UFC
Dana White says Dan Henderson wants to wait for UFC Title shot against Jon Jones
Feb 3, 2012 - 10:30:18 AM Dana White says Dan Henderson wants to wait for UFC Title shot against Jon Jones

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Dan Henderson fought four times in an 11-month period from December of 2010 until last November, and now that Rashad Evans is getting the next fight against Jon Jones in April, he has decided to take a rest.

According to UFC President Dana White on Thursday, Henderson has decided to take a break and wait for the winner of the UFC 145 main event between Jones and Evans.

"Dan Henderson's in a position right now where it looks like he wants to wait for Jon Jones," White said after the UFC 143 pre-fight press conference (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com).

Henderson put himself in position to be a potential challenger for Jones with his return bout to the UFC in November. After knocking out three straight opponents in Strikeforce - taking out Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, and Fedor Emelianenko in succession - Henderson took on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139.

In an epic five round bout, Henderson took the unanimous decision, and then awaited the result of last weekend's UFC on Fox 2 main event. Had Evans lost to Phil Davis, Henderson likely would have gotten the fight with Jones in April. Instead, he'll be in line to face the winner later this year.

Penick's Analysis: Had he wanted to stay active, there may have been a fight or two that could have made sense for him to take, but at this stage Henderson may be better off not risking that shot. This may be the last time he fights for a title (unless, of course, he captures the belt), and at 41 he doesn't want to risk losing that spot against anyone. If Jones gets past Evans without injury, he's already said he wants to fight multiple times this year, so a three month turnaround may be feasible. If that's the case, Henderson will be on the sidelines for around nine months, which isn't all that bad for him.

[Dan Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]