UFC 139: Does a Win for Dan Henderson over Shogun Get Him a Shot a the Title?

Dan Henderson could very well get a shot at the belt if he win and does so decisively.  It just won't be in his next fight.

The problem comes down to the fact that Henderson is just too nice and doesn't ever say anything memorable.  He just shows up and gives amazing performances in the cage.

That is good enough for most MMA fans, but for UFC fans it leaves a little to be desired and as much as this is a sport, it is driven by pay-per-view buys. Some of those come from the hardcore fans, but even more come from the casual fan.

His last three fights he has wins over Sobral, the Strikeforce champion Rafael Cavalcante and Fedor Emelianenko.  The first two are impressive still and though Fedor is not what he once was the third win still has some clout.

The problem is that Henderson just isn't the most marketable fight out there.

If Henderson wanted to fight Silva again, he would have to try and get in the way of Silva-Sonnen II. Considering the rumors are that his fight did half the buys that the first fight with Sonnen did, it doesn't seem likely.

Not to mention Sonnen had an incredible showing at UFC 136 and an impressive post-fight interview which had the entirety of the MMA media abuzz.  If it hadn't been for Frankie Edgar's come from behind knockout of Gray Maynard for the lightweight title it might have been the biggest story of the event.

If he can't get a shot at middleweight, Henderson could always try a shot at light heavyweight.  He was the last man to hold the Strikeforce title at that weight so it should warrant him an immediate shot.

Right?

Actually, Jon Jones is busy since he will be fighting Machida at UFC 140.  Usually this would work perfectly as the two events are so close together it would mean that neither fighter gets put on the shelf for long.

Except that if Jones beats Machida then the fight everyone will be clamoring for is Jones versus Evans.

In another case of interesting story beating deserving challenger, it goes back to both fighters having been former teammates who were friends turned enemies, and this means more PPV buys then anything Henderson could achieve.

The fact is that Evans and Jones have been building up animosity towards each other since Jones took a title shot that Evans had to drop out of because of an injury.  Evans saw this as a betrayal and the two have been at each others' throats since.

Writers can't make a better story than that so it stands to reason Henderson can't either.

So if Henderson wants to have a shot at the belt he is going to have to hope that Machida wins against Jones at UFC 140.  Otherwise he's going to have to keep silent and keep winning.