Dan Henderson may still be negotiating a potential contract with the UFC and Strikeforce, but don't expect hungry middleweight contender Nate Marquardt to wait around for him to make up his mind.
"The Great" is currently considering a 185-pound match-up opposite the surging Chael Sonnen for UFC 110, tentatively scheduled for the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 21 according to Sportsnet.ca.
Marquardt (29-8-2) made a case for a rematch with current champion Anderson Silva with a "Great" knockout over undefeated submission wizard Demian Maia at UFC 102 -- also his third straight win.
"Spider" spokesman and manager Ed Soares suggested the unofficial match-up of Marquardt vs. Henderson following the Aug. 29 Portland event in order determine a number one contender for the division title while Silva takes a break from competition to heal an ailing elbow.
Sounded good on paper -- except they probably didn't realize "Hollywood" was no longer under contract after air-mailing Michael Bisping across the pond at UFC 100.
Life goes on -- and so too must the quest for middleweight gold. Vitor Belfort managed to leapfrog the competition for a crack at the crown, so Marquardt will try and use the time provided to quiet the uprising from the suddenly relevant Chael Sonnen.
After a first round submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC 95 earlier this year, Sonnen (24-10-1) stepped up on short notice to dominate Dan Miller at UFC 98 back in May.
Despite his wrestling pedigree, which earned him the unanimous decision win over Miller, Sonnen opted to use his stand-up to stun the venerable Yushin Okami just last month at UFC 104.
It was clear-cut (albeit surprising) victory that made a very strong case for his place among the potential title contenders.
A win over Marquardt would only solidify that standing.
UFC 110 is expected to feature International superstars Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva and Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama in a hard-hitting 185-pound brawl that pits sexy vs. psycho. Free-falling heavyweight striker Mirko Cro Cop is also rumored as an opponent for former IFLer Ben Rothwell.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this still-developing fight card.
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