What's Next For Hendo?

Back in September I wrote this:

Dan Henderson currently has no UFC contract and is technically a free agent.  No wonder Henderson has been able to be so selective about what fights he will take.  His refusal to fight anyone other then Silva or Machida makes a lot more sense now.   Now in the story Henderson indicates he’d like to say with the UFC because of the top level of competition and says he’s working on a new deal.  However, if I’m Strikeforce right now I see an opportunity.  Henderson is a big name and draw and stealing him away from the UFC would be a coup for Strikeforce.  So what could Strikeforce offer Hendo that the UFC couldn’t?

Fedor.

That’s right I said it.  Let’s be honest Strikeforce has no real fighters to challenge Fedor.  Despite Henderson’s size he would be a legitimate threat to Fedor…well at least as legitimate a threat when your talking about someone fighting Fedor.  So there you have it Strikeforce.  Continue to make your presence known and steal away one of the UFC’s top fighters.

Now that prophecy has come true with the announcement today that Dan Henderson has signed with Strike Force.  Henderson outlined his reasons for jumping ship as well as dropped a hint as to who he would fight next in an interview with Sherdog.com’s Loretta Hunt:

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.

Henderson’s case is unique but in fact there just might be more opportunities for him with Strike Force then with the UFC.

• At 185 pounds Henderson is clearly at his best.  He’s a big, strong Greco-Roman wrestler with a devastating right hand.  After watching the Shields/Mayhem fight is there any doubt that Henderson would be a big favorite to beat Shields in a potential title fight?  Mayhem was able to out muscle and take Shields down.  Mayhem isn’t even in Henderson’s league in terms of strength and wrestling.

• At 205 pounds Henderson would find another tantalizing match up against Gegard Mousasi.  As good as Gegard has been he’s never fought anyone like Dan Henderson.  Gegard has an obvious advantage in terms of striking but the question would be who could win the clinch game.  Would Gegards Sambo skills be able to counter Hendersons Greco skills? If Gegard brings the same game he brought to the table against Sokodujo he might find himself in a world of trouble.

In terms of his legacy how cool would it be for Henderson to be the one time; Pride Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champ as well as the Strike Force Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champ.   That would be an impressive feat.

The other obvious fight for Henderson would be against Fedor.  If Fedor can get through his next two opponents (Overeem/Werdum) it could set up a Super Fight between him and Henderson.   Now of course Henderson would  be fighting out of his weight class but if he walks around at say 215 that’s only 10-15 pounds lighter then Fedor.  It’s enough where it would most likely be a negligible differene.

Of course Fedor has destroyed every type of fighter, including Matt Lindland who is very simialr in style to Henderson.  But go back and watch the Lindland fight again.

Lindland right away lands an overhand right, sound famillar, that clearly dazes and cuts Fedor.  Lindland immediately gets a body lock and is about to slam Fedor down but, Fedor reverses the position.  Watch this part again carefully and you’ll clearly see Fedor grab the robes as he is being slammed.  Now I’m not here to say Fedor would have lost that fight had he not grabbed the ropes but it certainly swung the momentum.

Other then Lindland, Fedor has never had to fight a guy who uses the clinch as effectively as Henderson.  As for Henderson he’s fought bigger oppoenents before.  He beat Big ‘Nog once and fought a hell of a fight the second time before sucumbing to an Arm-Bar.

Could he beat Fedor?  Who knows…anything is possible in MMA.

Maybe Henderson wasn’t one of the UFC’s top draws, but he still was one of the best pound for pound fighters they had.  Dana White won’t admit it but the UFC is going to miss him.

Related posts:

1. Henderson A Free Agent?
2. Report: Dan Henderson Might Sign with Strikeforce…
3. Strikeforce: Fedor v. Rogers Predictions
4. Forget Mayhem, “Jacare” Deserves Hendo/Shields Winner
5. Dan Henderson Signs With Strikeforce!