UFC
Dan Henderson on Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones: "I guess I should just quit training and go to s*** talking school"
Oct 17, 2012 - 2:35:32 PM Dan Henderson on Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones: "I guess I should just quit training and go to s*** talking school"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC's decision to put Chael Sonnen in against Jon Jones on both the Ultimate Fighter and in a title fight next April has ramifications beyond just the fight itself. The perception set by this move is not necessarily a good one amongst fighters, especially those who feel they should be above Sonnen in the pecking order.

One such man is Dan Henderson, who was the originally planned opponent for Jones' next bout after the two were set to meet at UFC 151 this September. Henderson's knee injury took that fight away, and it snowballed into the event being cancelled.

UFC President Dana White said on Tuesday that Jones-Henderson was going to be rescheduled for Super Bowl weekend, but a strained ligament in Jones' right arm requires more recovery time than expected. Because of that, the UFC came up with the idea to put Jones on TUF, which begins filming this month and will air on FX beginning in January.

Then they decided to put Sonnen into that spot, despite no fights in the light heavyweight division in several years, and a decisive loss in his last bout to Anderson Silva. The question then becomes: why? And why wasn't Henderson an option for that spot? That's a question Henderson himself is wondering, and he commented on the matter on Twitter after news broke Tuesday.

Wrote Henderson, "I guess I should just quit training to win fights and to be exciting for the fans and just go to s*** talking school."

Penick's Analysis: This is definitely a crappy situation for Henderson, as he's gotten passed up despite being the initial plan. There is a very real argument to be made for Henderson getting a coaching slot opposite Jones if they had to have Jones on TUF, and though they think Sonnen is someone who is going to draw viewers to the show, this is also the type of move that could backfire on them. It was definitely a desperation move, but there's already been a swell of negativity, and even those initially expressing positive ideas about the move have started to change their minds. By the time the show begins airing in January, opinion of the move could be worse. And that could further be cemented by the time April 27 rolls around. Henderson's got a right to be upset, and we'll see how the public really reacts to this booking come early next year.

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