Six Reasons Dan Henderson Should Get the Winner of Jones vs. Jackson

Coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career over Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson looks primed for one more run in the UFC.  

Hendo, who just turned 41 at the end of August, is open to the move, and actually said he would even be up to fight simultaneously in Strikeforce and the UFC.  

However, the 14-year fight veteran has expressed which fight he wants to be involved with next: a title unification bout with the winner of Jon Jones vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.  

Bones and Rampage square off at UFC 135, which takes place on September 24, and in an ideal world, Henderson would like to return to the Octagon at UFC 141.  

Here's five reasons this would be a good business decision for the UFC.   

This Would Be the First Strikeforce-UFC Title Unification Bout

Nick Diaz was going to face Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137, and well, we know what happened there by now.  

Nevertheless, that bout was not slated to be a title unification bout, as Diaz had to vacate the Strikeforce title prior to signing the contract for the fight. 

Strikeforce is not going to be around forever; the brand is seriously struggling right now and seems to be on its last legs.  

Since both companies are Zuffa owned, what is the delay in the UFC bringing over Strikeforce's elite fighters?  

Strikeforce Only Has Three Champions Left

As alluded to on the previous slide, Strikeforce's time as a major MMA organization is going to run out soon.  

Former light heavyweight champion Mohammed Lowal said its like "Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the background ready to pull the plug."

Whether or not one considers that joke is in poor taste or not, it's tough to argue with the facts.

Not counting the women's division in Strikeforce (a division the UFC does not have), Strikeforce only has three champions right now: Gilbert Melendez (lightweight), Luke Rockhold (middleweight), and, of course, Dan Henderson is still the reigning light heavyweight champion. 

In a quick fun fact, the official Strikeforce website still has Alistair Overeem listed as their heavyweight champion, but a poorly run website is the least of their problems right now.

Few folks have any interest in seeing Rockhold fight Anderson Silva, but Henderson and Melendez will be huge draw for the UFC.

Now is the time to start thinking about unification bouts if Zuffa wants Strikeforce to go out with any sort of credibility, no matter how minuscule that credibility is.   

Dan Henderson Is a Big Draw for the UFC

Henderson has already been in two title unification fights with the UFC: a light heavyweight bout with Rampage Jackson, and a middleweight battle with Anderson Silva. 

Both of which unified the Pride and UFC belts. 

While Henderson lost both encounters, each respective fight was a huge draw for the company.  

When Hendo fought Silva at UFC 82, the total gate was $2,200,000.  When Rampage and Henderson squared off at UFC 75, the total gate was $2,700,000.  

To put those numbers into persepective, when Jon Jones won the heavyweight title from Mauricio Rua at UFC 128, the total gate was $2,140,000.

Although he has had his fair share of decision wins, most fans know Henderson as an exciting knockout artist with a pleasing fight style to watch.  

He is also a legend of the sport from the reputation he build within Pride, and is still impressive to newer fans for being able to compete at a high level at 41 years old. 

Henderson could be the UFC's new Randy Couture, even if he were to get thoroughly beaten by Rampage or Jones.   

Fans Would Love to See Rampage vs Hendo II

The five round affair between Rampage and Henderson at UFC 75 was a classic: not just because it was a title unification bout, but because it was an action packed fight. 

The pace never seemed to slow in the 25 minute affair, and fans were certainly satisfied to see the two former Pride stars slug it out.  

At the time, Rampage was at the peak of his career, with the win over Hendo being his sixth in a row. 

In his most recent 2-1 stretch, many fans agree that Jackson has looked unimpressive.  With a win over Jon Jones, it would be impossible to argue that Rampage is again a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter. 

Meanwhile, Hendo has won three in a row, and six of his past seven, with four finishes in that span. 

Everyone knows Henderson has several fights left in him, but the real question is, can he still hang with the sport's elite?

This fight would be a very interesting one to say the least.  

Fans Love Watching Old School vs. New School

Jon "Bones" Jones is the type of fighter some are hyping as the kind that only comes along once in a lifetime.  

With consecutive wins over highly regarded veterans Mauricio Rua and Rampage Jackson, those claims may not be off base for the 24-year-old.  

Henderson, a notorious underdog in his younger days, would certainly not be favored in this one.

Despite this fact, Hendo could be a tough match for Jones, considering his Olympic level Greco-Roman wrestling background and devastating "H-Bomb" punch.

Some may find it hard to believe that Jones can be defeated by a fighter 17 years his elder, but if anyone has found a way to overcome the odds in the cage before, it's Dan Henderson.    

The Fans Have Turned on Rashad Evans/Evans Isnt a Big Draw

Despite the ongoing war of words between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, odds are, fans would rather still see Henderson get the next light heavyweight title shot.

The real life tension between Evans and Jones is great build up for the fight, but it has also made Evans looks like the prototypical bad guy.  

Generally speaking, fans only want to see Evans vs. Jones so that Rashad can get his face beat in.  

Henderson vs Jones would be a "good guy vs. good guy" fight, and there is little question that Hendo is a bigger draw than Evans, even at Henderson's twilight years of his career.

Additionally, does anyone in their right mind really want to see Evans vs. Jackson II?

Despite some epic trash talk leading up the fight, their was certainly no "black on black crime" in the Octagon at UFC 114.  

The fight was basically a snooze fest with Evans utilizing a textbook version of "lay and pray" for the majority of the fight.  

Rampage also showed up clearly out of shape, which doesn't help matters either.

While it is indisputably unfair to make Evans again wait for a title shot (he's been patiently waiting since May of 2010 for a go at the gold), he may be asked again to wait in the wings in favor of a more intriguing fight.  

Personally, this writer thinks it would be more fair to see Evans get his shot at UFC 141 and for Hendo to get a shot if he can get past Mauricio Rua, but that scenario has been little more than a whisper, so it seems awfully unlikely.