Clark Kent
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12-07-2009 01:45 PM:
It took a few months after Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole first reported it back in October, but Dan Henderson has officially jumped ship from the UFC to the growing promotion Strikeforce. According to AOL Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani, Henderson (25-7, 5-2 UFC) agreed to the deal this weekend. Blogger Loretta Hunt from Sherdog reports that Henderson was offered a slot on UFC 109 to face Nate Marquardt in February as late as Friday but turned it down. His manager Aaron Crecy confirmed that deal is done and that the former PRIDE 185 and 205 pound champion is ready for some new challenges:
The network television exposure and the tact exhibited by Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker were listed as reasons for the jump:
UFC president Dana White said he'd be shocked if Strikeforce would hand over the kind of money Henderson was asking for. If they did step up, White said there would be no ill will towards Henderson. Just before UFC 102, White said the Showtime/CBS promotion was in over its head calling it "Strikefarce" (3:54 mark).
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
It took a few months after Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole first reported it back in October, but Dan Henderson has officially jumped ship from the UFC to the growing promotion Strikeforce. According to AOL Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani, Henderson (25-7, 5-2 UFC) agreed to the deal this weekend. Blogger Loretta Hunt from Sherdog reports that Henderson was offered a slot on UFC 109 to face Nate Marquardt in February as late as Friday but turned it down. His manager Aaron Crecy confirmed that deal is done and that the former PRIDE 185 and 205 pound champion is ready for some new challenges: "Dan likes to be a maverick, and I think part of the attraction to Strikeforce was to be a part of something that broadens the growth of the sport within the U.S. and globally,” said Crecy. “The fact that Strikeforce offers a network television platform in CBS as well as a premium cable partner in Showtime was particularly appealing to him."
Fanhouse reports that Henderson may fight as early as Jan. 30 while Sherdog says April on a rumored CBS card is the likely timeframe for Henderson's debut.
The network television exposure and the tact exhibited by Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker were listed as reasons for the jump:
"It delivers an incredible opportunity for Dan to perform live before an audience of millions of present and future MMA fans," said Crecy. "Also, Coker treated Dan with a great deal of respect and integrity throughout the negotiations, and that certainly affected his decision. Dan is very excited to be a part of the Strikeforce family."
Henderson, 39, would be a logical matchup for Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi and even Fedor Emelianenko was mentioned as a desired matchup for the much smaller former Olympic wrestler.
UFC president Dana White said he'd be shocked if Strikeforce would hand over the kind of money Henderson was asking for. If they did step up, White said there would be no ill will towards Henderson. Just before UFC 102, White said the Showtime/CBS promotion was in over its head calling it "Strikefarce" (3:54 mark).
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
