UFC Parent Company Buys Strikeforce: Dan Henderson's Response

One of the biggest questions surrounding Zuffa and the UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce has to be how fighters like Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson will react to the news.

As one of the sport’s most legendary fighters, Henderson has put together a resume that reads more like a novel than it does a list.

He was the first man ever to hold two titles in separate weight classes in a major MMA promotion when he did so in PRIDE. When PRIDE closed, he moved on to the UFC, where he continued his already very successful career. Though he ended up losing in both of his title fights against Rampage Jackson and Anderson Silva, Henderson was still regarded as one of the elite fighters in the sport.

After leaving the UFC following his brutal knockout victory over Michael Bisping, “Hendo” was given a shot at the Strikeforce middleweight championship against Jake Shields. Henderson looked good in the early part of the fight, but was eventually subject to a decision loss in his debut for the company.

Not to be denied, Henderson moved back to the light heavyweight division, where he has said recently that he feels more comfortable fighting at this late stage of his career. He defeated Renato “Babalu” Sobral by knockout in under two minutes, earning him a shot at the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship last Saturday night.

Henderson once again proved his status as one of MMA’s top dogs when he defeated the champion, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, by knockout in the third round. The victory gave him the third major title of his illustrious career.

But during his interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani this afternoon, UFC president Dana White mentioned Henderson by name as a guy who would likely not be very happy upon learning that Strikeforce was now owned by Zuffa.

This came as somewhat of a surprise to some, as White had previously mentioned that there were, “no hard feelings” and that he and the UFC had “a good relationship” with Henderson, according to Yahoo! Sports.

These conflicting reports are interesting, as there was some discussion that Henderson may have been promised a rematch against Anderson Silva that he never got within the UFC.

So with Strikeforce now under the Zuffa banner, we all waited in anticipation for the reaction from Henderson and a few other fighters who may have had a sour relationship with the UFC, and Dana White in particular.

Not long after the news broke, Clinch Gear Radio had Henderson on as a guest and asked him about what he thinks of the Strikeforce purchase by Zuffa.

“I don’t know how to react to that,” Henderson said, “At first I didn’t believe it, now I believe it.

“Maybe Dana White just has a big crush on me. He bought PRIDE, now he buys Strikeforce, just to get with me.”

Of course, Henderson says this all tongue-in-cheek, but it is kind of a coincidence that Henderson was a member of both organizations when they were eaten up by the giant monster that is Zuffa.

Unfortunately, Henderson didn’t seem very willing to go into detail about his true feelings on the situation, other than to make a joke. But maybe that says a lot about how he’s actually feeling.

One has to imagine that if he was truly excited about the news, that he would come right out and say it.

He didn’t do that.

Instead, the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion took a slight shot at Dana White before the radio hosts took the hint and moved on to other, less controversial subjects.

It will be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out. If Henderson is unhappy with being back under a Zuffa-owned contract, he may very well decide to move on when it’s up, or even back out now.

The only problem is that with Henderson’s contract, which paid him a flat fee of $250,000 for his last fight, there is not likely to be another company in the world that is able to come near that number.

As they say, money talks—and it may very well talk enough to keep Henderson under a Zuffa contract until he retires.