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Dan Henderson gets next title shot, Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia winner "in the mix"
Dan Henderson will no longer fight Rich Franklin at UFC 103 and will instead get the first shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva's title at an event to be determined.
During a UFC media conference call today, UFC president Dana White said he pulled Henderson from a previously announced rematch with Rich Franklin at the upcoming UFC 103 event because of the poor reaction it got from fans.
Franklin instead will fight new signee Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 103, which takes place Sept. 19 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Belfort, who was slated to fight middleweight Jorge Santiago before the recent cancellation of the Aug. 1 "Affliction: Trilogy" event, will move to light heavyweight for the bout.
Henderson, who scored a vicious knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, will now await the result of next weekend's fight between Silva and Forrest Griffin. The non-title co-headlines UFC 101, which takes place Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
So when will Henderson get his next title shot?
"It depends on what happens next week," White said. "If [Silva] doesn't get busted or have injuries, it could be very soon."
Henderson (25-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) first fought Silva (24-4 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in March 2008 at UFC 82. And though he became the first fighter to win a round against "The Spider" in the UFC, Henderson ultimately suffered a submission defeat in the following round.
Henderson has won three consecutive fights since the loss and got the added exposure of coaching opposite Bisping on the recent ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Henderson's guaranteed title shot, of course, means more waiting for undefeated contender Demian Maia (10-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and former Silva challenger Nate Marquardt (28-8-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who meet at UFC 102 in late August. The winner could still get a title shot – they're "in the mix," White said – but with Silva booked to fight Griffin and now Henderson, the Marquardt-Maia winner is unlikely to get a title shot until early 2010 at the absolute soonest.
During a UFC media conference call today, UFC president Dana White said he pulled Henderson from a previously announced rematch with Rich Franklin at the upcoming UFC 103 event because of the poor reaction it got from fans.
Franklin instead will fight new signee Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 103, which takes place Sept. 19 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Belfort, who was slated to fight middleweight Jorge Santiago before the recent cancellation of the Aug. 1 "Affliction: Trilogy" event, will move to light heavyweight for the bout.
Henderson, who scored a vicious knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, will now await the result of next weekend's fight between Silva and Forrest Griffin. The non-title co-headlines UFC 101, which takes place Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
So when will Henderson get his next title shot?
"It depends on what happens next week," White said. "If [Silva] doesn't get busted or have injuries, it could be very soon."
Henderson (25-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) first fought Silva (24-4 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in March 2008 at UFC 82. And though he became the first fighter to win a round against "The Spider" in the UFC, Henderson ultimately suffered a submission defeat in the following round.
Henderson has won three consecutive fights since the loss and got the added exposure of coaching opposite Bisping on the recent ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Henderson's guaranteed title shot, of course, means more waiting for undefeated contender Demian Maia (10-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and former Silva challenger Nate Marquardt (28-8-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who meet at UFC 102 in late August. The winner could still get a title shot – they're "in the mix," White said – but with Silva booked to fight Griffin and now Henderson, the Marquardt-Maia winner is unlikely to get a title shot until early 2010 at the absolute soonest.
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