Dan Henderson

From Sportsnet.ca:

Marquardt is on a three-fight win streak, most recently knocking out Demian Maia in 21 seconds at UFC 102. Sonnen has won his last two, scoring unanimous decisions over highly-regarded middleweights Dan Miller and Yushin Okami. It's an interesting matchup that raises some important questions: First off, does this mean that Dan Henderson has officially left the UFC? Last week, Dana White said he was certain that Henderson had been signed by Strikeforce, though his manager denied it. And hey, would Chael Sonnen get the next shot at Anderson Silva (after Vitor Belfort gets his) if he manages to pull off an upset against Marquardt? Good Lord. Thanks a lot, Hendo.

The current lineup for UFC 110 (February 21st; Sydney, Australia) is after the jump...

If you were hoping that Dan Henderson's contract negotiation breakdown with the UFC would lead him to abandon his patented understated, laconic style in favor of calling Dana White a stingy bastard and accusing Anderson Silva of shucking and ducking, you're about to be disappointed.  In his latest interview, Hendo confirms DW's characterization of the talks as having reached a stalemate, but says he still thinks he's worth more and can get more than what the UFC is offering him, and dammit, come February he's fighting somebody, somewhere.  Dan has a good point when he says he's not too keen on seeing a guy who he beat, and who has never even fought as a middleweight in the UFC, jump ahead of everybody else for the title shot.  But hey, like Vitor Belfort already said, he's just working from the neck down like everybody else in the UFC.

After the jump, Natasha Wicks tries on the five best/sluttiest Halloween costumes she can find, and "Rampage" Jackson puts in overtime busting Rashad Evans' balls on tonight's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter."

One of things we didn't see in Dana White's most recent video blog from the lovely Casablanca hotel and casino in Mesquite, Nevada was him sitting down for a conversation with Raw Vegas' Dave Farra.  Not that we blame DW for cutting that portion out.  I mean, talking to Dave isn't going to be the highlight of anyone's night, trust me.  But it is interesting to hear how White characterizes his negotiations with Dan Henderson, and just how different that characterization is from the way Hendo sees things.  According to White, they couldn't come to terms with Henderson because he "was looking for an obscene amount of money."  Now there's an interesting use of the past tense.  Chances are that if you asked Henderson, he'd tell you that he continues to want that same amount of money in the present.

(Walla Walla-themed fan art courtesy of bojanelezovic.com. We also recommend checking out this breathtaking drawing of Fat Fedor.)

As one of Dana White's official mouthpieces, you sometimes have to take Kevin Iole's articles with a grain of salt. Following the report that Dan Henderson is on the verge of signing a deal with Strikeforce, we're now wondering: Was the story put out in an attempt to put pressure on Hendo or affect public opinion of him? Because at the moment, Henderson is denying it completely. As Henderson's friend and business partner Aaron Crecy told MMA Fanhouse, "We had a brief get-to-know-you session with (Strikeforce) and met them for coffee, but to say he's close to signing would be a gross misrepresentation." And as Dan himself told MMA Weekly, "I’m still hoping to come to terms with the UFC, until I heard this...I’ve never even seen an offer from (Strikeforce).”

So, a ray of hope for Hendo fans who want to see him get his rematch with Anderson Silva at some point, even if he still isn't close to terms with the UFC when it comes to money. But why would Yahoo! and the UFC puff up a "possibly" story into an "imminently" story? Could they be testing MMA fans to see how much people really want Henderson to stay in the UFC? And will the UFC adjust their offer depending on the results?

(Somebody go tell Bisping that the coast is clear now.)

Remember those contract negotiations that between Dan Henderson and the UFC that had slowed down of late?  Apparently they slowed all the way to a halt, and now Hendo may be headed for Strikeforce.  The crazy part? UFC president Dana White seems content to just watch him go:

“We have a good relationship with Henderson, and there are no hard feelings,” White said. “He had a figure he believed he was worth, and we had our own figure, and we weren’t able to get together.”

Just like that, Henderson’s highlight-reel knockout of Michael Bisping goes from a career-rejuvenator to a UFC swan song.  DW can’t really hold this one against Strikeforce if they do end up signing Henderson, though his grudges haven’t necessarily been limited by rationality in the past.  Still, the UFC had every chance to keep Hendo and ultimately decided he wasn’t worth the money he wanted.  What, did they feel like they had too many credible middleweight contenders at the moment?