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29/09/09 - Henderson "just wants what he deserves"
Dan Henderson’s team expect that he will reach an accommodation with the UFC at some point - they just don’t know when.
A Team Quest source told Fighters Only today that contract negotiations between Henderson and the organisation “are ongoing”. Recent reports that the two sides differ widely on certain issues are not necessarily inaccurate, the source says, but the parties are “sure it will all get worked out eventually”.
“Negotiations with the UFC are ongoing. There’s things that they want and there’s things that Dan wants,” the source said. “Its just a case of working things out and both sides coming to an agreement. I am sure it will all get worked out eventually.
There is little realistic prospect of Henderson, a former PRIDE FC double champion, heading somewhere like DREAM or Strikeforce, but that does not mean he is not driving a hard bargain.
“Dan just wants what he thinks he deserves and what he thinks is fair. He doesn’t want anything out of the ordinary compared to what other fighters are getting,” the source says. “He is in no hurry, he is healthy and this is possibly going to be his last contract with the UFC given the stage of his career, so he wants to make sure everything is right.”
Rumour has it that a major sticking point concerns his next fight. Henderson is said to want an immediate title shot against middleweight boss Anderson Silva, while the UFC is understood to be keen on making a title eliminator match between him and Nate Marquardt first.
According to the Team Quest source, Henderson is not dead against fighting Marquardt, if that is the only fight that the UFC is looking for from him in the immediate future.
“He is ready to fight whenever he is needed, be that before the end of the year or early next year, whenever. He’s open to fighting anyone, depending. Negotiating is a give and take process, so the contract has to be right.”
Henderson is coming off a stunning KO win over UK MMA star Michael Bisping at UFC 100. The fight is a strong contender for Knockout of the Year in the World Mixed Martial Arts Awards 2009. Votes in the awards are being taken now and there will be an awards ceremony in Las Vegas at the end of the year, which will be broadcast on the Versus network.
John Joe O’Regan
John.fightersonly@gmail.com
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