Both Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans are coming off high-profile losses and could soon meet one another in the cage. It’s an idea that not only makes sense in terms of rankings, but also makes sense to the man in charge, UFC president Dana White.
White spoke on UFC Tonight and indicated that he’s looking to make the bout happen.
“That fight’s probably not going to happen,” White said. “If any fight happens, it’ll probably be Rashad Evans versus Dan Henderson.” (MMA Junkie)
What White was referring to in the first portion was the rumored talk of a bout between Evans and former UFC champ and Pride star Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Evans has discussed facing Rua in the past, but it appears as if White would rather see the former Michigan State Spartan face off against Henderson.
Evans is coming off a loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 156 in one of the most bizarre fights I’ve seen. The normally slick Evans looked extremely sluggish and had no zip in any of his offense. Evans and Nogueira virtually played patty-cake with one another’s lead hands for 15 minutes, but Nogueira did just enough to be awarded the decision victory.
Following the loss, rumors began to circulate about Evans possibly stepping away from the sport, but it looks as though “Suga” will be back in an Octagon in 2013.
Also recently finding himself on the losing end of a decision is Henderson. The former Pride and Strikeforce champion lost a decision to Lyoto Machida at UFC 157. Henderson attempted to land his vaunted “H-Bomb” over the course of 15 minutes but, instead, found nothing but air as Machida maneuvered away.
A fight between Evans and Henderson makes a lot of sense in terms of the title picture. Both guys are in the later portions of their careers and a loss by either man effectively eliminates them from title contention and propels the winner back to being “in the mix.”
Of course the same could be said of a potential Evans-Rua match up or a Henderson-Rua rematch, so it will probably come down to who is available and when.
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