Despite recent comments from UFC President Dana White, UFC light heavyweight title contender Dan Henderson told ESPN on Monday that he would not fight Team Quest teammate and friend Chael Sonnen at middleweight, regardless if he was the 185-pound champion or not.
“Hendo” set the record straight by saying reigning UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is the only man that could persuade him to drop down a weight class once again.
However, even that rematch is not very high on Henderson’s agenda.
“I don’t have any real desire to fight at middleweight. The only guy I’d cut weight for is Anderson Silva, win or lose that could still happen,” Henderson said.
“But it’s not high up on my list at all. Silva’s the only guy I’d cut weight for. I’ve got the light-heavyweight thing in my mind and that’s it. I’d fight Anderson Silva but I’m only interested in the UFC light-heavyweight title right now.”
Henderson said that his over a decade long professional relationship with the self-proclaimed “American Gangster from Oregon” would prevent him from ever stepping inside the octagon against him.
“Chael lives up in Oregon but I know him real well. He was with me and Randy [Couture] when we first started our team,” Henderson stated to ESPN.
“He’ll fight whoever has that belt. Dan doesn’t seem too picky, I think he would fight Chael Sonnen [if he won the belt from Silva],” White said last week.
After turning down a fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in January, White said Henderson had no interest in a fight with former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida either.
While Hendo argued that he was never actually offered a fight with “The Dragon,” the heavy-handed wrestler has made it clear that he has no intention of coming off the sidelines until he has a chance to compete for the light heavyweight gold.
Meanwhile, Sonnen is expected to rematch his archnemesis, Silva, in Sao, Paulo Brazil in June of this year, with a venue still yet to be announced.
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