(“What? I’m bulking. Don’t judge me. Most heavyweights have cans like this.”)
Unemployment can be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. It can lead to depression, divorce and drug and/or alcohol dependancy. Ask most people who have lost their jobs at some point in their adult lives and they’ll tell you that it’s something they hope to never experience again.
Dan Henderson isn’t like most people.
For starters, most people don’t jump up two weight classes four weeks prior to their 41st birthday to knock out a fighter who was and still is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artist who ever lived. Most people don’t pull off a feat like that four months after upsetting a tough young champion to take the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt. Most people don’t win every fight since October 2006, save a trio of title bouts. And most people don’t become concurrent champions in one organization in two weight classes.
It’s no surprise then that Henderson, whose stock has arguably never been higher, finds himself without a contract and it’s equally not surprising that he isn’t worried where he’ll next ply his trade.
“I’m the Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion, I’ve beaten Fedor, and I’m unemployed, so we’ll have to see what the talks are now after I’ve had a few weeks off,” Hendo told the Telegraph UK Monday night. “It’s not a bad position to be in though.”
Confident that he’ll be able to strike a deal in the coming weeks, what Henderson says he really wants is a unification bout against the winner of the upcoming UFC 135 light heavyweight championship bout between 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones and challenger Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, much like former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz has been granted against his UFC counterpart Georges St-Pierre in December.
The bout would be an intriguing one, regardless of whom he faces.
On one hand, he would have a chance to avenge his first UFC loss to Jackson in what could have been the former PRIDE champ’s first unification bout in his Octagon return at UFC 75.
On the other, you’d have a battle between new school and old school, unorthodox and traditional champions. Although most wouldn’t give Henderson much of a chance against Jones, remember that the majority were picking against him versus Fedor and many of those likely had Tim Sylvia as a lock against Randy Couture.
Henderson, who turns 41 August 24 says that he’s just interested in good fights and the UFC is the only place left for him to find them.
“I think that could be interesting going forward, a unification fight with the winner of that contest would be a good match,” he explained.
It looks like Dan’s about to get an obscene amount of money from uncle Dana.
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I loved his fight with Rampage and it was really close, but I want to see what happens when one of his punches land on Jon Jones face