Scott Coker: Dan 'Main Event' Henderson will likely compete in two weight classes
by Jesse Holland on Dec 8, 2009 10:17 AM EST
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Props: MMA Fanhouse
Quoteworthy:
"Well, I don't want to get into the whole Dana White thing. All I can say is, how often does a guy like Dan Henderson become available? He's a main event fighter. Every promotion would like to have Dan Henderson fight in a main event for them. Main event fighters are few and far between, and when you get a guy like Dan, who can contend for titles in two weight classes, it's a good day for Strikeforce. Dan said he'd let me know after Christmas what weight class he wants to start in. He and Gegard (Mousasi) is a natural fight and he against Jake Shields for our middleweight title is a fight he would want. He would like to fight in both weight classes. We're excited to get Dan in the mix, and we're going to have more signings soon. We're continuing to build Strikeforce as a mixed martial arts company and Dan is a big part of that."
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker talks publicly about his acquisition of free agent Dan Henderson, who joins the San Jose-based organization after failing to come to terms on a contract extension with the UFC. "Hollywood" went 3-2 under the Zuffa umbrella after a championship run in PRIDE FC and although the former Olympian is in his late 30's, he proved at UFC 100 (via Bisping knockout) that he can still bang with the best of them. What kind of impact will he have in Strikeforce? Time will tell.
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should favor great in SF
Though I can’t say he’ll dominate, nor be dominated in the Gegard fight, as I think its too tough to call at this point.
I feel he’ll be able to get past Jake, & relatively, if not completely unharmed, though poor David WS is hoping that’s not the case. :)
by daniel worby on Dec 8, 2009 10:24 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Great fight with Gegard looking forward to that one but
Hendo will destroy Shields and pretty much every other LHW and MW fighter that SF or Dream currently have, nothing was said about the potential Fedor fight? Coker probally doesn’t want to get ahead of himself if Gegard wins then it’s pointless to have a Fedor fight is my guess.
Hendo vs Shields
I really think that Shields would win this one if not for the size difference between the two. I mean Dan has to kill himself to get down and Jake is a natural WW so they could easily be separated by two weight classes.
"If you're not a fan of Hulk Hogan, you're not a fan of entertainment in sports"
--Goldberg.
"Kimbo is dominating on the ground"--Rogan
"Kimbo throws that jab to finish fights"--Goldberg
Size difference aside, Shields won’t be able to take Hendo down, and God knows Shields can’t stand with anyone.
Good times and riches and son of a bitches
I've seen more than I can recall.
Re: Of size
Hendo is the much better wrestler and thats Shields bread and butter. He has been fortunate enough to not fight any world class wrestlers to date. I like Shields a lot and he has been one of my faves for a few years now and before all the hype. That being said I don’t think he would do much against any of the true wrestlers like Koscheck or Fitch let a lone a power house like Hendo. Which is going to leave him to the clinchgame and the stand up…JAke Shields eats the over hand right, while fighting off the gorilla grip Hendo….
Hendo would tool Jake
Hendo is sooo much stronger.
Jake has the standup of a 12 year old girl.
Jake prays to get a fight to the ground. Hendo is a Olympic Greco Roman Wrestler. How is Shield’s getting him down?
This fight has vicious Bisping style KO written all over it!!!
Even if it was a straight gappling match, people act like Jake would submit him the moment it hit the ground. I don’t think so. Even in a grappling match, I would favor a stale mate over Jake sub’ing Dan.
if big baby weighed 185
hed fucking outstrike shields…shields is garbage, the most atrocious overrated piece of shit on earth who has never fought anyone remotely close to being highly ranked enough to deserve his high ranking as a fighter….
cant wait till dan slaughters this fucking gay porn butt sex fagtrocity
jake shields is the highest ranked fighter to have never fought i highly ranked fighter...i cant wait till hendo signs to strikeforce and murders that talentless waste of flesh
strongly agree with VM!
Great signing from SF….Unless SF wants to contribute to mma’s 1st televised death, they will keep Sheilds out of the samke cage as Hendo! Hendo would FATALITY Sheilds. I would literally be willingh to bet my car on Hendo if this fight gets booked!
Now MOusasi/Hendo is very appealing…Fedor/Hendo? Imagine the bombs flying through the air in that 1.
How about Diaz/Hendo at MW?
That would be my two absolute favorite fighters fighting against each other. Something I never thought possible seeing that they fought always fought in different weight divisions and different organizations. That would be one hell of a fight!
I would really like to see Hendo vs. Jacre!
Its crazy to say, but as a Hendo fan, i think there are more appealing fights awaiting him in SF. I have seen him fight everyone I wanted to see him fight in the UFC.
Dana messed up letting SF legitimize itself further by landing another top fighter, ever worse, one that can win a title in 2 divisions!|
Hendo vs JAcare/Shields/Diaz
That is basically his next 3 fights at MW. I think Jacare and Diaz would be exciting fights. Shields will be laughable at best, he will be explioted, used, and abused all in the first round! Dan is to much for almost everyone to takedown. I honestly can’t even remember the last time I saw Dan taken down! That being said Shield’s wrestling will not be enough and I think he will have a difficult time dealing with Hendos strength.
I like VM Diaz fight! I love Nick Diaz against anybody nowadays. Diaz has a great chin, annoying boxing that takes its toll by the second round, a world class ground game, and great heart. I think Diaz would have a better chance then most will give him.
Jacare is trouble for everyone on the ground, I just wonder if his standup game is enough to cause Hendo problems. I think Jacare even falls to Dans wrestling ability. In 32 fights Hendo has only been submitted by 2 fighters a total of 3 times, Big Nog twice got the armbar and Silva got the RNC, Big Nog is the epitome of mma bjj and Silva and JAcare are all out of Black House and trains with him! So maybe Black House just has hus number
Honestly it's more hope than expectation
If Shields can time his takedowns well then he could get Hendo on his back, especially if he gets carried away trying to KO Jake and I like Jake’s chances of catching Dan in a submission if he can get him down. I know that he’ll be the massive underdog but I’m confident that Jake will at least be competetive and Dan will have to be focused and well conditioned to get the win. At least Jake won’t run into his punches like Bisping.
"I’ll continue to watch their events and I hope they’ll (Zuffa) tune in to my fights in Strikeforce. After all, I’m a true fan of our fantastic sport and would love only to see MMA continue to grow."
Dan Henderson, classy.
"The reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal... I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot."
Dana White, classless.
I like Coker more and more lately
He doesn’t even acknowledge Dana’s comments, which I can respect.
For all you guys that seem to think anyone who doesn’t agree with Dana about this “business” decision knows nothing about business (myself included)…..
I’ve literally spent thousnads of dollars an MMA entertainment. I can honestly say that not one single penny of it was spent on seeing Dana’s bald head, or hearing him spew WWE rhetoric. Every single penny was spent on seeing quality fighters….fight !!!! Now you can all say this decision to let Hendo go was “business” all you want, but the way I see it (being a diehard fan who spends money on watching fights….not Dana), more of my money will be directed toward Strikeforce, because they signed a quality fighter……simple as that. Is Hendo a world beater?…no. Is he gonna headline 4 events a year?…no. But Strikeforce will make more money from me now that they have him…not a huge amount, but even if it’s not a huge amount….it was directed at the UFC before….so they basically win two-fold.
Anyway….props to Coker for signing Hendo and putting on a professionalism clinic for Dana, and I look forward to spending some of my otherwise UFC money on Strikeforce.
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
yeppers
So long as coker answers any Dana questions with “Next question”, he’s fine, & the bigger man, as well as a real professional.
When he steers clear of the childish games, he wins each time, as the reporters & Dana don’t gain notariaty (sp?) from him spouting off. The more Dana does it about STRIKEFORCE & its fighters, the more the casual fan will ask “Who’s that?”, which IMO may prompt them to do the research. Bad idea from Dana.
by daniel worby on Dec 8, 2009 10:40 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Dana is alienating the hardcore fans
By signing Kimbo/Baroni and letting guys like Hendo go, Dana is winning casual fans who watch every now and then, and pissing guys like me, whom have been following MMA for 10+years, off. I hope SF keeps getting bigger, because I’m sick to death of hearing Dana talk sh*t. He must think we’re all Stupid. Saying Fedor is a joke and then saying Kimbo is legitimate…? Either he’s an idiot or he thinks we’re all idiots.
In the name of the Fedor, the Anderson and the GSP, Amen.
by Spinning Fat Kick on Dec 8, 2009 10:50 AM EST up reply actions
either [Dana's] an idiot or he thinks we're all idiots
Well said, SFK! But the ugly truth is that he doesn’t give a crap what we think cause he’s more interested in drawing large numbers of young TUF-era casual fans than he is in the opinions of the hardcore fans whose money he already can bank on. Sadly, the WWE has more fans than the UFC and boxing combined, the TUF Kimbo sham drew more viewers than any UFC PPV, and for all Dana’s talk about the UFC being the premier quality product in MMA, he’s clearly starting to sell out to the ignorant masses and judging by the reaction to most of his press releases right here on Mania, at least half of the real fans are actually swallowing his BS whole.
The first time he doesn't sign someone you like
You’ll hate him too Intro.
Obviously he’s a much better prez than Dana, but you’ll find a way to hate him when it becomes too popular to like him.
Glad to be free from Intro's tyranny.
Spot on
It’s sad that the UFC is more concerned with marketing and rating than the quality of their product and roster, it is becoming more like WWE and the cringeworthy promotion of Hulk Hogan and TNA as well as the hiring of losers like Tito, Baroni and Kimbo over legitimate athletes like Hendo is very worrying. Give me good fights over good ratings anyday, as a fan of the sport I want to see the best fights and right now SF are doing more than the UFC to put on the best fights to a wider audience. Good luck to them and Scott Coker.
"I’ll continue to watch their events and I hope they’ll (Zuffa) tune in to my fights in Strikeforce. After all, I’m a true fan of our fantastic sport and would love only to see MMA continue to grow."
Dan Henderson, classy.
"The reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal... I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot."
Dana White, classless.
agreed, for once
I have to admit Dana’s childish antics are getting annoying. Not that I really care either way if Hendo is in the UFC or not, it’s a business decision and it should be handled as such. Dana immediately goes for the insults instead of letting him go with professionalism, considering he did headline several events for him. I’m not sold on SF yet, but they are starting to amass a solid stable of fighters very slowly and methodically, and seeing that DW is acting a fool, it’s making their job easier. Not sure how they are paying the fighters, or what they’re paying the fighters, but it must be working.
Spot on
Coker is a class act and shows a lot of character and professionalism everytime he speaks. Dana is many things but a class act is not one of them. Coker is right not to talk about Dana, that would make him look just as petty and attention seeking as Dana and would give extra and needless publicity to the UFC, so many times Dana’s bitching has given the competition extra press so it’s good to see someone not falling for that trap and thinking before they speak.
"I’ll continue to watch their events and I hope they’ll (Zuffa) tune in to my fights in Strikeforce. After all, I’m a true fan of our fantastic sport and would love only to see MMA continue to grow."
Dan Henderson, classy.
"The reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal... I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot."
Dana White, classless.
brendog
I’m truly at a loss for words on why the Fertittas haven’t appeared to have sat Dana down & spoke with him on these continual explosions he has.
He’s got more drama then The Hills.
Oh no he di’int.
by daniel worby on Dec 8, 2009 10:45 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
They keep him on a loose leash
I dont blame them, his way of doing business has worked. They need to buy him like a Mega stress reliever toy or something to blow off steam.
Dana has been doing this for years so i’m never surprised to see it. I used to be a Huge Dana hater but I got over that.
Coker is the man, hes gonna take SF a long way I tihnk. I also like Reed Harris
dude.....i am
Yep
It’s not so much what Coker says as it is what he doesn’t say.
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
i get that.
Its not a secret that Dana has always been this way, nor that its most certainly his tough mouth & gritty attitude that helped launch them into the ‘mainstream’ they are now.
But you have to evolve don’t you? It got them there in the same way a musician uses a catchy one hit wonder to get the spotlight, then slowly switches & evolves to keep in the lime light & not fade away. It happens in all other aspects of life & the same should not be exempt from this one.
The day I see something not go in dana’s favor & his quote not be filled with 4 letter words, is the day he wins, & gains some respect back.
by daniel worby on Dec 8, 2009 11:35 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well looks like Shields will be moving down to welterweight once he loses that title.
by HappyLittleTreez on Dec 8, 2009 10:41 AM EST reply actions
that fight is for all of us who don't enjoy Jake "My staph infections can break any"
shields
Most of us need to be reminded what we already know before we need to be taught a new lesson
Question
I thought the UFC was “very close to a network deal”.
Whatever came of that?
Oh, that’s right……..“we don’t need quality fighters like Hendo, because our fans will buy our PPV’s without quality fighters” – Dana White
I said it months ago (every time Dana spews the “network deal is close” rhetoric, actually)…….the UFC doesn’t want or need network tv as long as they can keep taking advantage of their fans with piss poor PPV’s.
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
intro..
did you see frost/nixon the movie.
Dana reminds me of david frost pitching the interview/ufc programming to networks and getting shut down. Than aiming for a PPV.
Most of us need to be reminded what we already know before we need to be taught a new lesson
Intro, is that a direct quote??? Truth is, this has worked out for the best. Dan wanted to be champ, and now he get’s the chance. The UFC wasn’t going to give him the Silva fight like he wanted. Dana should have just wished him well and let it go. His little rant doesn’t change the fact that this worked out for both parties.
Myth: Three Americans die every year from rabies. Fact: Four Americans die every year die from rabies.
listen to what people are saying....
this hasn’t worked well for the ufc. half thier ppv’s suck and they are struggling to find entertaining fights. they could never have a network deal. they can barely schedule enough quality fights to fill their ppv schedule. this has been a bad year for the ufc. rampage and hendo were too reliable ppv draws and they left. i wouldn’t be surprised if shogun takes off if his rematch has some controversy.
by Conan the Barbarian on Dec 8, 2009 4:45 PM EST up reply actions
All aboard the Strikeforce bandwagon !!!!!!!
I won’t discriminate ….. hop on board folks !!!!!!
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
....because they give us good fights for free without drama
"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason."-C.S. Lewis
Yep....
If they cross over to PPV I’ll have to re-asses, lol. But I still by some UFC events, so as long as Strikeforce brings quality cards without the drama I’ll still be on board. Maybe they’ll blow up so big they can just do network and won’t need PPV :) One can dream right?
"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason."-C.S. Lewis
I’m on the legitimate fighters warwagon and right now it’s Strikeforce that are putting on competetive and exciting fights, while the UFC are struggling to fill their cards and resorting to has beens and freakshows, so I’m on board the SF wagon. I’m still a fan of the UFC, as well as all of the top promotions, but I’m a lot more impressed with the decision making and conduct from Coker than Dana and right now they are the ones helping the sport to grow not the UFC.
"I’ll continue to watch their events and I hope they’ll (Zuffa) tune in to my fights in Strikeforce. After all, I’m a true fan of our fantastic sport and would love only to see MMA continue to grow."
Dan Henderson, classy.
"The reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal... I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot."
Dana White, classless.
Their last 3 shows have all been excellent, including quality title fights with some of my favourite fighters on the card like Nick Diaz, Jake Shields and Gegard Mousasi. Other than Baroni-Riggs I can’t think of a boring SF fight since they picked up the EliteXC talent. With their big signings like Fedor, Hendo, Jacare and Mousasi as well as their alliance with Dream we are set for some sick fights on upcoming SF and Dream cards. The UFC is welcome to Kimbo, Baroni and Tito, they are signing the guys that SF don’t want or need whilst missing out on huge names and exciting fighters like the ones that I mentioned.
"I’ll continue to watch their events and I hope they’ll (Zuffa) tune in to my fights in Strikeforce. After all, I’m a true fan of our fantastic sport and would love only to see MMA continue to grow."
Dan Henderson, classy.
"The reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal... I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot."
Dana White, classless.
I think your just being a UFC hater david
If your really going to tell me there is competitive fights at SF your only fooling yourself. Are you talking about the three events SF put on last year. The UFC puts about 20+ events a year plus TUF they are not all going to be mainstream fights but 80% of them are competitive and exciting it’s funny how you point out only the 20% their fights that are not?
185lb 1st
Beat Shields and get established as the champ there. A fight w/Mousasi will be much more difficult than with Shields, makes more sense to fight Shields first. Only problem with that is – who does Mousasi fight in the mean time?
Dan as a champ @ 185 sets up some very marketable fights (although maybe a little one sided) with Cung Le, a rematch with Frank Shamrock who beat him earlier in his career, and Manhoef – who I think will quickly become a very popular fighter for Strikeforce.
Grappling Tourny in the 90's
Dan lost, which would have been expected in a grappling tourny match over a decade ago against Frank. It was not an mma fight though. Pretty sure you can find the videos somewhere.
by domino effect on Dec 8, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
Who cares!
Dan lost both title shots in the UFC at 185 (Silva) and 205 (Rampage) so he’s gonna go to a lesser organization where he can be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Heck he struggled to beat Rich Franklin last year at 195lbs. Who cares who he beats in Strikeforce. He’s getting old, maybe 2-3 good fights left in him. No big loss. Strikeforce has 4 or 5 really good fighters, the rest are 2nd tier guys whoopty freakin do. Don’t getr me wrong, competition is great for the fans but so far Strikeforce is getting most of the washed-up UFC fighters.
Calu
Who cares?
What are you gonna say when the winner of Wanderlei and Bisping falls into the #1 contender spot?
Hendo f#cked both of them up.
You can bash Strikeforces talent pool all day long, but Hendo hasn’t beaten any of Strikeforces fighters. However he kicked the snot out of Bisping and Wanderlei.
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
it's a win win for the UFC and Strikeforce
think about it his value at age 40 with little chances at winning any belt in the UFC is very little but in SF he should easily become the MW champion and finally a ligit talent for Gegard to face. Dan is getting up there and I’m sure he would like to walk away as a champion.
Later dude
I agree. He hasn’t done anything to prove that he’s elite. He lost both fights that counted in the ufc. He only has wins over Palhares and even his Franklin win is questionable. All of a sudden he’s God’s gift to MMA because he knocked out Bisping? Who cares, Bisping is mid-level. It’s no big loss. Dudes getting old and his fights usually go to a boring decision anyways.
josh he lost fight to 2 of the best fighters out there, it happens should everyone that anderson and rampage beat be cut from the ufc? and calu yeah they only have a few elite fighters and they just got another one and maybe more to come thats how you start off and grow and thats what they have been doing.
ok?
Well then the UFC may as well only keep the champs & whoever is the flavor of the week I suppose.
Drop:
Clay
Lyoto
Randy
Vera
Ken flo
Cain
Nog (big)
Stevenson
Cote
And whoever else doesn’t explode every time they’re evenly matched against top level competition.
by daniel worby on Dec 8, 2009 11:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself by putting Lyoto on that list worby.
Myth: Three Americans die every year from rabies. Fact: Four Americans die every year die from rabies.
Point remains....
To act like Hendo doesn’t belong or wasn’t doing anything in the UFC is just silly. He’s their 2nd best MW, and probably top 7 at worst in their LHW division. If people think a fighter of that caliber isn’t a big loss they are kidding themselves.
"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason."-C.S. Lewis
It’s hard to say how much Hendo was asking for though. The UFC has to keep the rest of their stable in mind when negotiating big deals for fear of not upsetting several fighters over one guy’s salary. Who knows what deals were on the table, and as far as I know, SF hasn’t really released any news on any of their contracts. I would have definately liked to see him fight Marquart, but another shot at Silva w/o a win over Nate was wrong.
"The UFC has to keep the rest of their stable in mind when negotiating big deals for fear of not upsetting several fighters over one guy's salary"...
Tito comes to mind as proof that this didn’t have much to do with it.
"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason."-C.S. Lewis
He has eluded to a large contract, but that may not necessarily be cash money, more like ppv percentages or back end money of some sort. Also, Tito is much more recognizable than Hendo outside of the core MMA fans.
Tito’s contract was one of the reasons that Hendo demanded more money and after his dreadful display at UFC 106 and typical childish complaining after the fight he is far from the master self-promoter and exciting fighter that he once was, he’s just a whining has been. Letting one of your top fighters go because of a guy who was once the star of the promotion but is no longer relevant ranking wise or that popular is a terrible piece of business, I for one will be looking forward to Hendo-Shields and Hendo-Mousasi a lot more than Liddell-Ortiz III and TUF 11.
"I’ll continue to watch their events and I hope they’ll (Zuffa) tune in to my fights in Strikeforce. After all, I’m a true fan of our fantastic sport and would love only to see MMA continue to grow."
Dan Henderson, classy.
"The reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal... I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot."
Dana White, classless.
I’m with you on the Mousasi fight, but that’s about it. Not that I blame Hendo for moving on, he’s getting on in age and he needs to make what he can make now. I don’t like how Dana stated it so bluntly, but who knows what Hendo was asking for. Maybe it was out of the ballpark. DW definately wasn’t right on his comments above, but beyond that, who knows what the real negotiation was.
alright know-it-alls...
since those bashing dana and zuffa seem to be so sure of yourselves, does anyone want to enlighten me as to what dan was asking for in terms of money? no? no one knows? then i politely request that you shut your pie hole as you have no idea what you are talking about.
if you do know, then i am not talking to you and i am legitimately curious; let me know.
formerly JB, trying to figure out this whole new SB deal. oh, and another thing; i'm not impressed by your performance.
im not sure either
Though that’s not where my argument lies. I don’t think SF offered more, I feel he is looking @ a new opportunity & I truly feel he is under the impression he’ll get more respect in SF. & piece of mind can do along way to make up for lack of some dollars. I could be wrong its just they way I view it.
by daniel worby on Dec 8, 2009 11:46 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
My beef doesn't have to do with money offered
It has to do with Dana once again being a child. In addition to his bitch-like rant yesterday, it’s also been reported that Dana banned Clinch Gear(Hendo’s line) from the UFC towards the end of negotiations in an attempt to what appears to be strong-arm Hendo. Remember Dana crying about “those crazy Russians” trying to “strong arm” him? Yeah, then he goes and pulls crap like this that not only seems like a shady way to influence Hendo to sign, but also hurts the other UFC fighters sponsored by Clinch Gear. It’s all of this shit, not how much the contract was worth, that really pisses me off about Dana.
"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason."-C.S. Lewis
Truth
Zuffa banning fighters from wearing certain clothes because one fighter doesn’t bow to them is just childish and low-down. Dana is a spoiled brat control-freak with no ethics. If you’re his “friend” and content to live under his thumb, he’ll be good to you, but the minute you put anything else ahead of his interests, he’s gonna bash and blacklist you and treat you like a red-headed stepchild. Unfortunately, he’s so good at PR, that half the people on this site are drinking his cool-aid and immediately convinced of anything that comes out of his mouth. Dana says Randy and Hendo are greedy so it must be true. He says Fedor is overrated, so Fedor is obviously just hype and Kimbo is an up-n-comer, though he’s the same age as Hendo, has bad knees and has been flattened by guys who aren’t ranked in the top 50.
Clinch Gear
I think this is the reason Dan left the UFC more than any other. The UFC contracts are the most restrictive of any fight org, which partially caused the problems Dana had with all the AKA boys and Randy earlier (about naming rights – apparently if you fight in the UFC your name and likeness belongs to them) This is a similar situation with Clinch Gear, and probably the main reason Dan left.
by domino effect on Dec 8, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions
Dana is in the wrong
No matter what you think of Hendo as a fighter or his salary, the fact is that he has remained gracious and professional during these negotiations whilst Zuffa have acted like bullies and hypocrites. Dana’s unneccessary rant and Hendo’s classy exit as quoted in my sig sum up the whole deal to me, good luck to Hendo and congratulations to SF for signing a top fighter.
"I’ll continue to watch their events and I hope they’ll (Zuffa) tune in to my fights in Strikeforce. After all, I’m a true fan of our fantastic sport and would love only to see MMA continue to grow."
Dan Henderson, classy.
"The reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal... I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot."
Dana White, classless.
If Dana were to say....
“We just couldn’t come to terms on money, and I wish Dan all the success in the world”……I don’t think everyone would be on Dana’s case right now. But no….he had to slap everyone in the face, didn’t he.
Seriously, how do you feel about paying for UFC PPV’s with Hendo on the card just to have Dana basically tell you…..meh, Hendo’s not worth it?
Dana’s a joke.
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
Indeed
It is a bit hypocritical. On the other hand, as the face of the sport he is held to different standards than internet posters. Also, he insulted first, and the backlash is the result of his actions. Kind of like you’re punished when you do wrong. Whatever the punishment is would be unfair if you hadn’t done something wrong, but you did.
"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason."-C.S. Lewis
intro dan was a main event against franklin and it did not do that well so Dana knows what
he is worth compared to other figthers. i don’t like the fact that kimbo can bring in times the fans that hendo does but he does and the fans are how SF and UFC make money.
Dude
Did you not see that war Hendo got into with Rampage. He’s the only fighter I’ve seen trade punches with Rampage for 5 straight rounds and not getted KTFO’d! Rampage seemed so much bigger than Hendo too!
Hendo also won round one with Silva but left his game plan to try and trade which is a horrible game plan with the spider, but the fact remains that Hendo did better against Silva than anyone. And he’s one every other challenge the UFC threw at him, how can you diss a guy like that?
This could end up being a bad signing for SF
What happens if Dan wins the MW and LHW belts then decides to return to the UFC, or retire?
Glad to be free from Intro's tyranny.
not likely
Dan really wants to be champ again. Unless the UFC offered him immediate title shots, he wouldn’t vacate the SF belts. Plus I suspect he won’t leave SF without fighting Fedor. I think Dan would love a chance to be the first guy to hold a belt in 3 weight classes. Naturally he’ll lose that fight, but not before SF makes millions off that fight.
He could leave when he realizes the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence
I don’t know what he is going to be paid from SF, but if he isn’t making more than Fedor he could leave SF as easily as he left UFC. Or after beating all SF has to offer, Dana might up the ante a little.
Glad to be free from Intro's tyranny.
By the sherdog report yesterday that you can read on the "Hendo vs Fedor" fanpost
it sounds like money was not the entire reason he went to SH as you may already know Hendo was pretty upset about what Tito was making. i guess he doesn’t know about Shamrock making a huge penny either but anyway whats done is done and at least we will get to see Dan against one top 5 opponent in SF. At age 40 I’m sure he realizes his chances at getting any belt in the UFC or slim and going out a champion in at least one weight division if not 2 are a lot better.
Truth Puck
I am not a fan of Dan, so his financial woes are not of my concern. I will get to see Shields and Mousasi fight legit competition, that is all I care about. I can’t wait to see those fights. Fans win this round.
Glad to be free from Intro's tyranny.
yeah SF still needs another one or two guys in both divisions as well the WW
Shields is really a WW and holds both the WW and MW belt at SF so Dan being the MW champion will add a more value as a title holder. like I said SF needs Dan more than the UFC does so this is a win for everybody even Dana doesn’t seem to care? If he only realized how much Dan is going to help SF out he may opened the UFC pocket books a little more?
you guys are missing the entire point here
shields gets to get murdered and disfigured…is that not enough for any of you? who the hell DOESNT want to see that? except fans of butt sex and gay porn….who doesnt want to see that faggot little fuck take a big right hand to his butt sex fest head?
jake shields is the highest ranked fighter to have never fought i highly ranked fighter...i cant wait till hendo signs to strikeforce and murders that talentless waste of flesh
How come i can't see this ?
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
It ain't about money
I’d bet my house that the UFC offer was more money.
It’s once again (like every failed negotiation with the UFC) about being treated like a piece of dirt by Dana….in public !!!!!
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
He said himself he and Dana are friends it's the fact that Tito makes whatever he makes
Intro that pissed Dan off. It’s kind of funny too because I wonder if he knows what Shamrock makes.
long time reader, first time poster
i never followed hendo until he signed with ufc as i couldn’t get the pride events. after seeing his fights i’m a big fan.
i agree he’s not a huge draw, but a great win over nate or vitor would havebrought a huge following. maybe he should have signed a one fight extension. if he got a big win, dana would probably given him more money plus the title shot.
If he signed a one fight extension....the UFC would put him on the shelf for two years before they'd let him fight nate or vitor
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
Dana fans......
What does it feel like to be shit on by your hero?
Dana just took your money and ran with it lol.
So funny.
"I'll make that [expletive] fight right now for free. Let's do it."
- Dana White on Fedor vs Lesnar
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