fights and has defeated a host of jiu-jitsu fighters in his 13-year career. Shields (24-4-1), meanwhile, has won 13 consecutive fights and hasn't tasted defeat in nearly five years while racking up wins over the likes of Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami.
Strikeforce currently has Showtime-televised events set for Dec. 19 and Jan. 30, though no date has been set for a probable second CBS event.
