Dan Henderson is being constantly pursued for a rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
The two light heavyweight contenders competed in a highly competitive bout at UFC 139, which saw Henderson walk away with the victory.
And according to UFC President Dana White, Henderson has refused to match up with the Brazilian once again.
White spoke to Strikeforce commentator Mauro Ranallo at the UFC press conference last week in Calgary and said he attempted to put Henderson and Rua in the co-main event of UFC 149.
“Yeah, I was trying to put together Dan Henderson vs. Shogun II and Henderson doesn’t want to do the fight,” White said. “He wants Anderson Silva, if Silva wins, he will make that cut. Otherwise, he wants to fight the winner of Rashad and Jones.”
Henderson responded to White’s claims on Twitter.
“If Dana said it then out must be true. Lol,” Henderson wrote.
Henderson has repeatedly stated he wants to challenge for a UFC championship, whether it is at 205 pounds or 185 pounds, and he said he would even hold out for the winner.
Henderson’s decision does not necessarily affect his status in the company, but it does prevent other fighters from competing for an opportunity at a title shot and makes the light heavyweight division become stagnant.
Considering Henderson’s age, he doesn’t intend on staying around in the sport much longer, so a title bout makes sense, especially while his stock is high.
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