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  - HENDERSON STILL OPEN TO UFC, BUT READY TO GO
Friday, October 16, 2009 - by Steven Marrocco - MMAWeekly.com
Dan Henderson hasn’t closed any doors yet with the UFC, but he’s ready to move on if necessary.
Henderson, 39, fought the last fight of his latest contract at UFC 100, knocking out fellow “The Ultimate Fighter” coach Michael Bisping in the second round.
A Friday report from Yahoo! Sports said that UFC president Dana White has been unable to come to terms on a new contract with Henderson, all but confirming an exit for the former two-division Pride champion.
Henderson on Friday laughed at news he’s been shown the door by the UFC.
“I’m still hoping to come to terms with the UFC, until I heard this,” he said. “And I will be exploring other options for sure, but I definitely need to make sure I get paid.”
Henderson acknowledged a stalemate with the promotion since he became a free agent in early August. In late September, he met with White and UFC co-owner and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta in Las Vegas, but remained at a distance on the numbers needed to secure his future services.
Henderson, however, said he hasn’t made a final decision to leave the UFC and is still open to negotiations. His agent had talked with the promotion as recently as this week.
The former Olympic wrestler made his Octagon debut at UFC 17 and fought overseas for much of his career before returning at UFC 75 after the promotion’s parent company, Zuffa LLC, purchased Pride in February 2007. He went 3-2 in his recent stint.
Henderson denied claims that he has been shopping his services to rival promotion Strikeforce, though he had an informal coffee meeting with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker last weekend.
“I’ve never even seen an offer from them,” he said.
Next week, Henderson plans to hunt in New Mexico and Utah and assess the situation when he returns. He remains firm on his terms for a deal with the UFC.
“UFC’s got a business to run and I’m not doing charity work with this,” he said. “I don’t believe that I’m asking for too much money, and I know for a fact that I’m taking less money than other fighters.”
On Nov. 7, Henderson will corner Team Quest teammate Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Strikeforce’s CBS debut. Aaron Crecy, Henderson’s business partner, said the show would give them a chance to scout out the promotion, and it was possible that a deal might be reached down the line.
Still, both asserted that nothing was set in stone, and Henderson wasn’t worried about the situation.
“I’m sure that I’ll find a job somewhere,” he said.
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