Hendo signs with strikeforce

ginoginelli

It looks like Dan has finally done the deal with the devil. Big mistake by the ufc in letting dan go imo. The ufc are stretched pretty bit thin for main events at the moment, and Dan is a huge fan favourite that can headline fights in both weight classes. There will be some good match-ups for him in strikeforce at least.

"After months of speculation, Dan Henderson has finally agreed to sign with Strikeforce. FanHouse has learned that the 12-year veteran, who was last seen knocking out Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in July, recently came to terms with the San Jose-based organization on a multi-fight agreement.

At this time, it is unknown when and where Henderson will make his debut for Strikeforce.

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole first reported the possibility of Henderson signing with Strikeforce in October, but at Strikeforce's CBS event in Chicago last month, the former PRIDE middleweight and light heavyweight champion told FanHouse that he had not come to terms with the organization yet.

Henderson returned to the UFC in September 2007 following Zuffa's purchase of PRIDE. He lost a light heavyweight title unification bout against Rampage Jackson at UFC 75 and then a middleweight unification match with Anderson Silva at UFC 82. Following those back-to-back losses, he would go on to win his next three UFC fights against Rousimar Palhares, Rich Franklin and Bisping.

Recently, Henderson had publicly talked about being frustrated with the fact that he didn't receive a middleweight title shot following his victory over Bisping and that he was hoping for a bump in salary.

"I'm just hoping to get out there and fight again and get paid what I would like the get paid. I'm not asking to be the top-paid guy at out there at all," he told FanHouse at the last Strikeforce event.

"It's a little step up from my last pay check, but a lot less than a lot of other guys are getting paid," Henderson added when asked what kind of salary he was seeking.

According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Henderson earned $100,00 to show for his UFC 100 fight and an extra $150,000 for the win. He also earned an extra $100,000 for winning the "knockout of the night" award.

The addition of Henderson to its roster beefs up Strikeforce's 185-pound and 205-pound division. The obvious money fight right off the bat would be against light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, who is currently riding a 14-fight winning streak.

"He's a very tough opponent. Those are the type of guys I like to fight and the guys that it's going to be a big challenge for me," Henderson said.

In November, Henderson said that he was hoping to fight again around Super Bowl weekend (early February), which works out well for him because Strikeforce has a show scheduled for Jan. 30 in Florida."
http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/12/07/dan-henderson-headed-to-strikeforce/

peter p

350,000 is not too bad for a nights work, he was a great fighter but he dont have the pulling power as tito, lesnar,gsp has.
The fact he lost both title defences(his pride belt) in a row didnt do him any favours, espeically for ufc fans that never saw him in pride.

rovert

peter p wrote: »

350,000 is not too bad for a nights work, he was a great fighter but he dont have the pulling power as tito, lesnar,gsp has.
The fact he lost both title defences(his pride belt) in a row didnt do him any favours, espeically for ufc fans that never saw him in pride.

Tito's drawing power is hardly Premier league if his last PPV buyrate is anything to go on.

I love that this situation came about solely it seems by Tito being Tito and blabbing about how much he signed for.

According to a remark made by Dave Meltzer on his message board. Henderson valued himself by who he beat rather than a realistic assessment of his actual market value.

JohnMc1

Just saw the post from Strikeforce on Twitter. Great signing.

MrStuffins

Great move from Strikeforce's point of view.

Bad move from Hendo's POV (unless he's getting paid Affliction type figures) and from fan's POV. I mean the Gegard fight would be great but after that...., what else is there? Babalu? Jake Shields?

I wouldnt be bothered with Hendo v either of those guys.

Its a shame because i think he earned a shot at Silva and was looking forward to see how he's get on next time around

The-Game

Fantastic signing for Strikeforce!!

BIG Mistake by UFC for not signing up a Hendo Vs Silva title match, be interesting to see how this works out, always enjoyed Hendos fights.

chordtype

I wouldn't of minded seeing him against Anderson again but what the hell. Great signing for Strikeforce although he's not getting any younger.

GSPfan

Hendo will want FEDOR. Make that match when they both beat the one or two guys in their division.

Mellor

GSPfan wrote: »

Hendo will want FEDOR. Make that match when they both beat the one or two guys in their division.

lol

Professey Chin

GSPfan wrote: »

Hendo will want FEDOR. Make that match when they both beat the one or two guys in their division.

Why would you wanna see a MW/small LHW take on the greatest HW in the world
Mousasi/Shields would be much better

The-Game

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Mousasi/Shields would be much better

Yes, two potentially great fights right there.

dunkamania

Dont really get this one


Dana says he offered him a fight vs Marquadt as recently as last week

Aside from Shields and Mousasi, dont see many interesting fights for him

Professey Chin

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.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Exclusive-Why-Henderson-Chose-Strikeforce-21378

ginoginelli

Id love to see hendo and diaz, that fight could be ****ing epic!

Lord Muck

great signing for Strikeforce, Hendo stills have a lot of great fights in him.
I think he was justified to be pissed at Belfort jumping the queue to a title shot after one catch weight win against Franklin.Its like any job, if management dont rate you highly enough you're more than likely to move on.

Jason Mc

peter p wrote: »

350,000 is not too bad for a nights work

Here's the thing. It was not a nights work. He has been training for probably the guts of 25 years to have that skill level.

So to be asked to be paid well for it is justified. He's an ex olympic medalist, UFC champ and Pride champ.

I really like this guy and he's one of the best fighters around and a match with Mouassi would be a thriller.

rovert

Jason Mc wrote: »

So to be asked to be paid well for it is justified.

Define "well", Hendo wanted a $1 million signing bonus.

Jason Mc wrote: »

He's an ex olympic medalist, UFC champ and Pride champ.

But ultimately he simply isn’t all that marketable to justify his asking price. Again going by what Dave Meltzer said UFC felt Dan was negotiating like a fighter instead of a businessman here.

Professey Chin

ginoginelli wrote: »

Id love to see hendo and diaz, that fight could be ****ing epic!

Hendo would be way too big for Diaz

ginoginelli

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Hendo would be way too big for Diaz

Im not so sure about that. As well as having a length and reach advantage, Diaz has also filled out alot. Dan would be the bulkier fighter but i dont think the size comparison would be too outrages. They have both fought at middleweight before also..

It has all the hallmarks for a cracking fight anyway.

The more I think about the hendo strikeforce signing the more i like it. Its a 4 fight contract. He could fight shields in his debut, diaz in his next fight, and then move up and fight moussasi and king mo. Thats 4 cracking fights imo. At the end of his contract he can always go back to the ufc anyway.

Excellent aquisition by Croker.

Professey Chin

ginoginelli wrote: »

Im not so sure about that. As well as having a length and reach advantage, Diaz has also filled out alot. Dan would be the bulkier fighter but i dont think the size comparison would be too outrages. They have both fought at middleweight before also..

It has all the hallmarks for a cracking fight anyway.

Their reach would be the same and Diaz is only an inch or so taller then Hendo.Thatd put him at an immediate disadvantage without his height and reach advantage for the jab. If Hendo goes in at MW id rather see him against Lawler then Diaz.
When did Diaz fight MW actually? The shamrock & smith fights were catchweight and I thought he was always WW (or EXCs weird 160lb division).

ginoginelli

Ive heard Dan is only about a shade over 5"10 in height, while diaz is around 6"2. Thats more than an inch. Diaz is one lanky ****er too, so id say he has a few inches in reach as well.

Your right, diaz fought at a catchweight before, but it was close to middleweight, where I have no doubt diaz can comfortably hold his own. From reports I have heard, Diaz and Hendo both walk around at about 200 or so in between fights, so the weight comparison isnt too disproportionate or insane.

Professey Chin

ginoginelli wrote: »

Ive heard Dan is only about a shade over 5"10 in height, while diaz is around 6"2. Thats more than an inch. Diaz is one lanky ****er too, so id say he has a few inches in reach as well.

Your right, diaz fought at a catchweight before, but it was close to middleweight, where I have no doubt diaz can comfortably hold his own. From reports I have heard, Diaz and Hendo both walk around at about 200 or so in between fights, so the weight comparison isnt too disproportionate or insane.

Hendos 5'11 and Diaz is 6ft(according to google) and from what I can find they both have a 74inch reach.
Ive heard of Diaz walking around about 190-200 recently.Thought Hendo would be a bit above that though.Coulda sworn someone compared his MW cut to Silvas so he'd walk at 210-220

MrStuffins

As much as i'd watch Hendo v Sheilds or Hendo v Mousasi........ that's all there is for Hendo.

Hendo v Diaz might sound like a good prospect, but there's no way that fight would headline or co-headline a UFC card.

If Hendo wants to prove he's the best in the world he needs to head back to the UFC where they have the best fighters in each weight-class he fights in!

ginoginelli

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Hendos 5'11 and Diaz is 6ft(according to google) and from what I can find they both have a 74inch reach.
Ive heard of Diaz walking around about 190-200 recently.Thought Hendo would be a bit above that though.Coulda sworn someone compared his MW cut to Silvas so he'd walk at 210-220

I dont think Google is the most credible of sources to be fair.

Its always tricky getting true fighter heights, but hearing reports from people that have met them both, diaz has a few inches over hendo in height.

Anyway.. No more nitpicking from me, i think this would be a ****ing great fight.

Professey Chin

I think Lawler would be a good intro fight for him.Itd be exciting and if on CBS itd be the exact kinda publicity he'd need to be a bigger draw for future headline fights

MrStuffins

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

I think Lawler would be a good intro fight for him.Itd be exciting and if on CBS itd be the exact kinda publicity he'd need to be a bigger draw for future headline fights

Yeah but that's from a company standpoint.

I'm not sure if he's in a Money frame of mind or a Ambition frame of mind.

If the former, Strikeforce is a great deal for him. They could basically build cards around him. But if it's the latter, and being a former Olympian i'd say there's even a little bit of that there, he needs to be in the UFC.

Professey Chin

MrStuffins wrote: »

Yeah but that's from a company standpoint.

I'm not sure if he's in a Money frame of mind or a Ambition frame of mind.

If the former, Strikeforce is a great deal for him. They could basically build cards around him. But if it's the latter, and being a former Olympian i'd say there's even a little bit of that there, he needs to be in the UFC.

Well he said in the Sherdog interview I posted above that one of his reasons was CBS offers more publicity-wise then PPV & Spike so id say he wants his name out there more.Could be for financial reasons or he just wants more recognition for what he's achieved.Probably both though.

MrStuffins

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Well he said in the Sherdog interview I posted above that one of his reasons was CBS offers more publicity-wise then PPV & Spike so id say he wants his name out there more.Could be for financial reasons or he just wants more recognition for what he's achieved.Probably both though.

I suppose if i was in his situation, former 2 weight World Champ, smashing solid guys life right and centre and being (almost) promised to be next in line for a title shot.... and then Vitor jumps right in? I'd be pretty annoyed.

And i'd happily let Strikeforce fill my pockets in the mean time.

GSPfan

GSPfan wrote: »

Hendo will want FEDOR. Make that match when they both beat the one or two guys in their division.

Mellor wrote: »

lol

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Why would you wanna see a MW/small LHW take on the greatest HW in the world
Mousasi/Shields would be much better

Originally I wrote the Fedor thing as tongue in cheek... But then I stumble across his yahoo sports interview. I've copy and pasted some of it below!! HA.
.............................................................................................

He is the only fighter to hold two Pride titles at two different weight classes, and he is open to moving up and down in weight for Strikeforce as he did for the UFC for any opponent that Strikeforce puts in front of him.
"They know how versatile I am, that I can fight at 185 or 205 or even heavyweight. It may or may not be for a title fight."
That even includes heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko.
"I'm not opposed to fighting anybody. I'm capable of beating anybody in the world at any weight class. It's just a matter of coming up with the right strategy, implementing that game plan, and feeling good that day."