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Henderson's Next History Making Moment?
Written by Brad Taschuk   
Monday, 26 October 2009 21:01
We all know that Dan Henderson has accomplished a great deal in the sport of mixed martial arts. From winning the UFC 17 Middleweight tournament, to winning the PRIDE Welterweight GP and 183 pound title, to being the only fighter in the history of MMA to simultaneously hold major belts in two weightclasses, Henderson has accomplished some great things in this sport, and when he finally decides to retire he will certainly be a hall of famer.

However, at this very point in time, Henderson has an opportunity to make a huge impact on the sport outside of the ring. With Dan's current contract status he could potentially be the first big name to jump ship from the UFC to another organization of his own accord since PRIDE folded. Sure, there have been guys who have left the UFC for other organizations, but it has never been on their own terms. Andrei Arlovski was put on the shelf for eleven months and then hidden on the undercard, Tim Sylvia was "mutually" outcasted, Werdum simultaneously lost consciousness and his job, and Babalu was shipped off because of a rap sheet and a bad attitude.

The difference between these fighters and Henderson is that none of the aforementioned fighters had the UFC hype machine behind them prior to moving on. Henderson is coming off a season of The Ultimate Fighter, an extremely high profile knockout of Michael Bisping and talk of a potential rematch with Anderson Silva. Rarely does the UFC ever make the mistake of putting their highly effective marketing department behind a fighter who could potentially become a free agent and move on to another organization, but apparently their oversight committee was sleeping on the job in this instance.

Between Henderson's contract situation and obvious dissatisfaction with being passed up as Silva's next challenger, he is in the unique position where he holds some bargaining power with the UFC, and could actually change the landscape of Mixed Martial Arts with his decision. You see, since the demise of PRIDE, no other organization has come close to the UFC. DREAM's ratings are a far cry from PRIDE's, Affliction tried to fly too high, too fast, and Strikeforce has just recently grown out of being a regional promoter. Yet Henderson if he makes the decision to sign with Strikeforce (which at the time of writing, it doesn't seem like he will), could change all of that.


Dan could make it okay for fighters to leave the UFC in search of greener pastures somewhere else, which would be a revelation to both fighters and organizations. We're still yet to see if Strikeforce can support the monstrous contracts that inevitably come along with elite fighters (some of those questions could be answered come November 7th), but if they are able to support a plethora of top-level fighters making top-level money, the business of MMA could drastically change.

Currently, when contracts with the UFC run dry, fighters are at the mercy of the world's biggest organization, but if another option existed, that would quickly reverse. MMA would enter its first period of true free agency since the sport has blown up in popularity. Dan Henderson right now has the ability to start the trend of fighters jumping ship to other organizations… on their own terms. He could also make the UFC management think twice about the offers they make to their fighters to re-sign them, which would instantly increase fighter salaries (one of the favorite gripes of MMA fans). While potentially making things a bit more difficult for promoters short-term, in the long run that would simply mean that more people can make a living off of MMA, which is a good thing in my books.

Hardcore fans tend to believe that the UFC is the center of the MMA universe, and to an extent, they are correct. Looking a little bit further into the potential for growth, you'd be crazy not to think that Strikeforce - with the exposure they can garner by associating themselves with Showtime and CBS - has the potential to reach more people. That is why it isn't inconceivable that Henderson would be willing to leave the UFC for the Strikeforce banner when it comes down to decision time.

The climate of MMA likely won't be changing with Dan Henderson's decision, but it is important for everyone to know how close we are to a tipping point in the history of the sport. From this man's perspective, Dan was the first to accomplish one of the greatest feats in MMA history inside the ring, and it would only be fitting if he accomplished an equally historic feat outside of it.


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